Aircraft Wrecks in the Mountains and Deserts of the American West


PA-23-250
3/23/1963

 

Piper Aztec N518?? crashed during a snow storm on the evening of March 23, 1963, while en route from Salt Lake City, Utah, to Pocatello, Idaho.  Wing icing prevented the aircraft from maintaining altitude, and the pilot attempted an emergency landing in the Arbon Valley area south of Pocatello.  The pilot was unable to accurately judge the  terrain due to snow on ground.  After striking a low hill, the aircraft bounced across a ravine, slammed into a farm field, and burned.  The pilot, owner of Airways Incorporated Flying Service, and his passenger, were both killed.  All wreckage has been removed, and today no pieces are visible on the surface.  The private property owner declined use of a metal detector, but confirmed the site where he found wreckage the morning after the crash and provided photos he took in 1963.  Site visited 5/24/13. (Photos courtesy Hans Hayden via Marc McDonald)

 

 

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