1954 Crash in the Wheat Field
✈️ Crash in the Wheat Field
July 1954 – A Miracle Landing on the Hill Family Farm
On a hot afternoon in 1954—on the July 24th, during Utah’s peak summer harvest—residents of Granger witnessed a rare and unforgettable event: a fiery airplane crash in the middle of a ripened wheat field. By some miracle, no lives were lost.
At approximately 2:00 p.m., a C-46 cargo plane operated by the American Air Export-Import Company of San Antonio, Texas, lifted off from Hill Air Force Base en route to Oklahoma, carrying military cargo. Just after passing Salt Lake Airport, the plane’s right engine failed. Pilot Henry Hopson (38) and co-pilot William Granger (37) quickly realized they couldn’t return to base.
As the aircraft continued to lose altitude, they attempted to divert toward Salt Lake Airport but soon saw it was impossible. By the time they reached 21st South, they were too low and too slow. Searching desperately for a safe place to bring the crippled aircraft down, the pilots spotted a long expanse of open farmland—the Hill family’s wheat fields near 2600 West and 3700 South, roughly where Valley Fair Mall stands today.
With landing gear up, the heavy C-46 bellied into the wheat, cutting a 400-foot swath through the ripe grain and shredding metal across the field. It bounced through a 20-foot-wide ditch, crossed the old Salt Lake & Utah (Bamberger) Railroad bed, and skidded another 300 feet into a neighboring barley field. Upon impact, the aircraft’s remaining left engine burst into flames.
Despite the blaze, Hopson and Granger escaped through the rear door, grabbing onboard fire extinguishers to fight the fire until emergency crews arrived. The Salt Lake County Fire Department arrived within minutes, battling a stubborn, gasoline-fed fire under constant threat of explosion.
Local Heroes and Quick Thinking
Nearby residents rushed to the scene. William Hill, whose family owned the fields, was among the first to act. Using his tractor, he helped fire crews by pulling the burning engine away from the wing, allowing them to extinguish the flames. E.H. Van Allen, a WWII Navy crash survivor, also witnessed the landing and ran to help—only to find the pilots already safe and walking away.
Hundreds of curious locals gathered, held back by Utah Highway Patrol and County Sheriff officers. For weeks, the wrecked aircraft sat smoldering in the Hills’ field—because Jack Hill refused to let the Air Force remove it until damages were paid for the lost wheat crop. Eventually, the cargo was removed, the wings were taken off, and the aircraft was hauled away.
Family Legacy
The crash became a storied memory for the Hill family and others in Granger. Chris Hill, whose grandfather and great-uncles ran the farm, recalled his father—just 10 or 12 at the time—watching the event unfold. Remarkably, no one was seriously hurt, and the pilots were later seen getting burgers at a local drive-in, escorted by friend Frank Jones while awaiting recovery teams.
Photographer Oscar Hendriksen captured images of the plane and the trail it carved through the golden grain—a visual reminder of that dramatic day.
PHOTO CREDIT: Oscar Hendrikson
Compiled by Sheri Kimball Biesinger
