The three US firefighters who died in Thursday’s fiery aircraft tanker crash north-east of Cooma have been identified as First Officer Paul Hudson, flight engineer Rick DeMorgan jnr and Captain Ian McBeth. Firefighting command lost contact with the C-130 Hercules after it made an approach towards a fire in the Snowy Monaro region. The Herald understands a “spotter plane” flying ahead of the water bomber travelled through a valley near Peak View, but the C-130 did not emerge behind it. Mr Hudson spent 20 years serving the United States Marine Corp in a number of positions, including as a C-130 pilot. Mr DeMorgan served in the United States Air Force with 18 years as a flight engineer on the C-130. …Mr McBeth was an experienced pilot who had spent years fighting fires, both in the military and with Coulson Aviation.