-
Location:
Arizona -
Date:
06/15/1961 -
Incident Type:
Fixed Wing Incident -
Description:
Two aviation accidents occurred over fires on the Tonto National Forest, Arizona in a one-week span starting June 15, 1961, resulting in three fatalities.
On June 15, TBM Avenger tanker pilot Charles Cochrane was killed when his aircraft crashed into a ridge at about 1900 in the fire area. Cochrane was flying the converted WWII torpedo bomber from the "Borate City" tanker base for Sonora Flying Service.
On June 21, two aerial supervision aircraft, a Cessna 180 and a Beechcraft T-34, collided in midair over a fire on the Tonto National Forest. Pilot Art Goodnow and Forest Service Fire Control Aid Constantine Kodz were killed when their Cessna 180 crashed following the midair collision. The T-34 was able to return to Payson to land safely.
Fixed Wing Incident or Accident, Fatality, Aviation
Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock (
) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.