BILLINGS - The blinding blizzard in Billings on Dec. 8, 1945 came on fast.
Just before 2 a.m., a C-47 military transport plane destined for Seattle tried an emergency landing at Logan International Airport.
The pilot was unable to make the runway on second pass and crashed into a field near the area that is now Veterans Park.
Nineteen of the 23 people on board perished, including 17 servicemen who were on their last leg of deployment, heading home after serving in Europe during World War II.
It is the deadliest aviation disaster in Billings history.
The men on the plane were from Idaho, Washington, and Oregon. Their names are engraved on a plaque that is mounted on the eagle statue at Veterans Park.
