Set for release on Nov. 18 is a new book, “Historic Aircraft Wrecks of Los Angeles County” by G. Pat Macha, author of “Historic Aircraft Wrecks of San Bernardino 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 50 people.
Aircraft crash search specialist 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, according to the publisher, The History Press.