Narrative:A Douglas C-47 transport plane was destroyed when it collided with terrain during descent towards Los Angeles. It struck trees on a ridge, broke up and caught fire. The airplane operated on a flight from San Rafael-Hamilton Field, CA (SRF) to Los Angeles-Mines Field, CA (LAX) via Bakersfield-Meadows Field, CA (BFL).
Erroneous wind information was given to the crew before departure from Bakersfield. The airplane went off course and a descent was initiated when the airplane was still over mountainous terrain. The aircraft crashed in Wildcat Canyon, approx. 2 miles NE of Strawberry Peak 1/4 from bottom of Big Tujunga Canyon.
Classification:
Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) - Mountain
Sources:
» Hamilton Field Diary: The Country Club Airbase / By Major F. H. Oberding USAF (Ret.)
» Fatal Army Air Forces Aviation Accidents in the United States, 1941-1945, Vol. 3: August 1944-December 1945 / Anthony J. Mireles
Photos
Map
This map shows the airport of departure and the intended destination of the flight. The line between the airports does
not display the exact flight path.
Distance from Bakersfield-Meadows Field, CA to Los Angeles-Mines Field, CA as the crow flies is 175 km (109 miles).
This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Network’s opinion as to the cause of the accident. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time.