Don Johnson, who represented the Utah Ski Club at the 1948 Winter Olympics, had been a Navy pilot during World War II, but was living in Hollywood in 1948. In 1947 Johnson had won the Snowshoe Thompson Memorial Race in White Hills, California. He was the second best finisher for the US in both the 18 km race and Nordic Combined in St. Moritz, placing 66th in the 18 km, and 27th in Nordic combined. After the Olympics Johnson attended the University of Denver where he was an engineering major. On 17 March 1951 he was a Lieutenant in the Navy Reserves when he elected to fly home. But he and three people on the plane with him were killed when they ran into a blinding snowstorm and crashed.
United States