EISPIRATEN

I am currently reading "Crazy for the Storm", which is primarily about surviving a plane crash on Ontario Peak, and am wondering where exactly the plane crashed. Does anyone know?

I listened to the audio book a couple of months ago and was trying to mentally picture where things where as he described it.
I've never been to Ontario, so it didn't work to well.

Have you tried any of the plane wreck sites?

Rumpled wrote:Have you tried any of the plane wreck sites?

I poked around a little on the internet to no avail.

The articles I've read on line desribe it as 250 from the summit, TACO and company are going to spent the night up there Saturday, maybe they can do a little "Recon" and see what they can find.

The articles and descriptions show it to be coming from Santa Monica Airport so my guess is that it's on the ridge to the south west of the summit or in that "little bowl" just below the summit due south. Since so many hikers have come up from and gone down the Sugarloaf/Falling Rock approach you would think someone would have found it by now if it were that far up on the west flank of Ontario.

TACO you in for a little RECON - bring your metal detector?

Kit Fox referred me to a site that has crash data but it did not list this site so he also referred me to Pat Macha who has written a book on crash sites, so I sent him a private email and his response was this.

"I have been to this one and I believe that most of the wreckage was removed by helicopter. A Mt. Baldy local did reach the wreck site NE of Baldy Village in Cherry Canyon. The MSL sounds right at 7,300’, but another source stated slightly higher. The CAP list gives the location as 34 13 00N x 117 37 00W, and the CAP never give the seconds. The site would still contain wreckage, but it would most likely be a micro site."

He also stated he was sorry he couldn't provide more, unless someone else has more data it's going to take real luck/skill to find this one Daddylonglegs, sorry.

But if you do, let's us all know.

Thanks

Hi Patrick, when Norma and I were up on Ontario Peak recently, we ran into a childhood friend of Ollestad's who said he had just visited the site. He wasn't real specific, but I believe it is in Cherry Canyon. He said the tricky part heading up the canyon was to avoid trespassing on Chapman Ranch. It took me a while to find the ranch--about 1/8 mile past the trout pools at the split rail fence. He also said that there is very little wreckage remaining, as you said Macha indicated.

If someone finds it before I do, be sure and take some photos!

FWIW, the descent into Cherry Canyon is super easy if you go down from the Ontario-Sugarloaf saddle.

Also of interest low in Cherry Canyon (near Baldy Road) is a really good looking crag.

A couple pictures of the site.

http://www.crazyforthestorm.com/crash.php

Thanks for the feedback, folks.

Having just finished reading Crazy for the Storm and subsequently studied maps and satellite imagery, I think the crash occurred in the upper reaches of the drainage just west of Cherry Canyon.

Kit Fox wrote:A couple pictures of the site.

http://www.crazyforthestorm.com/crash.php

Wow, that's some heavy stuff.

Amazing how composed that kid was considering what he'd just gone through...

Makes me wanna read the book.

Curious as to what road he was talking about, where he says some kid found him???

outwhere wrote:Curious as to what road he was talking about, where he says some kid found him???

I think that road is in Chapman Ranch. The kid was a member of the Chapman family.

Norman Ollestad responded to a message of mine about the crash location. Here is what he said:

"Yes, I think 'upper reaches of the drainage just west of Cherry Canyon' is right. some locals have various names like 'gooseberry canyon' for specific features in that area. and that feb in 79 there was a lot of snow--really turning the drainage into a chute--check the helicopter footage from my interview the day after, pretty wild. crazyforthestorm.com"

I watched the helicopter footage and tried unsuccessfully to match the terrain with Google Earth imagery.

Does anyone know where Gooseberry Canyon is?