In August of 1958, a Cessna L-19E Birddog #56-2548 crashed in bad weather on the west side of the White Mountains, killing the pilot. The downed aircraft was discovered by a deer hunter in September of 1959 near Campito Mountain. The L-19E was a military version of the Cessna Model 305C and was used for artillery observation, utility and liaison work.

This is the start of the Silver Canyon Road at 4,100 feet, just outside the town of Bishop.

One of the many water crossings in the canyon. The first eight miles of the road had a gentle grade gaining 3,000 feet.

This is where the road gets steep at the 7,100 foot level. The White Mountains are on the east side of the Owens Valley with the highest peak being White Mountain at 14,246 feet. The third highest peak in California.

Looking back down Silver Canyon as I start up the steep section of road. Had to use the low range gears.

View of Bishop and a section of the Sierra to the west from the top of the road at 10,500 feet. The clearing at the center of the photo is the Bishop Airport 6,400 feet below.

On the White Mountain Road heading north to Campito Meadow. The hike to the Birddog will start from there.

Campito Meadow at 10,700 feet. This is the second time I'm searching for the L-19 crash site.

Hiked across the meadow to the west. My search last time was on the slope with the trees.

This is the area I searched last year. Decided to look around one more time before moving on to another slope. After searching the area between 10,700 and 10,200 feet for an hour and a half, I hiked over a nearby ridge.