Incident Name: Business Creek Fire on the Payette National Forest in ID
Date: July 27, 1960
Personnel: 2 lives lost
Age:
Agency/Organization: a private contractor under agreement with the US Forest Service
Position: aerial firefighters
Summary:
The Fallen:
John Patrick Hendricks, 40 years
Virgil Lee Sanders, 38 years
On July 27th, 1960 B25 air tanker pilots Patrick Hendricks and Virgil Sanders impacted the earth in the B25 they were flying after dropping retardant on the Business Creek Fire in Idaho. Both men perished. Eight pilots died in crashes of B25s in the last two weeks of July, 1960 fighting wildfires in the West.
Maps
Business Creek Fire on the Payette National Forest, ID
Reports, Documentation, Lessons Learned
- Concise Information from the FAA, AAP and research by the WLF Staff:
- 07/27/1960
- 2 killed, John Patrick Hendricks & Virgil Sanders
- Operator: unknown private contractor
- Type: B25
- Location: Payette National Forest in ID
- FAA Registration # unknown
- NTSB # none
- For more information if it becomes available, consult the NTSB online lookup Utility. Currently, records only go back to 1961.
- News article says: “8 pilots lost in last two weeks of July, 1960”
- Idaho Death Certificates
Name John Patrick Hendricks
Event Type Death
Event Date 27 Jul 1960
Event Place Adams County, Adams, Idaho, United States
Birth Date 27 Jan 1920
Birthplace Alaska
Father’s Name John P Hendricks
Father’s Birthplace Illinois
Mother’s Name Minnie Heath
Mother’s Birthplace Oregon
Certificate Number 002724 - Idaho Death Certificate:
Name Virgil Lee Sanders
Event Type Death
Event Date 27 Jul 1960
Event Place Adams County, Adams, Idaho, United States
Birth Date 15 Mar 1922
Birthplace Nebraska
Father’s Name Harold Sanders
Father’s Birthplace Oregon
Mother’s Name Gladys Hurst
Mother’s Birthplace Nebraska
Certificate Number 002725
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Contributors to this article: Bushey’s article, Mellie
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