Museum Unveils Exhibit on MAT Flight 115 Crash
The Aerospace Museum of California honors Japanese American servicemen lost when the 1945 military transport plane crashed near Auburn.
Updated on Nov. 12, 2026 in Military
The Aerospace Museum of California at McClellan unveiled a new exhibit on Veterans Day 2026 honoring the crew and passengers of MAT Flight 115, which crashed near Auburn in 1945. The exhibit features photographs, military records, and parts of the plane recovered years after the crash.
Why it matters
The exhibit preserves the record of a 1945 military aviation accident and the servicemen aboard it, including Japanese American servicemen, for residents and visitors across California. It brings a largely forgotten wartime loss into public view.
The transport carried 24 passengers and crew members, including nine World War II servicemen, when it crashed in 1945. Details of the investigation's conclusions were not included in the available record.
The players
Aerospace Museum of California
The museum at McClellan that houses aviation history and hosts the new exhibit on the crash.
Carl Williams
An individual who came across an article about the crash last year and became connected to the story.
The details
MAT Flight 115 departed Palm Springs bound for McClellan Field and encountered stormy weather near Sacramento before crashing at Baxter Ranch, east of Auburn. The new exhibit combines photographs, military records, and plane parts discovered years later to tell the story of those aboard.
Timeline
1945: MAT Flight 115 crashes near Auburn at Baxter Ranch.
Last year (2025): Carl Williams came across an article about the crash.
November 11, 2026: Exhibit unveiled at the Aerospace Museum of California.
Historical Context
The exhibit places a 1945 transport crash within the broader record of Japanese American service during World War II, a history that has received sustained public recognition in recent decades. It adds a specific California aviation tragedy to that remembrance.
Visitors to the Aerospace Museum of California at McClellan can view the exhibit's photographs, records, and recovered plane parts. The display offers a direct way to learn about this wartime loss in person.
The takeaway
Preserving local wartime accidents keeps the individual stories of servicemen connected to the places where they were lost. The exhibit shows how recovered artifacts and archival records can restore names to history.
Further reading
Explore more military history coverage on California's role in wartime service.
Source note: This article includes information reported by KCRA.
