San Bernardino Mountains Beechcraft 95 Travelaire N2055C 8/24/12
Read MoreOn June 7, 1964 the Beechcraft 95 Travelaire N2055C was on a flight from Reno, Nevada to Ontario Airport, California. During the IFR approach to the Ontario Airport, the flight was misidentified and misdirected by the RAPCON controller at March AFB which directed the pilot to fly into mountainous terrain in poor weather conditions causing the aircraft to impact a steep mountain slope. First report of the crash was made by Howard Triepke who heard the airplane fly very low over his home just after 3:00 pm. Moments later he heard the engines quit, followed by a loud crash. He notified William Loenhorst, the local sheriff's deputy who alerted the San Gorgonio Search and Rescue Team. Darkness and steep rugged terrain slowed the SAR team as they headed towards the crash site guided by the fire started by the airplane. They arrived at the site at approximately 10:00 pm, finding that none of the three men onboard had survived. Killed in the accident were pilot Rex C. Corder and passengers Curtis F. Turrill, and Ray E. Snodgrass. The NTSB report started that the probable cause was traffic control personnel, failure to properly identify aircraft on radar with weather, low ceiling and fog as contributing factors in the accident.