Howard Hughes once crashed plane into this Beverly Hills home. Now it’s up for sale
He was an oilman, a film producer, philanthropist, engineer and airplane manufacturer, and in 1946, Texas-born Howard Hughes made a decision that would echo in Hollywood for decades:
He would pilot the prototype of the XF-11, a U.S. Army Air Forces reconnaissance aircraft, on its maiden flight.
He was considered one of the most famous civilian pilots in the aviation industry, the Los Angeles Times reported, when he made the decision to test the aircraft.
.
But he never made it.
The plane famously ripped through two houses — one owned by a dentist named Dr. Jules Zimmerman, and the other owned by a couple named Jerry and Elizabeth De Kamp, who were both inside the house at the time — before coming to a fiery stop, the Times said.
While Hughes managed to survive, the damage to all the houses involved appeared to be catastrophic.
Now, years later, the home once owned by the De Kamps is back on the market in Beverly Hills for $15.9 million.
Designed by architect Wallace Neff in 1926, the five-bedroom, five-bath house is owned by Morad and Karolin Neman, according to Mansion Global, and has spent years hopping on and off the California market, last selling in 2013 to the couple for $6.3 million.
The 6,500-square-foot home has many sophisticated features to go along with its rich history, including:
A two-story formal living room
Hand-painted cathedral ceilings
White marble floors
Wood floors
Gourmet kitchen
Primary bedroom veranda
Fireplaces
Pool and spa
Firepit
The home was listed for $14.9 million in 2017 by the Nemans, who even had “submitted plans to Beverly Hills to demolish” the historic house, but then later retracted the application, Mansion Global said. The house was later taken off the market
The 1946 event was rehashed by Hollywood in 2004 with director Martin Scorsese’s “The Aviator,” a film adaptation of the non-fiction book “Howard Hughes: The Secret Life,” starring Leonardo DiCaprio as Hughes. The crash was depicted in an intense sequence.
This story was originally published December 15, 2021 at 7:11 PM with the headline "Howard Hughes once crashed plane into this Beverly Hills home. Now it’s up for sale."