Oak Tree Fire Air Tanker Accident Fatality 1976

A Grumman S-2A Tracker air tanker registered N414DF crashed during fire suppression operations on the Oak Tree Fire, near North San Juan in Nevada County, California on June 29, 1976. The tanker had taken off from Ukiah to assist with suppressing the fire in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains on land under California Department of Forestry (CDF, now CAL FIRE) protection authority. The cause of the accident is not readily available, nor is an investigation report. The sole pilot, William Sears, was killed in the accident. Sears was a pilot in the employ of the Sis-Q Flying Service.