Pilots Lisa Netsch and Gary Cockrell of Aero Union Corporation, and Pilot Michael Smith of the USDA Forest Service were killed in an aircraft collision over Ramona, CA, when Smith’s spotter plane (Lead 5-6) hit the DC-4 air tanker (Tanker 19) piloted by Cockrell and Netsch. Both planes were on final approach to the airport after returning from dropping fire retardant on the Butterfield fire.