White Mountain National Forest, Near the town of Lincoln, New Hampshire – February 21, 1959
On the morning of February 21, 1959, a Piper Comanche, (Reg. no. N5324P), with two men aboard took off from West Lebanon, New Hampshire, bound for Berlin, New Hampshire. Both men were doctors, and the primary purpose of the flight was to treat a heart patient in Berlin who was under the care of one of the doctors.
The doctors were identified as Ralph E. Miller, (60), and Robert E. Quinn, (32). Dr. Miller was an experienced pilot and member of the Lebanon Civil Air Patrol. Dr. Quinn was a cardiologist and pulmonary disease specialist.
At about 3:30 that afternoon the pair took off from Berlin for the return trip to West Lebanon. They were last seen heading south under low cloud cover at an altitude of about 1,000 feet. By 9:00 p.m. the aircraft was reported missing, and a large scale search was initiated. The search was hampered by poor weather and numerous alleged sightings reported from throughout the region.
The plane had gone down in the wilderness of the White Mountains near the town of Lincoln, and wasn’t found until May 5, 1959. Examination of the crash site indicated both men had survived the initial crash, but perished a few days later.
A detailed account of this tragedy was documented in a book titled “Shrouded Memories, True Stories From The White Mountains Of New Hampshire”, by Floyd W. Ramsey. c. 1994.
Today, a memorial marks the site of the crash.
To see more information about Dr. Miller, click on the link below.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/87029520/ralph-english-miller
To see more information about Dr. Quinn, click on the link below.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/136644649/robert-edward-quinn
Sources:
Book: Shrouded Memories, True Stories From The White Mountains Of New Hampshire, by Floyd W. Ramsey, copyright 1994, Bondcliff Books, P.O. Box 385, Littleton, New Hampshire
Dartmouth Medicine, (A Magazine For Alumni And friends of Dartmouth Medical School, and Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center) “Unforgiving Forests” by John Morton, Winter, 2000. https://dartmed.dartmouth.edu/winter00/html/plane_crash.shtml
www.findagrave.com
