Tanker Pilot One Of Three Lost In Last Week's California Mishap

Brian Bruns "was a serious, competent individual who focused on his job and performed it to the best of his ability." That in itself may be the highest praise one pilot has for another and that's what pilots who knew him are saying. This, in the wake of last week's firefighting tanker mishap in California's Lassen National Forest. Bruns, 45, along with 52-year old Paul Cockrell and 41-year old Thomas Lynch were lost in the accident.

NTSB investigators have now finished going over the crash site and are formulating their report on Wednesday's crash. The Aero Union Lockheed P-3 Orion went down during a firefighting practice run.

Leonard Parker, owner of Minden Air at the Minden-Tahoe Airport in Nevada, knew Bruns well and spoke highly of him in an interview with Gardnerville Record-Courier.

"We would meet occasionally in the fire environment or he would drop by just to talk," Parker said.

"I didn't know of a single person who had a derogatory comment to make about him. I was honored to be his friend," said Mike Kidwell, manager of the Stead Air Attack Base.

Bruns knew his aircraft. He'd spent his Navy career flying the P-3. Sure, he could have stayed in the Reserves after his active duty career. He could have continued flying Orions on anti-submarine patrols. But Kidwell told the Reno Gazette-Journal that wasn't what made Bruns' watch tick.

"When the bell goes off, theres the adrenaline and the excitement of it," Kidwell said. "When you can get out there and kick that fires butt and everybody come homes safe. Its a very satisfying feeling. When it goes bad, it goes radically bad. People die."

But that won't be a deterrent for fire attack pilots, said Parker. "We're all professionals. We all believe in this business and like to think of ourselves as firefighters here to do good for people. That's what makes the difference."

FMI: www.ntsb.gov