A/C Crash Site in Spain (Sierra Nevada, possibly post WW2)
 

Hi all !
Do we have a Spain/Espana expert?
During my vacation in southern Spain I hiked the Sierra Nevada mountain range (near Mulhacen peak).
Accidentally I found there an a/c crash site at a steep declining area.
There are still very many metal parts, some up to 100 cm in size.
I also found a complete, but severely tattered combat jacket with a stamped-on insignia: Blue circle (diameter about 5 cm), white 5 five pointed star with 2 yellow wings. So maybe USAAF pilot?
There were no human remains, no personal identifier on the jacket, no readable signs or numbers on the metal parts. The jacket seemed to be made of synthetic fibre so i guess the a/c crashed after WW2.
Possibly all of this is debris left over by a rescue team???

Does sombody have a clue which A/C crashed at Mulhacen mountain ?
Thank you !

Re: A/C Crash Site in Spain (Sierra Nevada, possibly post WW2)
 

Frankie,

Could it have been a civilian airliner? On 2 October 1964 DC-6B F-BHMS of the French company UTA crashed at/nr Mt. Alcazaba (Sierra Nevada range, nr Trevélez). All 80 (7 crew/73 passengers) on board died.

I believe this mountain is adjacent Pico Mulhacén.

No USAAF/USAF accidents found in that area.

Regards,

Leendert

Re: A/C Crash Site in Spain (Sierra Nevada, possibly post WW2)
 

Hi Leendert !
Thank you very much for your response. Although Alcazba mountain is definitely very near by, the parts I found lay indeed on a Mt. Mulhacen slope. Also the insignia of the jacket should be of a USAAF crew I suppose.

btw, here is a good site for aircraft accidents:
http://aviation-safety.net/database/country/

Another guess is USAF Douglas C-124C Globemaster II serial 52-0980 that crashed 12. February 1966 into Sierra Nevada, but strangely "near San Javier" is given as crash site, which is NOT Sierra Nevada area.

Thanks again, FrankieS

Re: A/C Crash Site in Spain (Sierra Nevada, possibly post WW2)
 

I have a good friend in Spain, Mr. Lozares, who have discovered and explored several crash places in Spain. Long time ago I have display some images of German bomber found there. There was engines as well many other parts.

Cheers

Re: A/C Crash Site in Spain (Sierra Nevada, possibly post WW2)
 

Frankie,

The C-124C (52-980) crossed my mind as well, but San Javier is indeed a bit far off...

Leendert

Re: A/C Crash Site in Spain (Sierra Nevada, possibly post WW2)
 

As you can read at 'Narrative' part of this report:
http://aviation-safety.net/database/...?id=19660212-0
The USAF aircraft "Crashed in the Sierra Nevada mountains".

So most probable solution is that the aircraft was an USAF Douglas C-124C Globemaster crashed Feb 12th, 1966.

Roberto Pla
http://robertopla.net/
http://www.aire.org/

Re: A/C Crash Site in Spain (Sierra Nevada, possibly post WW2)
 

Hello all,

The reliability of the information to be found on http://aviation-safety.net/database/ is alas doubtful. Aren't there any other sources on this crash?

Cheers,

Bart

Re: A/C Crash Site in Spain (Sierra Nevada, possibly post WW2)
 

Frankie,

It might very well be the C-124 in the Sierra Nevada. This transport plane was enroute with supplies for the search efforts that followed the B-52 and KC-135 collision, which sent some H-bombs missing off the Med coast of Spain.
"Older" readers of this board may well remember this Jan. 1966 accident, let alone incident.

A 2006 Department of History of the Florida State University thesis says on page 49 (see: http://etd.lib.fsu.edu/theses/availa...jmm_thesis.pdf)
that the C-124 came down "near Granada", which of course is nearer to the Sierra Nevada. Author was John Megara.
It appears that the C-124 was enroute to San Javier, with its airbase. Camp Wilson was a temporary base set up by the Americans at the Los Palomares crash site.

Regards,

Leendert

C-124 on Mt Mulhacen confirmed
 

Frankie,

See this NY Times article of 1966:

http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F10812F7385C13778DDDAC0994DA405B 868AF1D3&scp=2&sq=c-124+spain&st=p

Regards,

Leendert

Re: A/C Crash Site in Spain (Sierra Nevada, possibly post WW2)
 

Thank you, seems to confirm that THIS WAS the C-124.
Sorrily the NYT gives only the first paragraph of the article,
one needs a password for the full text.

Thanks, good night,
FrankieS

Re: A/C Crash Site in Spain (Sierra Nevada, possibly post WW2)
 

FrankieS
I do not know if this will help, but the crash was in Spain too, but it seems a bit too far away...Found it those days and remembered of your thread here...It sounds different:
"41-9016 crashed at 0225 December 6th 1943 in Mount Paní, Spain. The exact hour comes from the Bulova of one of the crew members, which was found stopped at that precise time. The crew list is: 2nd Lt. Earl Richard Clement (O-524 977) 2nd Lt. Robert Murray Ryan (O-731 671) 2nd Lt. Harvey Julian Hanson (O-732 727) 2nd Lt. John Albert MacDonald (O-732 641) 2nd Lt. Pheley, John Kemp (O-854 201) Corp. Christian Jean Becht (32-417836) T/Sgt. Thayer Todd Turman (17-044 922) S/Sgt. Fred Clanton (38-223 515) T/Sgt. James Theodore Thomas(18-134 027) S/Sgt. Guy Edward Schof (33-236 869) S/Sgt. Leonard Lable Rosenburg (20-745 625) S/Sgt. John Louis Scala (32-389 401) I hope this helps. best regards, Javier [signature] "

Re: A/C Crash Site in Spain (Sierra Nevada, possibly post WW2)
 

Adriano,

As I understand it, Mt. Pani is near the town of Cadaques, which in turn is in NE Spain near the French border. Indeed a very, very long way from the Sierra Nevada...
B-17E "41-9016" was of 68th Recon Group.


C-124 still is best candidate given location.

Regards,

Leendert

Re: A/C Crash Site in Spain (Sierra Nevada, possibly post WW2)
 

Thanks for the continuing responses...

No, Mt. Pani is definitely a long distance away from my site.
Also, meanwhile I've got a response from USAF (see below).
Here are the approximate geo coordinates of my crash site. 'Approximate' because I didn't have GPS with me and figured them out on GOOGLE EARTH.
Should be in this range:
N 37º 02‘ 48‘‘ / W 03º 19‘ 09‘‘ to
N 37º 02‘ 25‘‘ / W 03º 18‘ 50‘‘ (marked by 2 red A/C on the attached Google Earth screen print)

I also examined some debris and opened up an olive painted cylindrical object (servo?, instrument?)
to find inside a motor with following inscription:
Inertia Motor
Type No 2ET-123-M2
Ser No 18606
John Oster Mfg Co, Racine, Wisconsin

Meanwhile I also received a pdf.file by courtesy of USAF HQ AFSC/JAR concerning (my?) C-124 crash.
It says that C124C 52-980 en-route from Moron Air Base to San Javier Airbase crashed at
N 37º 05‘ 30‘‘ / W 03º 18‘ 18‘‘ (= N 3705.5 W 0318.3)
‘killing a crew of 8.
This geo location is quite a distance - some 3.5 miles to the North - the crash site I found. Strange ...
bye,
FrankieS

Debris
 

here some photos of recovered debris:

Re: A/C Crash Site in Spain (Sierra Nevada, possibly post WW2)
 

Hi Frankie and all

Michel Lozares, from Spain, new in the group.
I have seen your message about Sierra Nevada´s crash site. I know well this mountains and I have been three times in the crash site that you found located in the south slope of Mt.Mulhacen.

In this mountain area crashed two aircrafts during 60´s:
-UTA´s DC-6B registered F-BHMS (Msn / c/n: 44062 / 384) on 2 Oct 1964
http://aviation-safety.net/photos/di...&vnr=1&kind=PC

-USAF C-124C Globemaster II (s/n: 52-0980) on 12 Feb 1966
http://www.airliners.net/open.file?id=1202172&r=y

Few time ago I knew by a question of Roberto Pla (I see a member of the group) the existence of the C-124 crash site. I requested to Kirtland AFB the mishap report, that placed the crash site (as you say) 3-4 milles to the north of "our" crash-site (yes, strange ¡¡¡)

Before that, I always supposed that this was the DC-6 crash site, althought I knew that this aircraft really crashed near to the Mt. Alcazaba top, in the Tajos del Goteron. Then I supposed that the DC-6 first impact in this site ans later crashed on the Mulhacen south slope...strange too ¡¡¡

It´s sure that in Tajos del Goteron there are some remains, as an engine and a wheel, more a lot of little parts.

Then, the question is: Are the remains of the Mulhacen´s slope from the DC-6 or the C-124 ?

I see you have the C-124 oficial crash site coordenates.
If you change N 37º 05´ 30´´ for N 37º 02´30´´, we can placed the C-124 crash site in "our" crash site in the Mulhacen slopes. Perhaps an erratum in the mishap report ?

I have attached a google earth image placing the crash sites and three pics of the remains that I found in the Mulhacen slope. Anyone could identify them as C-124 parts?. See the wheel size ¡¡¡, perhaps too large for to belong to a DC-6 ?, and the door..perhaps is the C-124 emergency exit situated in the middle fuselage, next to the wings.
But, why these blue and yellow colours?. The UTA DC-6 had a Blue/yellow line along the fuselage. In resume...a mistery

In a pair of weeks I´ll go to Tajos del Goteron for to found the remains, so I´ll can to get more details.

At the moment I suppose that the oficial C-124 crash site coordenates are wrong and the remains of the Mulhacen slope ("our crash site") belong to this bird.

Best wishes
Michel

Re: A/C Crash Site in Spain (Sierra Nevada, possibly post WW2)
 

Hi !

Since I found that pilot jacket with the USAF emblem
it should not be the DC-6 (which flew for a private company).
Also a bit above the debris area there still can be found
one bigger olive green USAF suit, which I didnt have the time
to examine further. Was anyway the first hint that something happened
there, I first thought it to be an old skiing drag.

Bye, good luck,
FrankieS

Re: A/C Crash Site in Spain (Sierra Nevada, possibly post WW2)
 

Hi Frankie

Just today I received the civil accident report of the DC-6 from CIAIAC :
http://www.fomento.es/MFOM/LANG_CAST...AC/default.htm

The crash site was located next to Alcazaba. The report doesnt mention other second crash site. So the remains of the Mt. Mulhacen slope belong to the C-124. It´s sure that the coordenates of the USAF mishap report are wrong.

By the way, also, near Mulhacen, crashed a american aircraft on 1960. I don´t have any info yet, but crashed in the Mt. Picon de Jerez (the last Sierra Nevada´s 3000m peak to the east).

All the best
Michel

Re: A/C Crash Site in Spain (Sierra Nevada, possibly post WW2)
 

hi all!
the co-pilot in the DOUGLAS DC-6 was my grandfather ,is it-that someone would know if there are still remnants of the plane for don't confused with the C-124.
Thanks all.
Bye

Re: A/C Crash Site in Spain (Sierra Nevada, possibly post WW2)
 

I just came across this site and would like to share this information. On 12 Feb 1966, the date of the C-124 (52-0980) crash, I was stationed at Moron Air Base, Seville, Spain in the 67th Rescue Squadron and was notified that a C-124 disappeared on a flight from Moron AB to Palomares, Spain in bad thunderstorms. The C-124 was part of the mission to recover 4 hydrogen bombs dropped just off Palomares when a B-52 and a KC-135 collided during air refueling.
http://wapedia.mobi/en/1966_Palomares_B-52_crash

We were scrambled to search for the missing C-124 and eventually found the wreckage on Mt Mulhacen in the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range. The C-124 hit just below the peak and most if not all the wreckage went on over and was scattered down the other side. If he had been just fifty feet higher, he would have made it.

Re: A/C Crash Site in Spain (Sierra Nevada, possibly post WW2)
 

How was all the debris big parts removed ?
By Helicopter?

bye,
FrankieS

Re: A/C Crash Site in Spain (Sierra Nevada, possibly post WW2)
 

I'm not sure. Our job was complete after we located the wreckage and it was determined that there were no survivors. We did use the site for search procedures training for several months afterwards.
rescuepilot

Re: A/C Crash Site in Spain (Sierra Nevada, possibly post WW2)
 

O.K.