W.W. Lewis, pilot of this Boeing 247, lost sight of the Saugus beam on approach to Burbank airport in the fog on Jan. 12, 1937. He cut his engines and, at 11:15 a.m., attempted a "pancake" landing on the side of Iron Mountain, south of Placerita Canyon on the Mendenhall Ridge along the Santa Clara Divide, and midway between Newhall and what was identified as the "lookout tower" — presumably Los Angeles County Fire Department Camp 9.

Passenger James A. Braden from Cleveland was killed on impact; Martin Johnson, a famous adventurer and big-game hunter who explored exotic Africa to the fascination of American audiences, succumbed to his injuries the next day. Eleven others, including the pilot, sustained injuries but survived.

George Starbuck writes [1/13/2012] - "Three of my uncles were the first ones to the scene, Ray, Charles and Edward Walker. They heard the plane go over and the sound of the crash. It was directly south of the upper house in Placerita. My grandfather drove down to Newhall to inform the sheriff and rescue crew. From what I remember, both of the Johnsons (Africa adventure film makers) were on board. Osa Johnson survived."