Tragically this aircraft was destroyed, and the single pilot killed, when, during firefighting operations near Railroad Flat, CA., on 19th June 1992, it was seen to strike trees, roll to the left and then impact the ground in a near inverted position.

Tragically this aircraft was destroyed, and the single pilot killed, when, during firefighting operations near Railroad Flat, CA., on 19th June 1992, it was seen to strike trees, roll to the left and then impact the ground in a near inverted position.

Tanker 70, still somewhat stained from a recent firefighting job, is the third Tracker to be allocated the registration N427DF. The first one was c/n 256 (1974-1985), although it was never operated as such and probably never had the reg actually applied to the aircraft. The second one was c/n 550 (since 1985), which unfortunatly crashed in June 1992. The Tracker in this photo was registered as N427DF on 30 Aug 2000.