A dense fog and navigation error led to a deadly plane crash in 1946. But that was just the start of a decades long mystery and crash site that you can still visit today.

Just west of Fairfax is White’s Hill, standing all of 1,430 feet. However, the experienced pilot of the B-17 bomber that was headed to Hamilton Airfield believed he was over the East Bay and at a safe elevation to head towards Marin.

At 2am the plane hit the ridge just 6 feet below the summit. That was lucky, because they skipped over the crest and slid down the western slope for 75 yards (as opposed to slamming directly into the hill and a sudden stop). That allowed six of nine passengers to survive the wreck.

The only problem: they had no idea where they were and had suffered significant injuries.

The pilot and co-pilot set off downhill despite multiple broken bones and severe burns. Don’t imagine a nice trail though, it was steep and covered in dense chaparral shrubs. And pitch dark. And cold.

After 4 long miles they made it to the valley floor and were able to call for help.

The rescue operation was so swift, it set off a mystery about what kind of cargo the plane was carrying. By 5:50am, a crane lifted two large crates from the wreckage onto the back of a truck. It was driven off by the time the residents of Fairfax were waking up.

After the valuable components were stripped from the plane, the military followed their standard practice for the rest of the wreckage: they buried it. The engines and wings that had fallen off were pushed into the impact crater, along with the fuselage. Bulldozers buried it, likely the same day as the crash itself.

The quickness of it only fed the speculation. What was the plane carrying? Did they have military personnel securing the site from locals with machine guns?

Today the land is a Boy Scout property called Camp Tamarancho. You can buy a $5 pass and hike up 1 mile from Fairfax. There is a mountain bike trail called B-17 that is the actual burial location.

Video by Mike Jetter Aerials LLC

ps. In 1982 a huge storm hit and a massive engine was surprisingly washed out of a ravine! This likely had fallen off on the initial impact and wasn’t discovered by the military clean up, so wasn’t buried by the bulldozers. It is now on display at the Boy Scout camp.

If you’d like your pet to be considered for Pet of the Week, please fill this out!

16 Dutch Valley Lane, San Anselmo

The road just keeps going! The first time I went to Sleepy Hollow, I was shocked by how far Butterfield Road goes back into the hills.

This house is 2.6 miles from Sir Francis Drake Blvd and has incredible views of the rolling green hills. Have you been all the way back there? It is a nice quiet area and there is an optional community club with pool, tennis, and events.

It is listed at $3.4M, but they actually posted it in the spring at $4.2M before pulling it off the market.

Check it out:

Zillow link

Thanks for reading. We will be back with the regular events and activities email Wednesday morning!

— Allison + Brian