Springerville Air Tanker Accident Fatality 1971

At 0715 on May 4, 1971, a Douglas B-26 registered as N86469 crashed while performing a retardant run on a fire near Springerville, Arizona. The flight originated at Deming, New Mexico that morning. During the drop run, the pilot failed to maintain adequate airspeed, leading to a stall and crash. The aircraft was destroyed and the sole pilot, Robert Bloomfield, was killed. High winds were reportedly a factor in the crash, and the Forest Service organization overseeing the fire response grounded the remaining fleet of 8 tankers the rest of that day.