Skip to main content

Frazier Mountain Fire Patrol Aircraft Accident Fatalities 1961

  • Location:

    California

  • Date:

    08/22/1961

  • Incident Type:

    Fixed Wing Incident

  • Description:

    On August 22, 1961, a U.S. Forest Service T-6G Texan registered N188C crashed into the side of Frazier Mountain during a fire detection flight on the Los Padres National Forest, California. Aboard the flight were Forest Service employees Edwin Benson (the pilot) and Lynn Freed. The flight's purpose was to locate possible fire starts from a recent thunderstorm. When the plane failed to return, a search was organized, and the wreckage was located by helicopter. Both occupants had perished in the accident.

Return to top