PERTH, Australia — Two pilots walked away with minor accidents after a Boeing 737 jet transformed for firefighting crashed in Australia, officers mentioned Tuesday.

The dual-engine tanker owned by Canadian-based Coulson Aviation crashed in Fitzgerald River Nationwide Park in southern Western Australia state whereas combating wildfires late Monday.

Each pilots obtained solely minor accidents though the aircraft was engulfed in flames and smoke upon affect, Emergency Companies Minister Stephen Dawson mentioned.

“It’s nothing in need of miraculous that they had been in a position to stroll away from that aircraft,” Dawson informed reporters.

The lads, believed to be Canadian residents, had been launched from a hospital on Tuesday, Australian Related Press reported.

Three American aviators died when a C-130 Hercules tanker, a four-propeller aircraft additionally owned by Coulson Aviation, crashed within the east coast state of New South Wales whereas combating wildfires in January 2020.

The Australian Transport Security Bureau, the nation’s crash investigator, mentioned Monday’s crash was the primary critical accident involving a Boeing 737 in Australia.

The aircraft crashed shortly after dumping its load of water with components in turbulent situations. Coulson Aviation is sending executives to Sydney.

Crash investigator Angus Mitchell mentioned it was too early to recommend any hyperlink between the 2 Coulson Aviation crashes or wider implications for Boeing 737 passenger plane.

“That is pretty widespread that air tankers are transformed from different makes use of,” Mitchell mentioned.

“By way of a big plane like this coming down, it’s usually by no means one factor that goes mistaken, it’s very often a succession of issues,” Mitchell added.

The aircraft had taken off from an airport 500 kilometers (300 miles) away. It was the aircraft’s second retardant drop on an out-of-control wildfire close to the coastal city of Hopetoun.