On December 7, 1922, an airplane piloted by First Lieutenant Charles F. Webber and carrying decorated World War I veteran Colonel Francis C. Marshall disappeared after leaving Rockwell Field near San Diego. Their disappearance started the largest military search and rescue operation during peacetime to that point, covering five states and two counties. Sadly, it would take almost six months for the plane to be found, having crashed in a remote area in the mountains east of San Diego.

In May 1923, after the crash was found, a monument was erected at the site to the fallen officers. The site is located on the side of a mountain, an approximately 2 1/2 mile hike from where California State Route 79 is now located in Cuyamaca Rancho State Park.

While it was a major story in its time, the crash is largely forgotten today and the trail to the monument is little used. In fact, we didn't see a single other hiker the entire time we were on the trail or at the monument (just turkeys and bees... lots of bees).

In this video we explore the Monument Trail and take look at the Airplane Crash Monument and its history.

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