Historic Aircraft Wrecks of San Bernardino County

While the world has been following the search for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, a local man has been searching for missing planes a little closer to home. G. Pat Macha will be giving a presentation and slideshow about his book, Historic Aircraft Wrecks of San Bernardino County at the A.K. Smiley Library on May 6th at 6 p.m. Come hear the author speak about his work and experiences while researching many local crash sites. Weather, darkness and twists of fate have contributed to more than three hundred airplane crashes in San Bernardino County, California. Many of these accidents occurred in the vast Mojave Desert, others on the cloud-shrouded, snow-capped mountains of the largest county in the lower forty-eight states. Searches often were labored yet fruitless, even for the privileged: Frank Sinatra's mother perished here in a downed plane. The quest for an aircraft containing $5,000 in cash has become the stuff of legend. Tales of survival in uninhabited, rugged landscapes have been especially harrowing. Join renowned aircraft-crash search specialist G. Pat Macha for dozens of sorrowful, triumphant, touching and surprising true stories of those who lived through the ordeals of plane crashes--and others who didn't. A graduate of Long Beach State College with an MA from Azusa Pacific University, G. Pat Macha taught history at Hawthorne High School for 35 years. He has authored three books on aircraft accidents in California, and is a speaker on aviation safety. Pat has been documenting California crash sites in remote locations for 50 years. Books will be available for purchase during the event and the author will hold a brief Q and A and book signing immediately after the presentation.