The C-130 Modular Airborne Firefighting System, or MAFFS, fleet resumed operations in the western US on 3 July 2012 after a one-day standdown to review flying and safety procedures in the aftermath of the crash of this MAFFS-equipped C-130H in South Dakota while fighting a fire on 1 July. Four Airmen, all Air National Guardsmen from the 145th Airlift Wing at Charlotte, North Carolina, were killed in the crash. The deceased are Lt. Col. Paul K. Mikeal; Maj. Joseph M. McCormick; Maj. Ryan S. David; and SMSgt. Robert S. Cannon. Two other aircrew members survived and were hospitalized. The accident, the first MAFFS crews have suffered in nearly forty years of assisting US Forest Service firefighting operations, is under investigation.
