Firefighter's widow calls out delays in Black Summer bushfire investigation
The widow of a US firefighter who died when the plane he was in went down in the 2020 Black Summer bushfires said her feelings about a new report on the tragedy are complicated.
Bowdoin McBeth's husband Ian and fellow firefighters Paul Hudson and Rick DeMorgan died when their tanker crashed in poor conditions near Cooma in the NSW Snowy Mountains that January.
Ms McBeth thanked investigators for their efforts in finding out what happened that fateful day, but she told Today it was frustrating it took so long.
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Ms McBeth thanked investigators for their efforts in finding out what happened that fateful day. Today
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"I have a lot of feelings going through me," she said.
"Investigators did such a thorough job exonerating my husband of any pilot error after two years and eight months of feeling all the emotions behind it.
"I'm thankful for that, but it comes back to the reason why it took so long. The company cutting corners, not having a black box recording, what happened during the crash has made it pretty hard for the investigators.
"It's made for a longer investigation process for sure, and that's a long time to sit and not know for myself and for my three children."
Captain Ian McBeth was killed in a plane crash south of Canberra. Coulson Aviation
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The report handed down by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) found the plane likely stalled as it climbed after dropping fire retardant.
It found that weather conditions were "hazardous" at the time with wind gusts and revealed the aircraft should not have been flying.
ATSB Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell said the three men likely didn't know the other smaller firefighting aircraft had stopped flying in the area because of the dangerous weather and a "spotter" aircraft which was supposed to fly ahead of the tanker had refused.
Watch the full interview with Bowdoin above
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