After informing Dima of the mystery, we picked a day between storm systems and set out with shovels--on an NFL playoffs Sunday. Yes, I missed the Chargers-Patriots game for this.
We drove up Little Tujunga Canyon Road to Gold Creek Road and parked at the Oak Spring Trailhead. This area burned in the 2017 Creek Fire, so much of it looked like a wasteland. But the steep trail was in very good shape.
The wide bridle path contoured around the north and east sides of Peak 2602. Not sure exactly where to leave the trail and begin scrambling upward, we both chose different routes in order to explore more terrain.
Unfortunately we misjudged the route and topped out on Peak 2749 instead, south of where we needed to be. We again split up and agreed to meet on the correct ridge, which could now be seen a little below to the north.
I was halfway along the ridge to the west of 2749 when Dima shouted, "I found it!" He had dropped down the north side, taking a more direct line to the next ridge. I promptly switched gears and sidehilled toward him, utilizing an animal track and spooking two deer in the process.
I approached Dima up on the slope in a shallow headwall gully. We were now about 300 feet southeast of Peak 2602. Below him I collected a few small pieces of aluminum and brought them up to the main debris site.
Clearly we had hit the jackpot and likely found the impact site, which contained many large engine parts.
Dima used the shovel a bit and unearthed whatever this is.
Meanwhile I took notice of this special piece among the scattered mess.
It had all these cool words on it: "gyro, dim, bright, fixed." After cleaning it, I read some engraving on the side plate.
Hrm: "U.S. Army Air Forces, Type K-14A Gun Sight."
Hot diggity dog! I knew instantly that we almost certainly could identify the plane from this part, if not from the engine and other items.
We spent lots of time at this location before moving up to the summit and searching around the other side of the ridge, where Kristin had discovered the initial wing fragments.
In addition to the engine, we found many wing or fuselage pieces distributed around a 500-foot square area north of the peak. This pattern might indicate a recovery operation that transported larger pieces by helicopter to the roadway north of the hill. These smaller pieces could have fallen during transit.
Later, after returning down the trail, we ate burgers and fries in La Canada. I googled the gun sight info and found out that it was made for the P-51 Mustang, which the military redesignated the F-51 Mustang in 1948. Based on this evidence and some corresponding newspaper accounts, Dima and I strongly believe this particular wreckage is that of Lt. William H. Hardwick's F-51 (#44-73080) that went down on September 21, 1949 in the vicinity of Gold Canyon.
(San Bernardino Sun)
(Los Angeles Times)
Strangely, Dima discovered that this same plane appears to have been in a landing accident due to engine failure only two years prior in 1947. I suppose it was cursed.
