Martin Mars Marianas Mars

Martin JRM-1 Mars BuNo 76821 named Marianas Mars was delivered to the USN on 26 February 1946 and assigned to VR-2 at NAS Alameda. It was later converted and re-designated JRM-3.

Withdrawn from service on 22 August 1956 it was sold to a Canadian company, Forest Industries Flying Tankers (FIFT), and converted to a forest fire fighting aircraft and registered and CF-LYJ, the aircraft crashed into Mount Moriarty near Nanaimo, Vancouver Island, on 23 June 1961, when the water drop mechanism failed, leaving the aircraft unable to climb quickly enough to clear a mountain. In the ensuing crash, the crew of four were killed.