Plane crash/Philmont
bealmear
ready to go back!
Would anyone be able to steer me in the right direction regarding more
information on the WWII B-24 bomber crash on Trail Peak? Some of our crew
did a side hike from Beaubien to the site. I'm an avid WWII aviation buff,
and I could have spent the rest of the day scouring the hill side and
photographing the wreck. I remember seeing some paintings in the building
where we had out Advisor/CL meeting pre trek. I didn't have time after we
got back to look into it further.
Any info would be appreciated.
Yours In Scouting,
Mike Bealmear
SA Troop 550 - Columbus, IN
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Mike
mbea...@voyager.net
ICQ# 3661440
Stephen M. Henning
>Would anyone be able to steer me in the right direction regarding more
>information on the WWII B-24 bomber crash on Trail Peak?
From Rock Rohrbacher's Philmanac:
"Trail Peak rises 10,242 feet and is a prominent peak on the Philmont
Ranch. During the time Waite Phillips owned the Ranch, the roads into
this area stopped at Crater Lake. The only way to Fish Camp and beyond
was by horseback. There were very few trails in the area and no hiking
trail at all on what is now called Trail Peak. The łtrail˛ in Trail Peak
is derived from its being the dominant peak along the Śtrail˛ from
Crater Lake to Rayado Lodge at Fish Camp.
The Peak became known to generations of Philmont campers as the site of
the B-24 bomber wreck. On April 22, 1942, an Army B‹ 24D Liberator, with
a crew of 8 set out on a round trip navigational training flight from
Kirtland Field in Albuquerque to Kansas City.
At approximately 8:30 p.m., on the return flight, the Liberator crashed
just below the crest of Trail Peak. The wreckage would go undiscovered
for another week, until it was spotted by another B-24 from Kirtland. On
May 2, a search party arrived at the crash sight led by Elliott łChope˛
Phillips, son of Philmontąs benefactors.
Killed in the crash were Robert Redding, 27, Aircraft Commander; Eagle
Scout Rolland Jeffries, 21, 2nd Lt.; Jonas Ruff, 32, Instructor
co‹pilot; George Van Hoozer. Flight Engineer, Charles Reynard, Lt.;
Duane Peterson, Corporal; and, Phillip Macomber, Corporal."
A detailed account of the crash is written by former Philmont staffer
Bill Cass, in his book, Return to the Summit of Scouting, Chapter 4.
An anecdote is published in Minor Huffman's book, High Adventure Among
The Magic Mountains, Philmont The First 50 Years (page 101).
This summer I was hiking near Ponil and Chope Phillips was driving
through on the public road and visiting with the staff and campers and
showing them how to rope calves. He offered me a ride. He looks real
good for being 82 and still lives on his ranch about an hour drive from
Philmont. Visiting with Chope was one of those "you never forget"
experiences. He just wants to be a rancher which has been his lifelong
pursuit.
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Pardon my spam deterrent; send email to shen...@fast.net
Cheers, Steve Henning in Reading, PA USA
CoopWright
the Summit of Scouting there.
Cooper Wright
Advisor, Crew 1519