High Sierra Topix

Saturday I went searching for a Curtiss USAAF C-46A Commando #41-12363 that crashed in the San Gabriel Mountains near Pleasant View Ridge on June 5, 1944 in bad weather killing it’s four man crew. The info I found on it said that it was 600 feet below the C-119 Flying Boxcar that I visited this past December. Getting to the crash site of the C-119 was fairly easy, but climbing down the steep and loose north slope was difficult. Found the tail section of the C-46 at the 7,100’ level of the slope. After checking out and photographing the tail I started the climb out. As I neared the ridge I found more aircraft wreckage. It was pieces from the C-119 that crashed here on September 30, 1966. When I was here in December, I only searched the south slope due to the snow cover on the steeper north side. It appears that the Fairchild USAF C-119C #53-3195 impacted the north slope near the ridge and it’s wreckage scattered on both sides. It was nice surprise to find the rest of the Flying Boxcar. Made this hike a little more worth while. Photos at http://community.webshots.com/album/551689180fsynjp

Photos from the December’s C-119 hike where I found the engines, props and lot of other pieces are at http://community.webshots.com/album/525306527dzwwSq