weird hobby: photo & hiking to crash sites

I don't think it's that uncommon a hobby, well, as far as aviation hobbies go. There's a group in Colorado which does that too. I think they call themselves "aviation archeologists".
 
They missed one, there is a B-24 on Humphreys peak (near Flagstaff).
 
Interesting, but kind of eerie.

I thought that they tried to get wreckage removed from the crash site, unless it was in an extremely remote area, like Denali in Alaska (that kind of thing). That they could bring in a chopper and somehow airlift the wreckage out?

Maybe it's a lot more complicated (and expensive) than I think it is. I suppose it could cost thousands to remove wreckage. Is that something an insurance company would pay for?

If I ever came across a crash site, not sure I'd be up for poking around. I dunno, it would be like crawling all over a gravesite at a cemetery, since somebody probably died there.
 
I live less than 3 miles from the airport I trained out of. My house my wife and bought is under the crosswind to downwind turn for our East runway. A plane went in on the hill directly behind my house in the late 60's. We used to hike up to the site when I was in school. This would have been late 90,s. There were still pieces of the seat frame and wing there, as well as a hole in the trees where he came down.
 
I've hiked a couple myself. Long story, but one in San Bruno is sort of personal.
 
There is a plaque for a B-52 crash west of St George UT. On the IR route that enters the Red Flag range.
 
As a boy, in 1957, I came across a wing of an Aeronca. It was in the woods on the bluff overlooking the Columbia River in Vancouver Washington.

I have since wondered if it were part of a crash site never discovered.

One strange part of this is the type of woods. It is the worlds best habitat for Poison Oak. The plant has grown to trees roughly 30' tall. The only safe and possible time to see the site is in the winter, when the leaves of this deciduous plant have fallen.
 
Don't forget to check the roof tops while doing preventive maintenance on the HVAC systems on the NW side of PDK- Peachhtree DeKalb. A doctor was returning from some Bonanza training in Florida. His CFI did not pass him. His family decided to drive back due to wx. While approaching IFR back in 1996'ish, he crashed into a concrete drainage ditch at a very steep angle and high speed. We found pieces 300' away on top of a roof. Going from memory, see NTSB report for accuracy.
 
When I was in Alaska I was friends with the AK Aviation Historian. He stated that he had maps of all the crashes sites within the state including a Mig that went down in the 60's 70's (memory is dim). I never took him up on checking out a few of these sites. I know for sure that there is the remains of a B-25 sitting on an island in the Tanana river. I actually have a picture I took from a 172 back in the early 80's of this aircraft.



Update, looks like someone is restoring it http://www.sandbarmitchell.org/
 
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There's a B-52 crash site in a swamp in NH, apparently the only Buff that went down with no fatalities. I went out there with a friend a few years ago. most of the big pieces had been removed, but there was still enough wreckage to identify it as a crash site.
 
Interesting topic. I understand there are a few wrecks in the VA Appalachians whose locations are semi-secrets, if nothing else other than to keep the local teens from defacing the site. I can see the interest in it, particularily as a pilot who has read quite a few accident reports, has an interest in old stuff, and enjoys hiking. I think these sites should be left undisturbed out of respect to the lost souls, their families, and the landowners.

Back in the day, no one would bother to remove the wreckage way out in the boonies. I wonder how remote an area would have to be before the insurance company would leave the wreck? I imagine that unless it was on gov't land, the property owners would insist on the responsible parties removing it. Size matters too. A downed 152 doesn't warrant cutting roads to the crash site, but an airliner undoubtably would.
 
Brad Z said:
Back in the day, no one would bother to remove the wreckage way out in the boonies. I wonder how remote an area would have to be before the insurance company would leave the wreck? I imagine that unless it was on gov't land, the property owners would insist on the responsible parties removing it. Size matters too. A downed 152 doesn't warrant cutting roads to the crash site, but an airliner undoubtably would.
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In Canada they generally want any wreckage recovered now. There are old wrecks out there that have been there a long time, since the days when it was OK to abandon stuff. Now they want it cleaned up.

One near here: http://www.vancouversun.com/news/This+history+1957/6606638/story.html

Very difficult to get to, but some dedicated people went in after it was found and buried whatever human remains they could find.

Dan
 
LoneAspen said:
Interesting, but kind of eerie.

I thought that they tried to get wreckage removed from the crash site, unless it was in an extremely remote area, like Denali in Alaska (that kind of thing). That they could bring in a chopper and somehow airlift the wreckage out?

Maybe it's a lot more complicated (and expensive) than I think it is. I suppose it could cost thousands to remove wreckage. Is that something an insurance company would pay for?

If I ever came across a crash site, not sure I'd be up for poking around. I dunno, it would be like crawling all over a gravesite at a cemetery, since somebody probably died there.
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Yes, insurance pays to clean up wrecks. Wouldn't bother me, I've dove wrecks that people had died in, they're dead, they don't care.
 
There's one in Albuquerque - I think it was a PanAm flight. If you take the tram up to the top, they usually point it out. Its a commonly hiked to destination.
 
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