Finally, we can meet again in the Sandia Ranger District (SRD) conference room after 22 months! FOSM co-founder Sam Beard will present what I’m sure you will find to be a very informative talk about what, unfortunately, is a very sad subject.

TITLE OF PROGRAM – “Aircraft Crash Sites in the Sandias”

BRIEF ABSTRACT OF PRESENTATION – We are blessed to have the Sandia Mountains in our backyards, but a mountain rising a mile above a major airport less than 14 miles away has inherent risks. Many who have lived in or around Albuquerque for years are familiar with the tragic crash in the 50s of TWA Flight 260 into a ridge not far below where the upper Tram terminal now sits. Probably many of you have made the challenging hike to where the wreckage rests in what we reverently call “TWA Canyon.” However, few people know that the TWA site is only one of 18 (or perhaps more) where lives were lost (with one rare exception) in crashes into our beloved mountains. Sam, who personally has visited all but 5 of these sites and was the first person on the scene after one of the crashes, will describe the wide variety of sites, weather conditions, and aircraft involved.

BRIEF BIO – Sam joined the USAF after high school, trained as a Russian linguist in Texas and Monterey, CA, and was stationed near London for three years. He earned degrees in physics from Mars Hill Junior College and N. C. State University. Sam and wife Edwina moved to Albuquerque in 1965, and Sam retired from Sandia National Laboratories in 2003 after 37 years in the Aerothermodynamics Group. Sam began developing cross-country ski trails on the Sandia Ranger District as a volunteer in 1970, published a trail guide in 1979, and published a second edition in 1988. He is a founding member of the N. M. Cross Country Ski Club, N. M. Volunteers for the Outdoors, and Friends of the Sandia Mountains. Sam’s many contributions to our beloved mountains have been recognized with a kiosk at the Ellis Trail Head.