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Aircraft Wrecks in the Mountains and Deserts of the American West
Mt. Moran DC-3 N74586
Many years ago a photo was sent to me of a wrecked
DC-3 with a note that said "somewhere in Wyoming". On 7/16/02 while
visiting Grand Teton National Park I made some inquiries and found out that the
DC-3 in the photo was DC-3 N74586 c/n 19711 now located on towering Mt. Moran at
the 11,200' level above the Skillet Glacier. N74586 had crashed during a
snowstorm on 11/21/50 killing all twenty-one people on board. Among those killed
were seven children whose bodies along with all of the other fourteen people
remain on Mt. Moran to this day. I visited with one veteran climber who had been
to N74586 on several occasions. He described a scene where wreckage is jammed
into crevices and cracks on a nearly vertical wall of rock, where personal
effects still litter the mountain after more than fifty years. Some months after
the crash a group of climbers and church minister conducted a memorial service
at the wreck site. All who pass this way are expected to show their respect by
leaving this mountain gravesite undisturbed. Recommended readings for this story are “Never a Bad Word or a Twisted Rope” by Glenn Exum and “Teton Tales” by Paul K. Petzoldt.
Click on thumbnail to see large view! |
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G. Pat Macha points to Mt. Moran and N74586 crash site above
the Skillet Glacier. |
Another view of mighty Mt. Moran and the Skillet Glacier. |
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When the sunlight is just right, N74586 shines like a diamond, visible for many miles. |
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