A air tanker delivering slurry to the Myrtle Fire was
forced to dump its 18,000-pound load as it was taking off from Rapid
City Regional Airport at about 11:13 a.m. Friday morning.
Airport director Cameron Humphres said the multi-engine air tanker
was just lifting off from the primary commercial service runway when it
experienced a loss of power in one engine.
The aircraft emptied its load of water, dye and fertilizer just after
rotating off the runway. Part of the load fell on the commercial
runway, but slurry also landed on the crosswind runway and a taxiway,
Humphres said.
After dumping the weight, the aircraft circled and made a successful landing.
Airport crews used a fire truck and broom to clean the slurry off the
runway, Humphres said. The runways were closed for about 40 minutes.
The incident delayed the departure of an Allegiant aircraft that was on the ground.
Two aircraft, a United Airlines and an Allegiant aircraft, were in a
holding pattern above the airport. Both diverted to Casper to refuel
before returning to land at Rapid City, Humphres said.
Source: http://rapidcityjournal.com
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