Over 400 military aircraft crash sites located in Arizona, New Mexico and Southern California from WWII through the Cold War.

 

AT-6C #41-32833 crashed near Lake Pleasant on August 19, 1944 after a midair collision with a B-25 Mitchell

SUMMARY: In 1944, Warner Brothers began filming their upcoming movie, God Is My Co-Pilot. The movie was an autobiographical account of a USAAF fighter pilot who fought in the South Pacific during the early years of WWII. The film crew chose to shoot the movie in Arizona and used Luke Field as their headquarters. For their aerial combat shots, they had a number of North American AT-6 Texans repainted to resemble Japanese Zeros. On this particular day, the Warner Brothers film crew was 30 miles north of Phoenix near Lake Pleasant in their Beech C-45 filming what was supposed to be an attack of four Japanese Zeros on a formation of B-25 Mitchell bombers. As the AT-6's attacked the formation of B-25's from above, one AT-6, piloted by 2nd Lt. Orland Luhr accidentally crashed into the wing of one Mitchell bomber. Tragically, no one was able to escape from either plane before they crashed on the rugged desert terrain below. Aboard the B-25 was 1st Lt. George Hunter, 2nd Lt. Patrick Holland and Sgt. James Ramey.

 

Aviation cadet Orland Luhr. Cadet Orland Luhr months before the crash. How dedicated (or crazy) are we wreck hunters? I hiked over three miles of this terrain to see an old plane crash. Finally closing in on the crash.

 

Overview of crash site. Landing gear and other debris. The Pratt & Whitney R-1340 radial engine. Scattered debris.

 

Another view of the engine. Part of the wing. Smashed exhaust manifold. Wing section.

 

Accordioned wing section. Another view of the wing. The yellow paint was applied by the crash crew to indicate this was a known crash. Lt. Luhr's parachute frame.

 

Landing gear. Molten aluminum. Although the person who left this memorial obviously had good intentions, it was incorrectly identified as being the crash site of Lt. Earl Knapp, who actually died in a P-40 Warhawk crash 20 miles northeast of Luke Field on 16 September 1943. More debris.

 

Overview of the crash site. A seat belt buckle and gas cap. Another view of the crash. Part of the smashed radio.

 

The compass. Data plates. The one on the right is for the carburetor. The canopy emergency release. Close up shot.

 

Camera vacuum data plate A few other data plates found at the crash including the ignition switch, and oxygen regulator and RPM indicator. The "88" prefix number on the data plate to the right positively identifies this as being a North American AT-6 Texan crash site.

HOME