Mojave National Preserve Sikorsky HRS-2 #129049 9/26/12
Read MoreNovember 20, 1952 the USMC Sikorsky HRS-2 BuNo 129049 crashed during the recovery of microwave transmission equipment from a mountain top in the Mojave National Preserve. The accident happened as the pilot was attempting to land on the peak, but came up short due to heavy winds and downdrafts. The tail rotor struck a tree and rocks and was broken off causing the pilot to lose control. After crashing to the ground, the helicopter rolled about three hundred feet down the slope before coming to rest on it's left side. Luckily pilot Maj. Dwain Lengel, co-pilot Capt. Gaylord Drutknecht and the two passengers weren't injured in the accident. The HRS-2 was fairly intact and did not burn after the accident, but due to it's remote location the military decided to blow it up instead of attempting the difficult recovery. The HRS-2 was one of two US Marine Corp heavy duty helicopters provided from the Squadron 363 of the 36th stationed at El Toro, California. The microwave equipment was installed on four peaks by the Los Angeles television station KTLA to relay the first telecast of an atomic bomb blast from the Nevada test site seven months earlier on 4/22/52.
Driving in the Mojave National Preserve. About a year ago I saw a post about a group of folks that visited this site, looked interesting so put on my to do list. I was given it's location, but somehow I misplaced the information. I remembered where the hike started and had a good idea which area the crash site was located in.