Mt. Yale C-47

 

Name Mt. Yale C-47
CAP data 3851N 10619W UNK,C-47,UNK,BLOWING ALUM ON HILL,12.5
GPS coords 38 deg 51' 39.0" 106 deg 17' 51.2" at 12,000' level scattered to 10,000'
GPS decimal 38.86085  106.29756
UTM 13S 0387417, 4301927 UTM
Datum used NAD 27
County Chaffee County, CO

24 Sept. 1956

VC-47A  Tail # 43-48146  

Pima Museum's R4D
R4D - very similar to C-47/DC-3

Photo by John Sepp. Courtesy of the Pima Air and Space Museum

(Click on pictures to get enlarged image)
view of site from above & goodly distance away
Site is at the green grass middle

of picture.(foreground side)

The wreck cause:  As yet unknown (I only have the 1st page of the accident report) Aircraft was from Ent AFB and assigned to Continental Air Defense Command. Inmates at the Colo. Correctional Facility in Buena Vista claim to have seen it spin and crash.

Casualties:   Pilot- Col. Charles Arthur Miller, USAF. Hometown -  Kempner, TX

                      Co-Pilot- Capt. James Joseph Richardson, USN. Hometown - Shelby County, TN

                      Col. Frederick W. Ledeboer.  Los Angeles, CA.

                     Crew Chief S/Sgt William E MacKenzie, Jr.    Oakland, CA.

                    Oscar M. Rupert (civilian)  Dayton, OH.

                    Seaman 1/c William  R. Carpenter. Colo. Springs

                   Sgt. Phillip Lenz  (no home given)

                   M/Sgt Helen M. Schuyler, WAF

                  4 others not identified in the newspaper report    but names supplied by Len Wallace

                 Capt. David C. Jacobs 8th Medical Battalion

                 First Lt. David W. Gill 8th Replacement Company

                 SP-3 William L. Simpson 8th Division Military Police

                Pvt. William R. Rooney Headquarters Battery, 45th Field Artillery

 

Newspaper reports that a helicopter flew over the crash site but could not land. Other info (erroneous) says it "crashed on a huge rockslide."                

                     

Site Description:. .N. side Mt. Yale facing across N. Cottonwood creek. Top of avalanche chute. 2nd chute west of the creek crossing bridge.Found one engine mostly together, other totally fragmented. 1 prop blade, tail wheel assembly (tire burned), cylinders in various places, impact site on grass at 12,000' .

Best route Hike the N. Cottonwood Creek trail to the bridge. Leave the trail at the bridge and stay on the south side of the creek angling upwards. The SECOND avalanche chute contains the debris. Follow it upwards.

Trips to find the Mt. Yale C-47 (10 pictures)

Original crash investigation photos - both thumbnail and larger. Provided by Len Wallace

Home Moggie!  

 

Last Modified: 4/12/2009