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A difficult hike to the B-36 bomber crash site on the West side of the Franklin Mountains, El Paso, Texas
The largest warplane to wear an American star, the B-36 Peacemaker became the first true intercontinental bomber. This plane, SN# 44-92071 was the last bomber being transferred to Biggs AFB in El Paso, Texas on 11 December 1953. The plane crashed into the west side of the Franklin Mountains at about 3pm while attempting to land in bad weather. There were no survivors from the crew of 9. All that is left of the wreckage is a few propellers, a jet engine, various parts of the nose and main landing gear assemblies, small puddles of melted metal, bits and pieces of aluminum, fabric, cables, and wires. Much of the mountainside is still scorched and blackened.
Ironically, three members of this same crew bailed out of another B-36 that crashed in England, February 7, 1953 only to die on December 11, 1953 when their B-36 crashed into the mountainside in El Paso, Texas.
This cache is placed at the crash site to honor the crew that died, and in recognition of all the men and women who serve our country and sometimes give up their lives as well; we celebrate their courage with this geocache. We recommend taking pictures only, please do not take any remnants of the wreckage.
To get a better understanding of the Strategic Air Command and the mission of the B-36, we highly recommend you see the movie "Strategic Air Command". This movie showcases the B-36 bomber, its crews and mission. It contains lots of great flying scenes and magnificent aerial photography. The technical details of day-to-day life with the B-36 are highly accurate. Jimmy Stewart and June Allyson stars in the movie.
This is a two-part cache. The coordinates to the actual cache can be found at the War Eagles Air Museum, located at the Santa Teresa Airport in Santa Teresa, New Mexico. The coordinates listed for this cache are the approximate coordinates of the entrance to the Air Museum.
The War Eagles Air Museum is dedicated to collecting, restoring, and displaying historic aircraft of the World War II and Korean Conflict eras.
To find the coordinates to the cache, enter the museum display area and look for the display information and propeller from the B-36 Peacemaker that crashed into the mountain. This will be next to the Russian MIG-15. The coordinates of the cache are written on a card that is placed at the base of the standing propeller.
The cache is an ammo can, filled with trade items and a one dollar bill first finder prize.
Parking and start of the hike should be at the North end of Stanton Street where the street ends.
It is recommended that you carry a backpack with plenty of water, gloves, and a hiking stick as there are no trails and the ascent is very difficult. Beware of all that bite, sting, and stick.
NOTE: As you stand in the parking area looking East, you will see the western slope of the mountains. From that position, note that there are roads, one to your left, and one to your right. Start on the road to your right, follow it around until your GPS says to start the climb up the mountain slope.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Gur pnpur vf cynprq n irel fubeg qvfgnapr qverpgyl nobir gur wrg ratvar juvpu vf ng nccebkvzngryl A 31 qrt 48.402, J 106 qrt 29.239