Video: 1953 F51-D Crash in Carmel Valley

On February 6, 1953, while the Korean War was still raging, F-51D Mustang fighter pilot 1st Lt. John Maxey and 8 other F-51Ds took off from Castle Air Force Base for a live fire demonstration at Fort Ord; Castle was located just 80 miles northeast of Ft. Ord. Maxey’s Mustang, however, had problems from the onset and he ended up bailing out over the Oppenheimer Ranch (now the Santa Lucia Preserve) and his Mustang crashed in nearby Garzas Canyon. This is a recording of a talk that Jeff Ohlson gave to an aviation group at the Monterey Elks Club on February 17, 2026. He gives a detailed account of the incident that is now part of Carmel Valley’s rich history and folklore.