| The Palo Alto History Project |
| The Power Line Plane Crash Embarcadero Road and Embarcadero Way |
| The Power Line Plane Crash Palo Alto Airport, located out on the Baylands has had its share of crashes, but none more spectacular than on December 21st, 1949. On that day, 56 year-old investment company president Raymond McWard was pursuing a rich man’s hobby --- flying his Fairchild 24 four-seater private plane. A novice flier who had recently undertaken his first solo flight, McWard was practicing landings when he became distracted for a moment by a radio antenna network. Upon approaching the runway, he didn’t see a set of utility power lines until it was too late. Swerving violently upward, the undercarriage of the plane struck the top two lines of the 110,000 volt main feeder line for PG&E. The lines parted and McWard’s plane crashed to the ground, flipped over and skidded 100 feet, stopping just yards away from where Embarcadero Road ends. Gasoline spilled out of the wing tanks and covered the ground around the plane. The 110,000 volt wires fell to the wet ground and began to inflame a number of small fires. At the same time, Stanford professor and avid pilot, David Webster, was exiting the airport on Embarcadero Road when he saw the crash. Immediately, he jumped out of his car, ran to the plane and saw a fire in the cockpit. He scooped up wet earth by hand and extinguished the small blaze. He then found McWard, badly injured and trapped in the wreckage with severe facial lacerations and a broken pelvis. A few dozen people were now running to the plane and as they approached the potentially fatal downed wires --- Webster warned them away. After putting out two more small fires, he managed to round up a handful of volunteers and posted them around the deadly wires to protect the oncoming crowds of onlookers. Remarkably, the crash wound up affecting much of the Peninsula. Power was knocked out from Palo Alto to northern San Jose, affecting more than 100,000 people. Failing traffic signals resulted in a number of minor traffic accidents and one Palo Alto woman fell down a stairway at the Joseph Magnin clothing store and fractured her hip when the lights went out. The crash also shut down Moffett Field, the Christmas mail, and even communications between the West Coast and Hawaii. As for the pilot, Palo Alto firemen spent nearly a half hour using blow torches, shears, and hacksaws to cut McWard out of the plane. He was rushed to Palo Alto Hospital where doctors had to use emergency power generators to help light operations on McWard. While the patient at first seemed to recover from the accident, McWard died a month later in his home. Quite a day in Palo Alto’s aviation history. -Matt Bowling |
| A fuzzy picture of the crash from the San Mateo Times |
| A Fairchild 24, the type of plane the one that McWard flew |
| A diagram of the Palo Alto Airport area |
| The airport from above |
| Palo Alto Airport with parked planes |
| Another diagram of the airport |
| The map below shows Palo Alto, east of the 101 |
| A plane landing at Palo Alto Airport |
| A plane landing as seen from behind the Sea Scout Building |
| Sources: Palo Alto Historical Association, Palo Alto Times, San Mateo Times |
| "My Father's Crash: The writer provided correct information about the crash except the Fairchild Dad owned and which I also flew, was a four place aircraft and not a two place. He was learning to fly to help save time when servicing his clients instead of driving to various places all over California." -Ray McWard Editor's Note: Change made above, thanks! |
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