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The propeller of a C-54 military transport plane lies near the trail as hikers make their way to the site 50 feet from the summit of Mount Charleston where the plane crashed in 1955, killing all 14 men on board. Photo by Amy Beth Bennett.

Thursday, August 01, 2002
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Panel OKs Cold War landmarks study

Mount Charleston site of fatal C-54 crash in '55 would be included

WASHINGTON -- A Las Vegas man got a boost Wednesday in his effort to draw attention to a Mount Charleston military plane crash that the government kept secret for decades.

A U.S. Senate panel authorized a $300,000 study of landmarks that played a role in the Cold War.

After a three-year examination, the Interior Department would recommend sites for designation as national parks or national historical landmarks.

Las Vegan Steve Ririe is among those pushing for the study, which would include the site 50 feet from the summit of Mount Charleston where a C-54 military transport plane crashed on Nov. 17, 1955, on its way to the secret desert base now known as Area 51.

Fourteen men were killed, but the circumstances of their deaths were kept from their families until about five years ago because their mission had been to test the secret U-2 spy plane.

Ririe, a history buff whose research uncovered the story, is proposing a "Silent Heroes of the Cold War" memorial to be placed at Kyle Canyon, a granite slab with 14 bronze stars on the front and a single one on the back to commemorate "all those who have anonymously given their lives in secret projects."

The bill, which passed the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee by voice vote, also includes the Nevada Test Site for study.

It now goes to the full Senate for passage. The House passed a similar bill in December.

An insurance agent and scoutmaster for Troop 624 of the Boulder Dam Area Council, Ririe heads a Las Vegas committee seeking recognition for those who died on the mountain.

In May, Ririe organized an expedition that recovered three propeller blades and other relics from where the C-54 transport plane went down.

One of the propellers is being prepared for mounting on a display that will be shown around the Las Vegas Valley beginning in October, he said.