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Ongoing Search for
Gertrude Tompkins Silver
Silver update June 9, 2009
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Web Site Updated
07/03/09 |
G. Pat Macha
Speaker Engagement
list

Author
"Aircraft
Wrecks..." Book
Host
"Wreck
Finding" DVD

Tail of USN LTV F-8E Crusader Bu No 149212
assigned to VF-124 lost in mid-air with USMC F-4 that crashed in eastern
San Diego County, 11/22/69.

Horizontal stabilizer of USN
Reserve Sq. 773 Douglas A4D-1 (A-4A) that crashed in eastern San Diego
County, 4/17/68 following
successful pilot ejection.
Recent
Crash Site Visitations

Missing Aircraft in California

Stories with Returned Artifacts
B-24D 4/9/44
B-24L
1/30/45
B-25D
10/2/44
P-59A
3/1/45
TP-39N
9/6/44
Story Archive
Grumman AA-58
1/3/82
Northrop
A-17
B-12A
5/28/35
B-24E
12/5/43
B-24J
5/16/44
B-24J
5/5/44
BT-13A
1/8/43
C119C Mystery
C182C
11/10/69
C-46A
10/5/45
DC-3
11/21/50
F-105D
12/7/67
F3D-2
1952-53
F3H-2N
10/3/56
F4U-4
4/23/46
F6F-5N
3/6/49
F7F-3P

F9F-5
2/2/57
FG-1A
5/5/45
JF-104A
5/1/57
JF-104A
11/22/66
Mooney M20
12/3176
P-38
5/4/44
P-38/EA-3B 6/18/44
& 9/10/62
PA-22
10/28/56
PA-28
6/3/01
PBJ-1D
4/26/44
PT-17
7/15/45
SA-16A
1/24/52
SBW-4E
6/19/45
TB-25N
1/26/56
TBM-3
10/1/52
TS-2A
10/5/98
TWA Martin 404
2/19/55
YF-89D
10/20/53
B-36D
8/5/52
this links to other web site
Monument Site
A4D-2
7/8/59
B-24D
12/6/42
B-24E
7/5/43
B-24E
3/3/44
B-24J
5/4/45
B-25D
10/2/44
B-24J/TF100C 7/2/44 & 4/9/57
B-26
12/30/41
Beechcraft 95
C-130A
6/17/02
DC-6B
10/1/92
DH-4B
12/7/22
FJ-4
3/27/61
N-3PB
4/21/43
P-40's
10/24/41
P2V5/C118A
2/1/58
PV-1
2/24/44
SNB-5
11/18/50
new pictures
X-15
11/15/67
Project
Remembrance
BLM Aircraft Historical Sites
Special Projects
Gertrude Tompkins Silver
Veteran's Day Ceremony
Steve Fossett Search
Steve Fossett Crash Recovery
Photos & Maps
NTSB Final "Factual" Report
Another Long Missing Aircraft
Picture
Archive
Latest picture posted
5/7/09

Veterans pictures
How to ID a micro-site
ID a micro-site
Info added
5/15/07
Related Story
World War II
Airman Found
Frozen in Glacier
Continuing story
9/28/07
Articles
For a complete list of articles featuring
G.
Pat Macha
Latest article
11/10/08
Related Links, Organizations
&
Associations
Links
European links
Recommended Readings
Latest posting
5/15/09


The tail assembly of long
missing Piper Archer N8253W arrives after a two minute "long line" flight
from the crash site. (G. P. Macha)

Dramatic view of the
Piper Archer crash site with the wreck recovery crew climbing down to
start their work. ( Ryan Gilmore photo)
PA-28 Story

Peter Stekel in August
2007 at the crash site of USAAF Beechcraft AT-7 #41-21079 that was posted
missing on 11/18/42 training flight. Peter has a book in the works on this
most interesting story.
To learn more click here.
Addendum added 3/13/08
Final_Flight_bog_home.htm
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On May 8, 2009 a team
assembled to visit the wreck site of USMC Beechcraft SNB-5 Bu No 29649 that
crashed taking four lives on 11/21/50. From left to right are next of kin
Ron Grubbs, his wife Aileen, reporter/author Chris Epting, USFS volunteer
Tom Maloney, USFS Ranger Deborah Clark, next of kin Mrs. Carol Ohman and her
brother Greg Robertson, my son-in-law Pete Armes, and USFS volunteer David
Schurhammer. (G. P. Macha photo)

The wreckage of USMC
Beechcraft SNB-5 Bu No 29649 as seen in November 1950.
(courtesy Ron Grubbs via USMC)
These two pictures and
the first four veteran pictures below are part of the same story.
SNB-5 story
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T/Sgt. Keith M. Ferguson
USMC with his daughter Terry Kay.
SNB-5 story
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Looking sharp in his
“dress blues” T/Sgt. Keith M. Ferguson USMC. (Photos courtesy Carol Ohman &
Terry K. Contreras)
SNB-5 story |
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The entire USMC crew
of Beechcraft SNB-5 Bu No 29649 is seen by us thanks to the daughter of
T/Sgt. Keith Ferguson, Mrs. Terry Contreras.
SNB-5 story
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1st Lt. Willard M. Grubbs USMCR.
(Photo courtesy Ron Grubbs)
SNB-5 story |
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U.S. Navy Commander
DeForest Joralmon, CO of VA-155 lost his life in the crash of Douglas
A4D-2 Bu No 142817 on 7/8/59 in the Mojave Desert. |

The
memorial marker honoring U.S. Navy Commander DeForest Joralmon.
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A4D-2 story |
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Lt. Charles H. Hyde, Jr., USMC posses
alongside a Consolidated PBY Catalina in 1941. He was killed on 9/17/42
along with another USMC pilot while flying a North American Aviation
SNJ-3 on a routine training mission. The SNJ-3 crashed in the rugged
Santa Ynez Mountains near Santa Barbara, California. A second USMC
aircraft crashed killing both pilots as they circled the SNJ-3 wreckage
on the following day. Marc McDonald has recently located the SNJ-3 flown
by Lt. Hyde. (Photo courtesy Ted Hyde via Marc McDonald) |

USAAF 2nd Lt. Donald
O. Pedrazzini pilot of Consolidated B-24D
#41-24262 that crashed on 12/6/42 in the coastal mountains of Northern
California.
B-24D story
|
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Lt. Cmdr. Robert F. "Bob" Coad
USNR was aboard Lockheed SP-2E Bu No 131487 that crashed in bad weather
in the Santa Ana Mountains on 2/11/69 with loss of the entire crew:
Lt. Cmdr. Robert Fredrerick
Lt. Cmdr. Beal G. Dolven, Jr.
Lt. Cmdr. Oliver B. Walley
A/O Walter R. Jacobson
A/O John E. Hansen
A/MM Harris R. Hendrickson
(Photo courtesy John Ibson) |

Harris Russell Hendrickson Aviation
Machinist Mate USN in photo circa 1942 at age twenty. A/MM Hendrickson
had a long career in the U.S. Navy that ended tragically on 2/11/69
aboard Lockheed SP-2E Bu No 131487.
(Photo courtesy Gail Hendrickson) |
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OCRegister.com article
ABC 7 News Report |
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2nd Lt. Floyd P. Hart USAAF co-pilot on
Consolidated B-24E # 42-7160 that crashed on San Miguel Island 7/5/43.
(Photo courtesy Mark McDonald)
B-24E story |

Sgt. Michael Rudich USAAF (1924-1944) radio operator
aboard #42-41128.
( Photo courtesy Marcia Shealey)
B-24D story |
|

2nd Lt. Fred Wright Seaman,
USAAF was killed in the crash of his BT-13A 41-22056 on 1/6/44 near his
airbase at Gardner Field east of Taft, CA. while instructing a student
pilot in stall and spin recoveries. The student pilot, A/C Paul Nolan
was able to successfully bailout at the last moment from the spinning
BT-13A which crashed and exploded. 2nd Lt. Seaman holds his younger
brother on his shoulder in a photo taken on visit home in September
1943.
( Photo is courtesy of 2nd Lt. Seaman’s niece, Stacy Swenson ) |

Ensign Henry "Hank" Harding, Jr. kneels in
front of his USN Beechcraft
T-34B primary/basic trainer. On 3/27/61 Lt. JG Henry Harding, Jr. would
lose
his life in a crash of his FJ-4 on rugged Otay Mountain.
(Photo courtesy Marc Harding)
FJ-4 story
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Additional Veterans
pictures
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