Ralph Flores
Ralph V. Flores (October 24, 1921 – September 20, 1997) was a Mexican-born pilot from California who crashed his private plane (registration N58856) in the wilds of Canada's Yukon Territory in February 1963 while on a trip from Fairbanks, Alaska to California. He survived, along with his passenger Helen Klaben, for 49 days, subsisting mostly on melted snow. Flores, a new convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, told the Jewish Klaben that they would be rescued if she would read the New Testament. Three days after Klaben had supposedly finished the last page of the Book of Revelation, a passing pilot, a Mr. Hamilton, finally noticed the giant SOS that Flores had stamped into the snow of a nearby clearing.
His grandson, BJ Flores, is a professional boxer.
References
- National Post obituary, 6 Dec 2018. 'Helen Klaben, U.S. woman who survived plane crash and spent 49 days stranded in Yukon, dies aged 76'
External links
- 'Stories of Survival: Helen Klaben Stranded...'
- Congressional Honor
- Hey, I'm Alive, film based on passenger Helen Klaben's book
- Review of Hey, I'm Alive
- Notice of death