The light planes were brought down late Saturday afternoon by blinding snow that swept the Alaska Highway area north and south of Whitehorse.

A Cessna aircraft piloted by Lloyd Ryder of Whitehorse piled into the trees about 200 hundred yards from the highway at mile 927. Seriously injured in the crash was Art Christenson, who is with the territorial engineer's department here. He suffered a fractured skull and a badly broken arm.

Also in the plane were Mrs. Christenson and Mrs. Ryder. They escaped with a severe shaking up and bruises as did also Mr. Ryder.

The second downed plane also a Cessna, was flown by Lloyd Romfo of Yukon Flying Services. With him was Game Director J.B. Fitzgerald. They hit a "whiteout" over Teslin Lake which brought visibility down to the zero point.

The plane had just taken off from Teslin where a third passenger was dropped. Having left the airstrip, they were over the lake when the blinding snow hit. The plane smacked into the snow-covered ice of the lake, tearing off the undercarriage and skidding for a long distance along the surface.

Owner Romfo said the plane is salvageable. He was knocked briefly unconscious in the crash and suffered a severe gash on his head. Mr. Fitzgerald escaped with "sprains and bruises". About three-quarters of a mile from the shoreline, both men were able to snowshoe to the highway.

The Ryder party had been planning to attend a fly-in at Northway, just over the Alaskan border. They set off in company with a plane flown by Bob Campbell, another piloted by Jack Chapman and a third plane, blown by a U.S. resident.

Over Burwash landing the weather looked bad ahead and so they decided to turn back. The Campbell and Chapman planes landed at 1016 to wait out the weather but the Ryder aircraft headed on to town. Meanwhile the U.S. aircraft continued on successfully to Northway.

Mr. Ryder said the weather was clear to Takhini Hot Springs. A forecast received indicated one thousand feet at Whitehorse. He flew down the Takhini river to the Yukon but there the storm had moved in and he "couldn't see a thing". Turning to come back he lost direction in the snow and came down in the trees of a hillside.

Mr. Christenson's condition is satisfactory.