"It has eaten away at me for a long time," said Frank Wilcox, whose brother, Glen, was among four people killed in the crash on New Year's Day in 1965.
Glen was a star athlete in his freshman year at Roseville High School and joined a friend for his first plane ride-- a sightseeing flight over Folsom Lake.
Glen was in a red and white Piper Comanche that took off from Phoenix Field in Fair Oaks.
Friday January 1, 1965 was an exceptionally clear day in Sacramento County, but at approximately 12:30 p.m. the Comanche collided with a Beechcraft Debonair, which was also on a sightseeing flight out of Sacramento Municipal Airport.
An official NTSB crash report blamed both pilots for failing to see one another.
The tail of the Debonair was damaged by the impact but the pilot managed to return for a safe landing in Sacramento.
The Comanche, however, lost most of its right wing and plunged into the lake from an altitude of about 2,500 feet.
The body of the pilot was recovered from the lake, but the wreckage with the three other occupants inside went to the bottom.
A Roseville Press-Tribune article from 1965 listed the victims as the pilot James Marshall, Ford Marshall, Helen Gotcher, and Frank's brother Glen.
Frank believes the wreckage is located about two miles north of the dam and he's made multiple trips to the site during periods of low water.
Frank and his 11-year-old son, Shane, drove to the water's edge Monday from the Granite Bay access to take a look.
"For the past two weeks it has consumed me," he said.
Predictions that the level could soon reach an historic low have given Frank hope that his brother and the other victims might finally be given a proper burial.
"It would be nice if we could bring some closure to it," he said.
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NTSB Identification: OAK65A0047
14 CFR Part 91 General Aviation
Aircraft: PIPER PA24, registration: N5895P
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FILE DATE LOCATION AIRCRAFT DATA INJURIES FLIGHT PILOT DATA
F S M/N PURPOSE
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2-0001 65/1/1 FOLSOM LAKE CALIF PIPER PA24 CR- 1 0 0 NONCOMMERCIAL PRIVATE, AGE 56, 281
TIME - 1230 N5895P PX- 3 0 0 PLEASURE/PERSONAL TRANSP TOTAL HOURS, UNK/NR IN
DAMAGE-DESTROYED OT- 0 0 3 TYPE, NOT INSTRUMENT
RATED.
TYPE OF ACCIDENT PHASE OF OPERATION
COLLISION WITH AIRCRAFT: BOTH IN FLIGHT IN FLIGHT: OTHER
PROBABLE CAUSE(S)
PILOT-FAILURE OF ONE OR BOTH PILOTS TO SEE / AVOID
FACTOR(S)
MISCELLANEOUS ACTS,CONDITIONS - AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST IN WATER
SPECIAL DATA
SEGMENTS OF AVIATION INVOLVED - SMALL US GEN.AV.-SMALL US GEN.AV.
CONTROL ZONE/AREA - UNKNOWN/NOT REPORTED CONVERGENCE ANGLE-DEGREES - *ERROR-INVALID CODE*
HORIZONTAL COLLISION ANGLE-DEGREES - *ERROR-INVALID CODVERTICAL COLLISION ANGLE-DEGREES - *ERROR-INVALID CODE*
EVASIVE ACTION TAKEN - UNKNOWN/NOT REPORTED
REMARKS- N5895P NOT RECOVERED FROM LAKE BOTTOM
NTSB Identification: OAK65A0047
14 CFR Part 91 General Aviation
Aircraft: BEECHCRAFT 35-33, registration: N996T
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FILE DATE LOCATION AIRCRAFT DATA INJURIES FLIGHT PILOT DATA
F S M/N PURPOSE
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2-0001 65/1/1 FOLSOM LAKE CALIF BEECHCRAFT 35-33 CR- 0 0 1 NONCOMMERCIAL ATP,FLIGHT INSTR., AGE
TIME - 1230 N996T PX- 0 0 2 PLEASURE/PERSONAL TRANSP 45, 15000 TOTAL HOURS,
DAMAGE-SUBSTANTIAL OT- 4 0 0 500 IN TYPE, NOT
INSTRUMENT RATED.
TYPE OF ACCIDENT PHASE OF OPERATION
COLLISION WITH AIRCRAFT: BOTH IN FLIGHT IN FLIGHT: CLIMB TO CRUISE
PROBABLE CAUSE(S)
PILOT-FAILURE OF ONE OR BOTH PILOTS TO SEE / AVOID
SPECIAL DATA
SEGMENTS OF AVIATION INVOLVED - SMALL US GEN.AV.-SMALL US GEN.AV.
CONTROL ZONE/AREA - UNKNOWN/NOT REPORTED CONVERGENCE ANGLE-DEGREES - *ERROR-INVALID CODE*
HORIZONTAL COLLISION ANGLE-DEGREES - *ERROR-INVALID CODVERTICAL COLLISION ANGLE-DEGREES - *ERROR-INVALID CODE*
EVASIVE ACTION TAKEN - NO
REMARKS- N5895P NOT RECOVERED FROM LAKE BOTTOM
