NTSB: Aerial firefighter responsible for crash

9News.com in Colorado reports:

Investigators say a series of errors, combined with pressure to complete the mission, contributed to a crash of a firefighting plane last spring. Gert Marais, 42, of Fort Benton, Mont., died on April 15 when his single-engine air tanker nose-dived into the ground. An NTSB report released this week reads, in part, "The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control following the jettison of the load during an aerial firefighting mission, which resulted in an inadvertent stall and impact with terrain. Contributing to the accident were the improperly configured aircraft for the flight, the gusty wind conditions, and the pressure to complete the mission." Marais had repeatedly warned officials that winds above a fire at Fort Carson were too strong to operate safely. Dispatchers and crews on the ground urged him to continue. The final call belonged to the pilot, experts say...