P-38 CRASH November 11, 1950

SWEEPS HOUSE ALONG--A converted P-38, piloted by Floyd Harrison Nolta, 49, of 4704 Morse St., went out of control and smashed through a house, trees and power pole at 10556 Cantera St., Sun Valley, yesterday. The pilot, seriously injured, was taken to hospital but a miracle occurred when man sleeping house was unhurt Times photo

Plane's Crash Landing Sweeps House in Path Pilot Critically Injured as Aircraft Dives Into Home But Sleeping Occupant Is Unhurt      A 40-year-old pilot was seriously injured yesterday when his plane partly demolished a house and sheared off two large trees and a power pole in Sun Valley.      The victim is Floyd Harrison Nolta, 4704 Morse St. Van Nuys. Firemen had to cut him out of the cockpit after his converted P-38 left one engine and large parts of its wing and fuselage scattered over a 100-yard area of Wheatland and Cantera Sts. Occupant Unhurt      The plane went completely through a house at 10556 Cantera St., picking up pieces of curtains and clothing but miraculously without injuring the occupant, Anthony Costaganna, who was asleep in the bedroom.      The smashed plane came to rest against the front door of 8138 Wheatland St. where the owner, D. Webster Lott, his wife and two children were eating lunch. A wing tip cracked a front window. The Lotts also escaped injury. Saw Plane Dive      Clair Hacker, 675 W. Arden Ave., told police he was piloting a light plane just above Nolta when the crash occurred. Hacker said Nolta's plane "just seemed to dip down for no apparent reason."      Nolta was taken to Valley Hospital, suffering from a compound skull fracture, possible fractured right cheek, cuts and bruises of the left leg, right knee and both arms. He was transferred to Cedars of Lebanon Hospital where attendants described his condition as "poor." Newsclipping from L.A. Times, November 12, 1950 Courtesy of Valerie Yaros, 2-5-04

 

Nolta Injured in L. A. Plane Crash, Wrecks 2 Houses      A pilot flying his converted P-38 figher plane Saturday tried to set it down on the street in Sun Valley, Los Angeles county, but it crashed into a tree and wrecked two houses.      Pilot F. H. Nolta, former Orland man, walked from the wreckage with a badly gashed face. Doctors said he suffered a possible skull fracture. His condition was reported as not serious.      Nolta told police that the plane stalled at high speed as he was attempting to land it at Burbank.      As it hit the roadway, the fighter plane smacked into a pepper tree, skidded several hundred feet, where its wing sheared throgh a small stucco house and then caromed off into another house. There it smashed the porch as it came to rest in the front yard. From and unidentified newsclipping Collection of George Nolta, 2-24-04

 

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