Very sad. R.I.P.
Three people killed in air tanker crash
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has confirmed that three people have died after an RFS air tanker crashed while fighting fires in the Snowy Mountains.
"Our thoughts and prayers and heartfelt condolences go to their families," she said.
"It was a company contracted by the RFS to undertake that vital work and, again, our deepest condolences to those families who have been impacted.
"It demonstrates the dangerous work currently being undertaken and it also demonstrates the conditions that our firefighters are working under."
The large C-130 aircraft is understood to have crashed around 1.45pm near Peak View while conducting water bombing on large fires in the area.
RFS Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said it appears no one on board the aircraft survived the crash.
"Tragically, there appears to be no survivors as a result of the crash down in the Snowy Monaro area.
"It's impacted heavily with the ground and initial reports are that there was a large fireball associated with the impact of the plane as it hit the ground.
"We've got a number of firefighters and a number of crew that are in the area and working to contain and work around the fire.
"It is still an active fire ground. It did take some time with the use of ground crews and a number of aerial surveillance platforms to try to locate the wreckage."
Coulson Aviation have provided large air tankers to NSW for the past four or five years.
The company has made the decision to ground its other large air tankers as a precaution while crews review the aircrafts to ensure there are no "systematic" issues.
Commissioner Fitzsimmons said at this stage it is not known what caused the crash.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has announced it will launch an investigation into the deadly C-130 large air tanker crash.
The organisation is deploying a team of transport safety investigators with experience in aircraft operations, maintenance and data recovery to the site of the crash in order to collect evidence.
ATSB investigaotrs also analyse any available recorded data, review weather information and interview any witnesses.
"A preliminary report will be released in approximately 30 days," the ATSB said in a statement.
"However, should a critical safety issue we identified during the course of the investigation, the ATSB will immediately notify relevant stakeholders so appropriate and timely safety action can be taken."