THE PLANE CRASH
BOOKS | DOCUMENTARY | PERFORMANCE | ARCHIVE
OVERVIEW
Since 2010, Hernandez has dedicated his life to researching and locating the families of the unknown Mexican passengers who were killed in the legendary 1948 plane wreck at Los Gatos Canyon. The crash, which occurred in Fresno County, took the lives of 32 passengers, 28 of whom were “Mexican Nationals,” and were buried without their names in the “largest mass grave in California’s history.” The incident was made famous by Woody Guthrie and Martin Hoffman, in the song “Deportee (Plane Wreck at Los Gatos),” which has been recorded by musicians such as Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Dolly Parton, Joan Baez, Johnny Cash, Pete Seeger, and countless others.
This is a large scale ongoing project that includes two books, a performance, and a feature length documentary film in the works, as well as numerous collaborators in both the United States and Mexico. In 2018, Hernandez was formally recognized for his work by the California Latino Legislative Caucus, with the support of Senators William Monning and Ben Hueso. A recognition ceremony was held on the floor of the California State Senate in Sacramento, which included family members of some of the passengers, as well as folk singer and icon, Joan Baez. That footage can be seen in the documentary trailer.
BOOKS
All They Will Call You is the first book of the plane crash series. Published in 2017 by the University of Arizona Press it garnered rave reviews. The story focuses primarily on the first several families that the author located up to that point in time, as well as the plane crash itself. It remains largely set in the 1940’s and though it is technically categorized as Nonfiction, the book itself is labeled as a Documentary Novel because it uses fictionalized re-enactments in a few places to recreate what exactly happened, much the way a documentary film would.
They Call You Back is the second book in the plane crash series. It was released in 2024, also with the University of Arizona Press. This story focuses primarily on the author’s search, and the life experiences that inspired him to take up this personal journey–his sacrifices, overcoming grief, healing from his own past, and his relationships with the spirits who guide him. Along the way he continues to give us stories of the new families he’s located. Upon its release, Kirkus Review gave They Call You Back a starred review, citing, “With an unapologetic humility, commitment to restoring lost dignity, and deep understanding of human connectedness, Hernandez is a model storyteller. Entrancing, reverential, beautiful!”
DOCUMENTARY
Since 2010, Hernandez has been documenting, taking testimonies and interviews with the passengers families and eyewitnesses, and archiving his journey along the way, with the intention of turning this into a feature length documentary. Some of this footage can be seen in the documentary trailer, or by subscribing to his Youtube channel here: Tim Z. Hernandez Youtube.
As an aside, you can listen to the version of the song “Deportee (Plane Wreck at Los Gatos)” that Tim recorded with his friend Lance Canales, and the incredible video which features Tim reading the names in the background here:
THE ARCHIVE
Over the last 15 years Hernandez has accumulated hundreds of records, files, personal testimonies, documents, photographs, and ephemera of this single incident. As of the publication of “All They Will Call You” in 2017, the author had located the families of seven of the passengers, but today the total count is fifteen. His search continues. Here are just a few photos from his journey.
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