Phoenix – San Rafael

On December 12, 1941 at 12:00 PM, Phoenix – San Rafael experienced a crash involving Douglas B-18 Bolo, operated by United States Army Air Forces - USAAF, with the event recorded near Bishop California.

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

8 people were known to be on board, 8 fatalities were recorded, 0 survivors were identified or estimated. This corresponds to an estimated fatality rate of 100.0%.

Crew on board: 3, crew fatalities: 3, passengers on board: 5, passenger fatalities: 5, other fatalities: 0.

The listed crash cause is human factor. The aircraft was performing a flight from Phoenix to San Rafael, California. En route, while cruising in a snowstorm, pilots did not realize they were flying at a too low altitude. The twin engine aircraft hit a mountain in the Sierra Nevada, near Bishop. All eight occupants were killed. All SAR operations were suspended after few days as no trace of the aircraft was found. The wreckage was eventually found on July 5, 1942. Crew: Maj Gen Herbert A. Dargue 2.

Aircraft reference details include registration 36-306, MSN 1694, year of manufacture 1936.

Geospatial coordinates for this crash are approximately 37.3637°, -118.3952°.