Ricknie

Been busy chasing down leads about the pilots and their exploits prior to the Yosemite event. Quite a few wannabie "I was there...well, maybe not there, but I knew a guy that knew a guy....." You can fill in the blanks.

Yeah, and that's not the whole of it. That plane was modified. It was bigger, faster, and capabile of longer trips than the Feds figured on. The load was larger.

Time for an up date. The plane was a WW II fighter/bomber called a Lockheed PV-1 Ventura. It was the original submarine hunter/killer. It was more powerful and capable of carrying more load than a Lockheed Lodestar, and this one did. Before it found its way into US ownership, it was owned and operated by the Royal Canadian Air Force.

Keybone, the research I am performing and the information that I am gleaning has nothing to do with me. I can appreciate your troll, but its a little off base. How about leading your question with "I do dope, do you Ricknie"? No Cat, it was not a Douglass SBD Dauntless. It was however, not a Lockheed Lodestar as people who have told the story for the past 30 years thought it was. What it turns out to be changes the entire story about how much dope was on board, confirmed by the #2 guy in the drug organization as he was there supervising the loading prior to the plane's departure.

Just when I thought I knew everything there was about this event someone comes forward and provides enough information for me to create another chapter. I have now started to interview those involved in the drug dealing side of this story. The number 1 guy was found shot to death in his car a few months ago, but the number 2 guy has come forward to tell me about the world as he saw it 30 years ago. Pretty amazing stuff....stay tuned.

A year later and many interviews. Thought an up date for those that might be interested. For those that are not aware, the pilot and copilot were from the Seattle area. The plane was a modified WWII Navy submarine hunter/killer I now have a couple of images of the plane during its civilian days. I also have photos of the salvage operation up at the lake. I thought that maybe I'd have this book out by this Christmas, so hold your breath and cross your legs.

Another up date for those wanting to know. I've just been contacted by the wife of one of the original four guys that found the crash site. He died ten years ago, but they both were working in Yosemite at the time. She has agreed to tell what she can recall. Stay tuned...

Another up date for those that are following this saga. A guy that appears to have the only remaining tee shirt has contacted me. He'll be sending me photos of his shirt which we'll include in the book. So far I've heard from more than 18 people that want to provide stories from this event. They range from some of the original climbers out of C4, NPS employees, Curry Company employees, and those involved with the investigation from the Fed's side. Truly an eye opening experience to say the least.

I have just received a bunch of photos taken by those involved in the recovery of the plane, bodies, and uh....the cargo. Some great stories to go along with the images as well. Oh yeah, and yes, the winter of 76/77 was in the middle of the famous seven year drought. The photos taken in December look as though they were taken in late April. Although the holes cut with chainsaws show clearly how low the temperatures got as the lake was totally frozen over.

Thanks again everyone for your help.

Thanks everyone for the great tips. I've been posting this story on a half dozen other climbing forums from the West coast to the UK. Since almost 30 years have passed, it only makes sense to search world wide for those that might have either been there or have close friends that were. So far we have almost a dozen people that have come forward to tell their stories. The great thing about this is that no one knows everything about what went on. I know the plane/cargo/trips side of it, but not the Yosemite side. When we finally write this (we figure at least a year from now) there will be our side, the C4 Gang's side, as well as the investigation and those people's side. I am in touch with the retired investigators on the cast and they have a ton of stuff to tell as well. So again, if anyone has any ideas or tips, feel free to pass my name and email/phone number around as well as PM me.

Thanks Chris, Lynn has agreed to talk with us. I just bought her book "Climbing Free" where she talks about it also.

Yeah, I read it too. I'll withhold my comments...

Bad me! Yes...I read them. They were also published in Mountain Gazette. Here's the link at ST: http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.html?topic_id=68674&f=0&b=0 This is the link that got the pilot's wife and I started on writting this book.

You miss my point about exposing anyone. Many of those that are coming forward to tell their story would prefer to remain annonymous. Many have families or jobs that might be impacted by their past. The pilot's name and info are public record. I don't know about stories written in Alpine.

If anyone saw Sylvester Stallone's movie, "CliffHanger" it was written on the premise of this crash. There have been a number of books written on the crash. By the way, the pilot was from Seattle. Almost no one knows that tidbit of info.

In 1977 a plane loaded with dope crashed into Lower Merced Pass Lake. I knew the pilot and his wife since high school. His wife and I are working on co-authoring a book about the incident. I am looking for anyone that can recall any stories about what went on in the area during the first few weeks following the crash. We are not looking to expose anyone, we are looking for stories to add to what we already knew happened up to that night.I have talked to a few ex park employees as well as quite a few of the original C4 gang that were there at the time and have gotten their take on things. Anyone else? You are welcomed to email me or call me at the number below. Rick Schloss San Jose, CA 408-295-1501