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Aircraft Wrecks in the Mountains and Deserts of the American West Picture Archive 4
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USAF personnel remove equipment from Douglas A-1E BuNo132435 that crashed 2/25/69 while searching for missing TA-4F. Both A-1E crewmen survived a hard landing in bad weather at 12,000' MSL near Mt. Whitney in the High Sierra. The A-1E wreck was mostly recovered by USMC CH-53 in the 1970's.
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In September 1965 I traveled to Sequoia National Park with long time friend Jerry Boal. We climbed 9,046' Panther Peak to visit the crash site of Curtiss C-46F N1240N that once flew for Slick Airways.
On 1/13/59 while flying in a blinding snow storm N1240N
crashed 200' below Panther Peak killing both crewmen. The wreck remained
undisturbed until 1967-68 when metal salvagers removed most of the
aluminum. The site today contains the engines, landing gear, and extensive
debris. |
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Grumman F6F-5K USN expended during tests at NWC China Lake in the 1950's to early 60's. (T. Gossett photo collection)
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Piper Comanche N5607P crashed
on the south slope of Red Mountain near Hwy 395 on 2/22/93 when the fuel
supply was exhausted. The pilot and his passenger survived with minor
injuries only. Wreck was removed. |
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1967, Vietnam |
In the early 1970s my brother Chris Macha hiked into the Pioneer Lakes Basin of the High Sierra. There he found the "marked" wreckage of this WWII Ryan PT-22 trainer. The intact Kinner five cylinder R-440-3 radial engine is visible in the center of the photo. The following year this historic aircraft was deemed an eyesore and was removed by the Sierra Club. (Chris Macha photo) |
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I was a sophomore at Long Beach State College in 1965 when Beechcraft Bonanza N459B crash landed on the lower campus tennis courts.
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One person was seriously injured, and one person suffered only minor injuries. Fuel mismanagement issues were listed as the cause in the official NTSB report. |
 In the Summer of 1970 I visited the wreck of a General Motors built, Grumman TBM on the rugged Oregon coast near the town of North Bend. Even though this site was but a few hundred yards east of Hwy 1 it remained unlocated for some time. (G.P.Macha photo)
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 The burned and corroded wing section of WWII era TBM as seen in 1970. To this day I have no date or other details concerning this accident. (G.P. Macha)
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On 5/29/71 retired USAF General Richard O. Hunziker and his wife crashed to their deaths on cloud enshrouded Hines Peak at the 6,500' level. I first flew by this site in June 1972, and most recently in 2004. The General's Cessna 182 N2147G remains intact and undisturbed to this day. (G.P.Macha photo) |
Ercoupe N7506C crash site 3,000' MSL in Santa Ynez Mountains north of Santa Barbara. The pilot was killed in this weather related accident on 9/4/63. Wreck is unburned and unmarked. I took the aerial photo taken from C-172 on 6/29/74. (G. Pat Macha photo) |
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