Historic Aircraft Wrecks of Los Angeles County

A century of aviation research and military flights over Los Angeles County has left the San Gabriel Mountains, Mojave Desert and the near-shore Pacific Ocean strewn with more than 1,500 aircraft crash sites. Barnstormers and test pilots too often made unexpected final landings. Accidents occurred on a nearly daily basis during World War II training maneuvers. Private planes, a sign of 1950s prosperity, also met tragic ends. These epic incidents include the 1971 tragedy of Flight 706 in which an airliner collided with a marine fighter jet above Mount Bliss, killing fifty people. Renowned aircraft crash search specialist G. Pat Macha recounts dozens of sorrowful, triumphant and surprising true stories of those who lived through these ordeals while offering touching tributes to those who did not.

G. Pat Macha has authored five books on aircraft accidents in California, and is a well-received speaker on aviation safety and accident histories. A history teacher for thirty-five years, Pat has been documenting crash sites throughout California in remote locations for fifty-one years, and he has hiked to or flown over more than 150 crash sites in Los Angeles County. Since 1996, along with the Project Remembrance Team, he has assisted next of kin in visiting crash sites.