Consolidated PBY Catalina
PBY-5A Bu# 48416
4 MAY 1945
Sausalito CA
PBYs flying over the Golden Gate Bridge just south of the crash site.
Out of the crew of 11, only 2 survived.
The survivors were: Harold R. Dole and, Henri C. Tondreault
Those killed were: Robert Moment, Norman W. White, John L. Hart, Carlton C. Trull Jr., Frank P. Zappacosta,
William T. Ford, Johnnie S. Owens, Frank H. Spofford Jr. and Leo B. Ibelli
Original photo from the crash report.
The site as it looks today.
Original photo from the crash report.
The area as it look today. It was here I knew I was close. I started looking carefully to the ground...
... and I spotted flat glass!!! Now normally I would not get this excited over just glass, but after being skunked on
numerous trips to this site, and then already having already spent half an hour on the site that day with over a dozen people looking
I was beginning to think that yet again we would find nothing.
Matt came over and found the first pieces of metal.
Headphone jack.
About the only piece of aluminum skin we found.
3 pieces are aluminum nuggets, and 3 are rocks. Can you tell which is which? OK, but did you see the aluminum angle bracket center top?
These pieces of plywood may or may not be associated with the crash. Everyone in the background is at the main burn site.
Group shot of some of the search team.
Greg kneeling center front, then in back L to R, Craig, Matt, Walt, Jeff, and Paxton.
(Thanks Rick for taking the photo!)
