Sometimes, crash investigators never find the cause for a particular accident. Up to the time of impact, the flight appeared normal.  Then in the blink of an eye and without warning, a life is lost in a senseless tragedy.    One minute the aircraft is in normal communications with Approach Control and about to start a very familiar approach.  Then  nothing more was heard from the aircraft on any radio frequency.  The aircraft simply isn't there anymore.

     Such was the case on October 7, 1956,  when 1st Lt. Jack I. Hamilton departed the San Fernando Valley Airport in Van Nuys, California. He was flying  a Navy TV-2 jet on what was to be his last flight.  He had made this night approach in a TV-2 only two days before.  So he knew the aircraft and the approach  well.

     Lt. Hamilton became a Naval Aviator on September 1, 1953, and was well qualified  in TV-2 type aircraft.   At the time of his death, he  was assigned as a Jet Instrument Flight Instructor and  attached to the Advanced Training Unit 101 at the Naval Air Station in Corpus Christi, Texas.

     He had accumulated more than 1,632 flight hours, of which 432 hours were in TV-2 type aircraft.  In the last three months alone, Lt. Hamilton had flown more than 194 hours in TV-2 aircraft, including eight hours of instrument, and 11 hours of night flying time.

     So why did this very experienced Naval Aviator disregard  instructions  to maintain  5,500 feet, and allow his aircraft to collide with  the side of a mountain.  The collision at the 3,100 foot level  was so violent that Lt. Hamilton's body could not be recovered in its entirety.

     In the rear seat of the jet were some of Lt. Hamilton's personal effects.  Along with his overnight bag, he had  a  rifle and a 16-gauge shotgun, most likely secured with the seat belt.    The rifles and personal effects are all  still on the mountain.  Only some small parts of the rifle were located.

    You'll read the full story, and see the pictures from this crash site in a new book from Info Net Publishing entitled: "Aircraft Wrecks in The Mountains and Deserts of California", (3rd edition), by G. Pat Macha and Don R. Jordan.  It is a data base of California aviation accidents.  There are more than 1,500 aviation accidents listed, and 27 detailed stories in this book.

    Information given will include, the date of the accident, the approximate location, the tail number and the status of the wreck site today.  Some  were selected for an in-depth look at the cause of the accident.   In many cases, the stories will put you in the cockpit for the last moments of flight. This book is now available  from Info Net Publishing,  Don R. Jordan, or any retail book store.