Look I am sorry but am limited to what I can and cant say as it has gone before the senate and is still under investigation by CASA the inquest and then possibly a trail for the person involved. But you are right on the mark 4 deaths in Australia alone. Aircraft now parked up all over the place just a sorry mess at the end of the day.
The extended hopper was for bulk not liquid and hence we have wing fitting failures this was told to CASA approx. 10 years ago, what we can hope for if the inquest can reopen the other accidents and relook at what happened and maybe place blame where it rightly should be. And yes I am a LAME. What upsets me is they going to try and lay blame at a person that in the course of there duties didn't find anything wrong with the aircraft. The day was not fit for flying a kite let alone fight a fire in thoose conditions and an RFS officer believed to have said oh the real pilots are flying . Then we loose a life.
Its sad frustrating that it had to come to this.
Cheers