Plane Wrecks Galleries

Grumman S-2 Tracker : This Navy S-2 Tracker, S/N 136542 went down in the High Sierra's January 16, 1966. The S-2 was a Vietnam era aircraft built for Anti Submarine Warfare, Grumman built 1,185 Trackers. Lewis, my brother Brian and I spent Labor Day weekend exploring this wreck site.

Grumman S-2 Tracker

This Navy S-2 Tracker, S/N 136542 went down in the High Sierra's Janua ...

Updated: Sep 10, 2009 2:52pm PST

Tells Peak Boeing B-17C Crash Site : On Nov. 2, 1941 this Boeing B-17C (Tail No. 40-2047) aka “flying Fortress” began to break up above the Western Sierras. The breakup is thought to have occurred due to bad weather on a flight from Reno to Sacramento. Eight of the nine crew were saved by parachuting out, while the captain remained to keep the plane flying. The wreckage is spread over a large area, although there is a trail that will take you too it, many pieces remain hidden to the casual observer. Lewis, my brother Brian and I spent a weekend to explore the wreck site. Here is some technical information from Boeing's website. The Army Air Corps ordered 38 improved B-17Bs as B-17C in 1940. The B-17C changed from 1,000-hp to 1,200-hp Wright R-1820-65 radial engines. Flat sliding gun panels were installed instead of waist gun blisters, providing greater crew safety and cleaner design. The ventral gun blister was replaced by a "bathtub" turret also. Twenty B-17Cs were transferred to the RAF (Fortress I), which used them during the early stages of World War II. The remaining 18 C models were modified to the D model configuration and became second line RB-17Ds late in their service lives. TECHNICAL NOTES: Armament: One .30-cal. and six .50-cal. machine guns and 4,800 lbs. of bombs Engines: Four Wright R-1820-65 turbo-supercharged radials of 1,200 hp each Maximum speed: 323 mph at 25,000 ft. Cruising speed: 227 mph Service ceiling: 37,000 ft. Range: 3,400 miles (maximum ferry range) Span: 103 ft. 9 in. Length: 67 ft. 11 in. Height: 15 ft. 5 in. Weight: 48,500 lbs. gross weight (actual - normal load) Serial numbers: 40-2042 to 40-2079

Tells Peak Boeing B-17C Crash Site

On Nov. 2, 1941 this Boeing B-17C (Tail No. 40-2047) aka “flying For ...

Updated: Sep 10, 2009 4:06pm PST

Eastern Sierra F/A-18D Hornet Crash Site : History The McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) F/A-18 Hornet is an all-weather carrier-capable multirole fighter jet, designed to attack both ground and aerial targets. The F/A-18 was derived from the YF-17 in the 1970s for use by the United States Navy and Marine Corps. The fighter's primary missions are fighter escort, fleet air defense, suppression of enemy air defenses (SEAD), interdiction, close air support and reconnaissance. Its versatility and reliability have proven it to be a valuable carrier asset, though it has been criticized for its lack of range and payload compared to its earlier contemporaries. In the mid 1980’s production switched to the upgraded F/A-18C single-seat and F/A-18D two-seat models. Though largely similar externally, the two new F-18 variants feature a number of avionics improvements centering on providing night attack capability. While the earlier F-18B was a trainer only, the rear seat of the F-18D is equipped with mutli-functional displays and sidestick weapons controllers allowing the F-18 to serve as a forward air controller guiding other planes to targets over the battlefield. The F/A-18D Hornet we found crashed in the Eastern Sierras in the late 1980’s killing its two crew members. The wreckage was found 3 months after. The Search Credit for finding this wreck goes to Lewis Shorb. After months of research and two failed attempts trying to locate it in the field, Lewis finally nailed down an approximate location in the Eastern Sierras. On August 14, 2009, Alan Erickson, Lewis Shorb and myself traveled to the Eastern Sierras to begin the search once more. Following Lewis’s GPS points he led us to where he thought the wreck site was. After searching around for about 30 minutes we spotted the wreckage within a few hundred feet of the GPS waypoint. Of course there was just one problem. The wreckage was 1000’ down an 80 degree slope with lots of loose rock. Knowing we could run into a problem going down or coming up, Lewis opted to stay on top and help guide us down the steep slope toward the wreckage. This hike was extremely hard but well worth the find. Below you will see a ‘handful’ of photos of the wreckage site. The impact created about a 500’ radius debris field. Most of the wreckage was small internal pieces that are very hard to identify. There was evidence of a fire, and we believe some parts of the plane were recovered by the military. If you have any information on the parts you see please let me know as I am clueless to some.

Eastern Sierra F/A-18D Hornet Crash Site

History The McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) F/A-18 Hornet is an all- ...

Updated: Aug 24, 2009 8:03am PST

Gamblers Special 2nd Attempt - Found it! : Trip Stats: Distance to wreck - 4 miles. Elevation Gain - about 5800' total. Time up: 3 hours 45 minutes. Time down: 1 hour 40 minutes. (Side Note) I know the time up looks pathetic...4 miles in about 4 hours!? Let me just say this hike was harder than the 31 mile hike I did a few weeks ago from Mammoth to Tuolumne Meadows, which we did in under 10 hours. There is no trail to this wreck site, you have to go cross country pretty much straight up to the wreck site. Its a tough hike! Our first attempt to the crash site was a failure. Well, sort of. We did manage to find the helicopter wreck, which crashed during the recovery process in August of 1969. Alan and I were also extremely exhausted once we reached the crash site due to getting lost several times trying to find our way up. With little time to explore around the crash site we knew we would have to make a trip back and find the actual DC-3 crash. So a year later we made it back and found more than we ever could have expected. This is one of the most interesting crash sites we have visited so far. All the parts of the aircraft still remain at the scene and there is no sign of the typical fire you find at most crashes. We found many personal items; watches, glasses, change, combs, ladies makeup, shoes, clothes and much more. Take a look at the photos and let me know if you have any questions.

Gamblers Special 2nd Attempt - Found it!

Trip Stats: Distance to wreck - 4 miles. Elevation Gain - about 5800' ...

Updated: Jul 09, 2009 7:26pm PST

DC-3 Gambler's Special - Plane Crash 1st Attempt. : UPDATE*** - I recently revisited the site and found the actual DC-3. That album is located in the "Plane Wrecks" directory. This was our first attempt to locate the Gambler's Special. We failed in finding the DC-3 but we ended up finding the wreckage from a rescue helicopter instead. We would revisit this site again and discover we were only a few hundred feet away from it the first time. With 32 passengers & 3 crew members aboard, this plane was on its way to Burbank after leaving Hawthorne, NV. It never made it and crashed in a 11,700' granite face in the Eastern Sierras in Feb. 1969.

DC-3 Gambler's Special - Plane Crash 1st Attempt.

UPDATE*** - I recently revisited the site and found the actual DC-3. ...

Updated: Jul 09, 2009 7:30pm PST

C-119 Boxcar Plane Crash : This time it was Alan, Robin and I searching for a C-119 that crashed somewhere in the Angeles National Forest. About the C-119 The Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar was an American military transport aircraft developed from the World War II Fairchild C-82 Packet. It was designed to carry cargo, personnel, litter patients, and mechanized equipment, and to drop cargo and troops by parachute. The first C-119 made its initial flight in November 1947, and by the time production ceased in 1955, more than 1,100 C-119s had been built. Its cargo-hauling ability and unusual appearance earned it the nickname "Flying Boxcar". The C-119 we were in search of was based at March Field in Riverside. I believe the plane was coming from the Palmdale area on its way back to Riverside before crashing. All four crew members on board were killed. The crash sparked a small fire and was later found by officials. This was a pretty extensive wreck site with the wreckage scattered on both sides of the mountain.

C-119 Boxcar Plane Crash

This time it was Alan, Robin and I searching for a C-119 that crashed ...

Updated: Sep 18, 2009 8:02am PST

Mt. Baldy Plane Wrecks :

Mt. Baldy Plane Wrecks

Updated: May 12, 2008 11:45am PST

Angeles Forest B-25 Crash Site : On July 22, 1960 a B-25, serial no. N-3446G crashed in the Angeles National Forest while helping firefighters with the Magic Mountain Fire. Three crew members died in this crash.

Angeles Forest B-25 Crash Site

On July 22, 1960 a B-25, serial no. N-3446G crashed in the Angeles Nat ...

Updated: Sep 10, 2009 4:59pm PST

Crash :

Crash

Updated: Oct 27, 2009 5:04pm PST