Norton - Ogden-Hill

On September 21, 1954 at 12:00 AM, Norton - Ogden-Hill experienced a crash involving Fairchild C-82 Packet, operated by United States Air Force - USAF, with the event recorded near Fawnskin California.

The flight was categorized as military and the reported phase was flight at a mountains crash site.

9 people were known to be on board, 1 fatalities were recorded, 8 survivors were identified or estimated. This corresponds to an estimated fatality rate of 11.1%.

Crew on board: 9, crew fatalities: 1, passengers on board: 0, passenger fatalities: 0, other fatalities: 0.

The listed crash cause is technical failure. The crew departed Norton AFB in San Bernardino on a flight to Ogden-Hill AFB, Utah. Few minutes after takeoff, while cruising above the mountains, an engine failed. As the pilot was unable to maintain a safe altitude, he ordered his crew to bail out. Few minutes later, he crashed with the airplane in a wooded and mountainous area located in Fawnskin, near Big Bear Lake. Unfortunately, Captain Charles M. Eckstein was unable to escape in a timely manner and was killed in the crash. All other crew members were found alive.

Aircraft reference details include registration 45-57744, MSN 10114, year of manufacture 1945.

Geospatial coordinates for this crash are approximately 34.2681°, -116.9425°.