Accidents and incidents involving the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress: Difference between revisions
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==1940s== |
==1940s== |
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;18 December 1940 :Y1B-17, ''36-157'', c/n 1981, of the [[2d Bomb Wing|2d Bomb Group]], [[Langley Field, Virginia]], crashed E of [[San Jacinto, California]], en route to [[March Field]], [[California]].<ref name=autogenerated4/> |
;18 December 1940 :Y1B-17, ''36-157'', c/n 1981, of the [[2d Bomb Wing|2d Bomb Group]], [[Langley Field, Virginia]], crashed E of [[San Jacinto, California]], en route to [[March Field]], [[California]].<ref name=autogenerated4/> |
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;6 February 1941 :B-17B Flying Fortress, ''38-216'', c/n 2009,<ref>[http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1938.html 1938–1939 USAAS Serial Numbers]. Joebaugher.com. Retrieved on 2010-08-05.</ref> crashes near [[Lovelock, Nevada]] while en route to [[Wright Field]], Ohio, killing all eight on board. Pilot Capt. [[Richard S. Freeman]] had shared the 1939 [[MacKay Trophy]] for the [[Boeing XB-15]] flight from [[Langley Field]], Virginia via Panama and Lima, Peru at the request of the American Red Cross, for delivering urgently needed vaccines and other medical supplies in areas of Chile devastated by an earthquake. General Order Number 10, dated 3 March 1943, announces that the advanced flying school being constructed near [[Seymour, Indiana]] is to be named [[Freeman Field]] in honor of the Hoosier native.<ref>[http://members.tripod.com/~Freeman_AAF/FF_TITLEPAGE.html Freeman Field Title Page]. Members.tripod.com. Retrieved on 2010-08-05.</ref> |
;6 February 1941 :B-17B Flying Fortress, ''38-216'', c/n 2009,<ref>[http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1938.html 1938–1939 USAAS Serial Numbers]. Joebaugher.com. Retrieved on 2010-08-05.</ref> crashes near [[Lovelock, Nevada]] while en route to [[Wright Field]], Ohio, killing all eight on board. Pilot Capt. [[Richard S. Freeman]] had shared the 1939 [[MacKay Trophy]] for the [[Boeing XB-15]] flight from [[Langley Field]], Virginia via Panama and Lima, Peru at the request of the American Red Cross, for delivering urgently needed vaccines and other medical supplies in areas of Chile devastated by an earthquake. General Order Number 10, dated 3 March 1943, announces that the advanced flying school being constructed near [[Seymour, Indiana]] is to be named [[Freeman Field]] in honor of the Hoosier native.<ref>[http://members.tripod.com/~Freeman_AAF/FF_TITLEPAGE.html Freeman Field Title Page]. Members.tripod.com. Retrieved on 2010-08-05.</ref> |
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;22 June 1941 :[[Royal Air Force]] [[Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress|Boeing Fortress I]], ''AN522'', of [[No. 90 Squadron RAF|No. 90 Squadron]], [[RAF Great Massingham]], flown by F/O J. C. Hawley, breaks up in mid-air over [[Yorkshire]] during a training flight. Single survivor, a medical officer from [[RAE Farnborough]], reports that the bomber entered a cumulo-nimbus cloud at 33,000 feet (10,100 m), became heavily iced-up with hailstones entering through open gunports, after which control was lost, the port wing detached, and the fuselage broke in two at 25,000 feet (7,600 m). Survivor, who was in the aft fuselage, was able to bail out at 12,000 feet (3,700 m).<ref>Taylor, H. A., "Fiasco or Foretaste?", ''Air International'', Bromley, Kent, UK, December 1974, Volume 7, Number 6, p. 280.</ref> |
;22 June 1941 :[[Royal Air Force]] [[Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress|Boeing Fortress I]], ''AN522'', of [[No. 90 Squadron RAF|No. 90 Squadron]], [[RAF Great Massingham]], flown by F/O J. C. Hawley, breaks up in mid-air over [[Yorkshire]] during a training flight. Single survivor, a medical officer from [[RAE Farnborough]], reports that the bomber entered a cumulo-nimbus cloud at 33,000 feet (10,100 m), became heavily iced-up with hailstones entering through open gunports, after which control was lost, the port wing detached, and the fuselage broke in two at 25,000 feet (7,600 m). Survivor, who was in the aft fuselage, was able to bail out at 12,000 feet (3,700 m).<ref>Taylor, H. A., "Fiasco or Foretaste?", ''Air International'', Bromley, Kent, UK, December 1974, Volume 7, Number 6, p. 280.</ref> |
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;3 July 1941 :[[Royal Air Force]] [[B-17 Flying Fortress|Boeing Fortress I]], ''AN528'', of [[No. 90 Squadron RAF|No. 90 Squadron]], [[RAF Polebrook]], is destroyed when a troublesome engine catches fire during a late-night ground run.<ref>Taylor, H. A., "Fiasco or Foretaste?", ''Air International'', Bromley, Kent, UK, December 1974, Volume 7, Number 6, pp.280-281.</ref> |
;3 July 1941 :[[Royal Air Force]] [[B-17 Flying Fortress|Boeing Fortress I]], ''AN528'', of [[No. 90 Squadron RAF|No. 90 Squadron]], [[RAF Polebrook]], is destroyed when a troublesome engine catches fire during a late-night ground run.<ref>Taylor, H. A., "Fiasco or Foretaste?", ''Air International'', Bromley, Kent, UK, December 1974, Volume 7, Number 6, pp.280-281.</ref> |
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;2 November 1941 :B-17C, ''40-2047'', of the [[7th Bombardment Group|7th Bomb Group]], en route from [[Salt Lake City]], Utah, to [[McClellan Air Force Base|McClellan Field]], near [[Sacramento, California]], enters a winter storm over the [[Sierra Nevada (U.S.)|Sierras]], stalls at 18,000 feet and spins in, coming down near [[Georgetown, California]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1940.html|title=1940 USAAC Serial Numbers|publisher=|accessdate=25 December 2014}}</ref> ~30 miles NE of [[Placerville, California|Placerville]]. Eight of nine crew successfully parachute down, pilot is KWF. Scattered wreckage is still where it fell.<ref>Thompson, Scott A., "Final Cut: The Post-War B-17 Flying Fortress and Survivors", Pictorial Histories Publishing Company, Missoula, Montana, and Aero Vintage Books, Lincoln, California, Fourth Edition, June 2011, ISBN 978-1-57510-156-9, page 227.</ref> |
;2 November 1941 :B-17C, ''40-2047'', of the [[7th Bombardment Group|7th Bomb Group]], en route from [[Salt Lake City]], Utah, to [[McClellan Air Force Base|McClellan Field]], near [[Sacramento, California]], enters a winter storm over the [[Sierra Nevada (U.S.)|Sierras]], stalls at 18,000 feet and spins in, coming down near [[Georgetown, California]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1940.html|title=1940 USAAC Serial Numbers|publisher=|accessdate=25 December 2014}}</ref> ~30 miles NE of [[Placerville, California|Placerville]]. Eight of nine crew successfully parachute down, pilot is KWF. Scattered wreckage is still where it fell.<ref>Thompson, Scott A., "Final Cut: The Post-War B-17 Flying Fortress and Survivors", Pictorial Histories Publishing Company, Missoula, Montana, and Aero Vintage Books, Lincoln, California, Fourth Edition, June 2011, ISBN 978-1-57510-156-9, page 227.</ref> |
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;3 April 1942 :The [[303d Bombardment Group|303rd Bomb Group]], activated at [[Pendleton Field]], Oregon, on 3 February 1942, suffers its first fatal aircraft accident when three flying officers and five enlisted crew are killed in the crash of a B-17E-BO, ''41-9053'', six miles (10 km) N of [[Strevell, Idaho]] <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/AARmonthly/Apr1942.htm |title=April 1942 USAAF Accident Reports |publisher=Aviationarchaeology.com |accessdate=2010-05-08}}</ref> during a training mission.<ref>O'Neill, Brian D., "303rd Bombardment Group", Osprey Publishing, Botley, Oxford, UK, 2003, ISBN 978-1-84176-537-2, p. 9.</ref> |
;3 April 1942 :The [[303d Bombardment Group|303rd Bomb Group]], activated at [[Pendleton Field]], Oregon, on 3 February 1942, suffers its first fatal aircraft accident when three flying officers and five enlisted crew are killed in the crash of a B-17E-BO, ''41-9053'', six miles (10 km) N of [[Strevell, Idaho]] <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/AARmonthly/Apr1942.htm |title=April 1942 USAAF Accident Reports |publisher=Aviationarchaeology.com |accessdate=2010-05-08}}</ref> during a training mission.<ref>O'Neill, Brian D., "303rd Bombardment Group", Osprey Publishing, Botley, Oxford, UK, 2003, ISBN 978-1-84176-537-2, p. 9.</ref> |
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;27 June 1942 :During [[Operation Bolero]], the ferrying of combat aircraft from the U.S. to England by air, B-17E-BO, ''41-9090'', c/n 2562, ditches in a [[Greenland]] fjord near [[Narasak]]. Attempts have been made to locate the airframe, particularly by noted recovery expert Gary Larkins, but it has yet to be found. Provisionally assigned the FAA registration N3142U if it can be found and retrieved from 1,500 feet of water.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1941_2.html|title=1941 USAAF Serial Numbers (41-6722 to 41-13296)|publisher=|accessdate=25 December 2014}}</ref><ref name="Thompson, Scott A. 2011, page 228">Thompson, Scott A., "Final Cut: The Post-War B-17 Flying Fortress and Survivors", Pictorial Histories Publishing Company, Missoula, Montana, and Aero Vintage Books, Lincoln, California, Fourth Edition, June 2011, ISBN 978-1-57510-156-9, page 228.</ref> |
;27 June 1942 :During [[Operation Bolero]], the ferrying of combat aircraft from the U.S. to England by air, B-17E-BO, ''41-9090'', c/n 2562, ditches in a [[Greenland]] fjord near [[Narasak]]. Attempts have been made to locate the airframe, particularly by noted recovery expert Gary Larkins, but it has yet to be found. Provisionally assigned the FAA registration N3142U if it can be found and retrieved from 1,500 feet of water.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1941_2.html|title=1941 USAAF Serial Numbers (41-6722 to 41-13296)|publisher=|accessdate=25 December 2014}}</ref><ref name="Thompson, Scott A. 2011, page 228">Thompson, Scott A., "Final Cut: The Post-War B-17 Flying Fortress and Survivors", Pictorial Histories Publishing Company, Missoula, Montana, and Aero Vintage Books, Lincoln, California, Fourth Edition, June 2011, ISBN 978-1-57510-156-9, page 228.</ref> |
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;15 July 1942 :During [[Operation Bolero]], the ferrying of combat aircraft from the U.S. to England by air, a flight of two [[Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress|B-17E-BO Flying Fortresses]], ''41-9101'', c/n 2573, "Big Stoop", and ''41-9105'', c/n 2577, "Do-Do", of the [[97th Air Mobility Wing|97th Bomb Group]] and six [[Lockheed P-38 Lightning|P-38F Lightnings]] of the [[94th Fighter Squadron]], [[1st Fighter Group]], on the {{convert|845|mi|km|adj=on}} leg between Bluie West 8 airfield and [[Reykjavík]], [[Iceland]], run out of fuel after being held up by bad weather, and all force-land on the [[Greenland]] icecap. All safely belly in except for the first P-38 which attempts a wheels-down landing, flipping over as nosewheel catches a crevasse, but pilot Lt. Brad McManus unhurt. All crews rescued on 19 July, but aircraft are abandoned in place. One P-38F-1-LO, ''41-7630'', c/n 222-5757, now known as "[[Glacier Girl]]", recovered in 1992 from under {{convert|200|ft|m}} of accumulated snow and ice and rebuilt to flying status, registered N17630. One B-17 ("Big Stoop") also found, but it is too badly crushed for recovery.<ref>Hayes, David, "The Lost Squadron - A Fleet of Warplanes Locked in Ice For Fifty Years", Chartwell Books / Madison Press Books, Edison, New Jersey / Toronto, Ontario, ISBN 978-0-7858-2376-6, 1994, pp.40-47, 276.</ref> Although the [[USAAF]] had expected to lose 10 percent of the 920 planes that made the North Atlantic transit during Bolero, losses were only 5.2 percent, the majority being involved in this single incident.<ref name="Bodie">Bodie, Warren M. "The Lockheed P-38 Lightning". Hayesville, North Carolina.: Widewing Publications, 1991, ISBN 978-0-9629359-5-4, pp.99-103.</ref> |
;15 July 1942 :During [[Operation Bolero]], the ferrying of combat aircraft from the U.S. to England by air, a flight of two [[Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress|B-17E-BO Flying Fortresses]], ''41-9101'', c/n 2573, "Big Stoop", and ''41-9105'', c/n 2577, "Do-Do", of the [[97th Air Mobility Wing|97th Bomb Group]] and six [[Lockheed P-38 Lightning|P-38F Lightnings]] of the [[94th Fighter Squadron]], [[1st Fighter Group]], on the {{convert|845|mi|km|adj=on}} leg between Bluie West 8 airfield and [[Reykjavík]], [[Iceland]], run out of fuel after being held up by bad weather, and all force-land on the [[Greenland]] icecap. All safely belly in except for the first P-38 which attempts a wheels-down landing, flipping over as nosewheel catches a crevasse, but pilot Lt. Brad McManus unhurt. All crews rescued on 19 July, but aircraft are abandoned in place. One P-38F-1-LO, ''41-7630'', c/n 222-5757, now known as "[[Glacier Girl]]", recovered in 1992 from under {{convert|200|ft|m}} of accumulated snow and ice and rebuilt to flying status, registered N17630. One B-17 ("Big Stoop") also found, but it is too badly crushed for recovery.<ref>Hayes, David, "The Lost Squadron - A Fleet of Warplanes Locked in Ice For Fifty Years", Chartwell Books / Madison Press Books, Edison, New Jersey / Toronto, Ontario, ISBN 978-0-7858-2376-6, 1994, pp.40-47, 276.</ref> Although the [[USAAF]] had expected to lose 10 percent of the 920 planes that made the North Atlantic transit during Bolero, losses were only 5.2 percent, the majority being involved in this single incident.<ref name="Bodie">Bodie, Warren M. "The Lockheed P-38 Lightning". Hayesville, North Carolina.: Widewing Publications, 1991, ISBN 978-0-9629359-5-4, pp.99-103.</ref> |
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;23 August 1942 :B-17E-BO, ''41-9091'', of the [[427th Bombardment Squadron|427th Bomb Squadron]], [[303d Bombardment Group|303rd Bomb Group]],<ref>[http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/AARmonthly/Aug1942S.htm August 1942 USAAF Stateside Accident Reports]</ref> operating out of [[Biggs Field]], El Paso, Texas, suffers center fuselage failure in extremely bad weather 12 miles W of [[Las Cruces, New Mexico]], only the radio operator and the engineering officer for the 427th Bomb Squadron, both in the radio room, survive by parachuting. Pilot was James E. Hudson. The 303rd BG was due to deploy overseas from Biggs on 24 August.<ref>O'Neill, Brian D., "303rd Bombardment Group", Osprey Publishing, Botley, Oxford, UK, 2003, ISBN 978-1-84176-537-2, pp.11-12.</ref> |
;23 August 1942 :B-17E-BO, ''41-9091'', of the [[427th Bombardment Squadron|427th Bomb Squadron]], [[303d Bombardment Group|303rd Bomb Group]],<ref>[http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/AARmonthly/Aug1942S.htm August 1942 USAAF Stateside Accident Reports]</ref> operating out of [[Biggs Field]], El Paso, Texas, suffers center fuselage failure in extremely bad weather 12 miles W of [[Las Cruces, New Mexico]], only the radio operator and the engineering officer for the 427th Bomb Squadron, both in the radio room, survive by parachuting. Pilot was James E. Hudson. The 303rd BG was due to deploy overseas from Biggs on 24 August.<ref>O'Neill, Brian D., "303rd Bombardment Group", Osprey Publishing, Botley, Oxford, UK, 2003, ISBN 978-1-84176-537-2, pp.11-12.</ref> |
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;17 September 1942 :A B-17E, ''41-2650'', of the [[93d Bombardment Squadron]], [[19th Bombardment Group]], based at Mareeba airfield in north [[Queensland, Australia]], departed [[Alice Springs Airport|Seven Mile Aerodrome]] at [[Port Moresby]] to bomb [[Rabaul]]. Piloted by 2nd Lt. Claude N. Burckey, the crew completed the mission and set an initial return path for Port Moresby, which was clouded in, and then for [[Horn Island, Queensland|Horn Island]]. The aircraft became lost and ran out of fuel over [[Cape York Peninsula|Cape York]], Australia. The crew bailed out, and the aircraft crashed N of [[Weipa]]. 1st. Lt. William F. Meenagh (0-372623) was never found, the other eight crew members survived.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ozatwar.com/ozcrashes/qld168.htm|title=Crash of a B-17E Flying Fortress, about 25 miles north north west of Weipa, Queensland on 18 September 1942|publisher=|accessdate=25 December 2014}}</ref> |
;17 September 1942 :A B-17E, ''41-2650'', of the [[93d Bombardment Squadron]], [[19th Bombardment Group]], based at Mareeba airfield in north [[Queensland, Australia]], departed [[Alice Springs Airport|Seven Mile Aerodrome]] at [[Port Moresby]] to bomb [[Rabaul]]. Piloted by 2nd Lt. Claude N. Burckey, the crew completed the mission and set an initial return path for Port Moresby, which was clouded in, and then for [[Horn Island, Queensland|Horn Island]]. The aircraft became lost and ran out of fuel over [[Cape York Peninsula|Cape York]], Australia. The crew bailed out, and the aircraft crashed N of [[Weipa]]. 1st. Lt. William F. Meenagh (0-372623) was never found, the other eight crew members survived.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ozatwar.com/ozcrashes/qld168.htm|title=Crash of a B-17E Flying Fortress, about 25 miles north north west of Weipa, Queensland on 18 September 1942|publisher=|accessdate=25 December 2014}}</ref> |
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;21 October 1942 :B-17D, ''40-3089'', of the [[5th Operations Group|5th Bomb Group]]/[[11th Wing|11th Bomb Group]], with Capt. [[Eddie Rickenbacker]], America's top-scoring World War I ace (26 kills), aboard on a secret mission, is lost at sea in the central Pacific Ocean when the bomber goes off-course. After 24 days afloat in three rafts, he and surviving crew are rescued by the [[U.S. Navy]] after having been given up for lost, discovered by [[Vought OS2U Kingfisher|OS2U Kingfisher]] crew. |
;21 October 1942 :B-17D, ''40-3089'', of the [[5th Operations Group|5th Bomb Group]]/[[11th Wing|11th Bomb Group]], with Capt. [[Eddie Rickenbacker]], America's top-scoring World War I ace (26 kills), aboard on a secret mission, is lost at sea in the central Pacific Ocean when the bomber goes off-course. After 24 days afloat in three rafts, he and surviving crew are rescued by the [[U.S. Navy]] after having been given up for lost, discovered by [[Vought OS2U Kingfisher|OS2U Kingfisher]] crew. |
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:30 December 1942 :B-17F-35-BO, ''42-5123'',<ref>http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1942_1.html</ref> of the [[20th Bomb Squadron]], [[2d Operations Group|2d Bomb Group]], [[Great Falls Army Air Base]], Montana, piloted by Edward T. Layfield,<ref>http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/AARmonthly/Dec1942S.htm</ref> crashes near [[Musselshell, Montana|Musselshell]], Montana. Capt. John Lloyd, public relations officer at the [[Great Falls, Montana|Great Falls]] base, said that eleven aboard were killed.<ref>Associated Press, "11 Die in Army Crash", ''Chicago Daily Tribune'', Chicago, Illinois, Thursday 31 December 1942, Volume CI, Number 313, page 4.</ref> |
:30 December 1942 :B-17F-35-BO, ''42-5123'',<ref>http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1942_1.html</ref> of the [[20th Bomb Squadron]], [[2d Operations Group|2d Bomb Group]], [[Great Falls Army Air Base]], Montana, piloted by Edward T. Layfield,<ref>http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/AARmonthly/Dec1942S.htm</ref> crashes near [[Musselshell, Montana|Musselshell]], Montana. Capt. John Lloyd, public relations officer at the [[Great Falls, Montana|Great Falls]] base, said that eleven aboard were killed.<ref>Associated Press, "11 Die in Army Crash", ''Chicago Daily Tribune'', Chicago, Illinois, Thursday 31 December 1942, Volume CI, Number 313, page 4.</ref> |
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;3 January 1943 :B-17F-27-BO, ''41-24620'', "snap! crackle! pop!", of the [[360th Bombardment Squadron|360th Bomb Squadron]], [[303d Bombardment Group|303rd Bomb Group]], on daylight raid over [[Saint-Nazaire]], France, loses wing due to [[flak]], goes into spiral. Ball turret gunner [[Alan Magee|Alan Eugene Magee]] (13 January 1919 – 20 December 2003), though suffering 27 [[Fragmentation (weaponry)|shrapnel]] wounds, bails out (or is thrown from wreckage) without his chute at ~{{convert|20000|ft|m}}, loses consciousness due to altitude, [[freefall]] plunges through glass roof of the [[Gare de Saint-Nazaire]] and is found alive but with serious injuries on floor of depot - saved by German medical care, spends rest of war in prison camp.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.303rdbg.com/magee.html |title=Alan Magee Story |publisher=303rdbg.com |date=1943-01-03 |accessdate=2010-05-08}}</ref> |
;3 January 1943 :B-17F-27-BO, ''41-24620'', "snap! crackle! pop!", of the [[360th Bombardment Squadron|360th Bomb Squadron]], [[303d Bombardment Group|303rd Bomb Group]], on daylight raid over [[Saint-Nazaire]], France, loses wing due to [[flak]], goes into spiral. Ball turret gunner [[Alan Magee|Alan Eugene Magee]] (13 January 1919 – 20 December 2003), though suffering 27 [[Fragmentation (weaponry)|shrapnel]] wounds, bails out (or is thrown from wreckage) without his chute at ~{{convert|20000|ft|m}}, loses consciousness due to altitude, [[freefall]] plunges through glass roof of the [[Gare de Saint-Nazaire]] and is found alive but with serious injuries on floor of depot - saved by German medical care, spends rest of war in prison camp.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.303rdbg.com/magee.html |title=Alan Magee Story |publisher=303rdbg.com |date=1943-01-03 |accessdate=2010-05-08}}</ref> |
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;30 May 1943 :A B-17F-45-BO, ''42-5318'', of the [[464th Bombardment Squadron|464th Bomb Squadron]], [[331st Bombardment Group|331st Bomb Group]],<ref name="jb"/> out of [[Natrona County International Airport|Casper Army Air Field]], Wyoming, piloted by James O. Westbury,<ref>http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/AARmonthly/May1943S.htm</ref> crashes into a mountainside ~10 miles NW of [[Covelo, California]], during a training mission killing all six crew. Some wreckage remains at the site.<ref name="Thompson, Scott A. 2011, page 228"/> |
;30 May 1943 :A B-17F-45-BO, ''42-5318'', of the [[464th Bombardment Squadron|464th Bomb Squadron]], [[331st Bombardment Group|331st Bomb Group]],<ref name="jb"/> out of [[Natrona County International Airport|Casper Army Air Field]], Wyoming, piloted by James O. Westbury,<ref>http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/AARmonthly/May1943S.htm</ref> crashes into a mountainside ~10 miles NW of [[Covelo, California]], during a training mission killing all six crew. Some wreckage remains at the site.<ref name="Thompson, Scott A. 2011, page 228"/> |
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;3 June 1943 :B-17F-55-DL, ''42-3399'', "Scharazad",<ref>{{cite web |title=Mission Details |publisher=BomberMountain.com |url=http://www.bombermountain.com/html/misson_details.html |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081006161134/http://www.bombermountain.com/html/misson_details.html |archivedate=2008-10-06 |accessdate=2011-05-09}}</ref> of the Plummer Provisional Group, [[308th Air Refueling Squadron|318th Bomb Squadron]],<ref name="jb">{{cite web|url=http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1942_1.html|title=1942 USAAF Serial Numbers (42-001 to 42-30031)|publisher=|accessdate=25 December 2014}}</ref> flying to [[Grand Island, Nebraska]] from [[Eastern Oregon Regional Airport|Pendleton Army Air Base]] in [[Oregon]] crashes on [[Bomber Mountain]] in the [[Big Horn Mountains]] of [[Wyoming]]. 10 crew members were killed. Wreckage finally discovered on 12 August 1945. |
;3 June 1943 :B-17F-55-DL, ''42-3399'', "Scharazad",<ref>{{cite web |title=Mission Details |publisher=BomberMountain.com |url=http://www.bombermountain.com/html/misson_details.html |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081006161134/http://www.bombermountain.com/html/misson_details.html |archivedate=2008-10-06 |accessdate=2011-05-09}}</ref> of the Plummer Provisional Group, [[308th Air Refueling Squadron|318th Bomb Squadron]],<ref name="jb">{{cite web|url=http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1942_1.html|title=1942 USAAF Serial Numbers (42-001 to 42-30031)|publisher=|accessdate=25 December 2014}}</ref> flying to [[Grand Island, Nebraska]] from [[Eastern Oregon Regional Airport|Pendleton Army Air Base]] in [[Oregon]] crashes on [[Bomber Mountain]] in the [[Big Horn Mountains]] of [[Wyoming]]. 10 crew members were killed. Wreckage finally discovered on 12 August 1945. |
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;14 June 1943 :B-17C, ''40-2072'', "Miss E.M.F." (Every Morning Fixing), of the [[19th Operations Group|19th Bomb Group]], heavily damaged on [[Davao City|Davao]] mission 25 December 1941 and converted into transport. With [[46th Tactical Missile Squadron|46th Troop Carrier Squadron]], [[317th Troop Carrier Group]], crashed [[Bakers Creek, Queensland|Bakers Creek]], [[Queensland, Australia]], this date while ferrying troops to [[New Guinea]]. Six crew and 34 GIs killed. One survived. ''(see [[Bakers Creek air crash]])'' A memorial to the victims of this crash was installed at the Selfridge Gate of [[Arlington National Cemetery]] on 11 June 2009, donated by the Bakers Creek Memorial Association. The gate is named for Lt. [[Thomas Selfridge]], killed in a 1908 crash at [[Fort Myer]], Virginia, the first victim of a powered air accident.<ref>Vogel, Steve, "40 Killed in 1943 Crash Receive U.S. Memorial", ''Washington Post'', Washington, D.C., Friday 12 June 2009, Volume 132, Number 189, page A-19.</ref> |
;14 June 1943 :B-17C, ''40-2072'', "Miss E.M.F." (Every Morning Fixing), of the [[19th Operations Group|19th Bomb Group]], heavily damaged on [[Davao City|Davao]] mission 25 December 1941 and converted into transport. With [[46th Tactical Missile Squadron|46th Troop Carrier Squadron]], [[317th Troop Carrier Group]], crashed [[Bakers Creek, Queensland|Bakers Creek]], [[Queensland, Australia]], this date while ferrying troops to [[New Guinea]]. Six crew and 34 GIs killed. One survived. ''(see [[Bakers Creek air crash]])'' A memorial to the victims of this crash was installed at the Selfridge Gate of [[Arlington National Cemetery]] on 11 June 2009, donated by the Bakers Creek Memorial Association. The gate is named for Lt. [[Thomas Selfridge]], killed in a 1908 crash at [[Fort Myer]], Virginia, the first victim of a powered air accident.<ref>Vogel, Steve, "40 Killed in 1943 Crash Receive U.S. Memorial", ''Washington Post'', Washington, D.C., Friday 12 June 2009, Volume 132, Number 189, page A-19.</ref> |
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;16 June 1943 :B-17E-BO converted to [[Boeing XB-38 Flying Fortress|XB-38-VE]], ''41-2401'', with [[Allison V-1710]] liquid-cooled engines. Wrecked near [[Tipton, California]], on its ninth test flight when the number three (starboard inner) engine caught fire. Attempts to extinguish it were unsuccessful, and as the fire spread to the wing, the pilots bailed out after pointing the aircraft to an uninhabited area. Lockheed test pilot George MacDonald was killed when his parachute did not deploy, and Lockheed test pilot Bud Martin was seriously injured when his parachute did not deploy properly. |
;16 June 1943 :B-17E-BO converted to [[Boeing XB-38 Flying Fortress|XB-38-VE]], ''41-2401'', with [[Allison V-1710]] liquid-cooled engines. Wrecked near [[Tipton, California]], on its ninth test flight when the number three (starboard inner) engine caught fire. Attempts to extinguish it were unsuccessful, and as the fire spread to the wing, the pilots bailed out after pointing the aircraft to an uninhabited area. Lockheed test pilot George MacDonald was killed when his parachute did not deploy, and Lockheed test pilot Bud Martin was seriously injured when his parachute did not deploy properly. |
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;2 August 1943 :B-17E-BO, ''41-2463'', "Yankee Doodle", of the [[19th Airlift Wing|19th Bomb Group]], then to [[394th Combat Training Squadron|394th Bomb Squadron]], [[5th Operations Group|5th Bomb Group]], crashes on takeoff due mechanical failure at [[Espiritu Santo|Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides]], Bombardier Sgt. John P. Kruger and navigator Lt. Talbert H. Woolam are killed. Pilot was [[Gene Roddenberry]], future creator of [[Star Trek]].<ref>Alexander, David, "Star Trek Creator", ROC Books, an imprint of Dutton Signet, a division of Penguin Books USA, New York, June 1994, ISBN 0-451-45418-9, pp.75-76.</ref> The airframe was stricken on 13 August 1943.<ref>Freeman, Roger A., with Osborne, David., "The B-17 Flying Fortress Story", Arms & Armour Press, Wellington House, London, UK, 1998, ISBN 978-1-85409-301-1, p. 74.</ref> |
;2 August 1943 :B-17E-BO, ''41-2463'', "Yankee Doodle", of the [[19th Airlift Wing|19th Bomb Group]], then to [[394th Combat Training Squadron|394th Bomb Squadron]], [[5th Operations Group|5th Bomb Group]], crashes on takeoff due mechanical failure at [[Espiritu Santo|Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides]], Bombardier Sgt. John P. Kruger and navigator Lt. Talbert H. Woolam are killed. Pilot was [[Gene Roddenberry]], future creator of [[Star Trek]].<ref>Alexander, David, "Star Trek Creator", ROC Books, an imprint of Dutton Signet, a division of Penguin Books USA, New York, June 1994, ISBN 0-451-45418-9, pp.75-76.</ref> The airframe was stricken on 13 August 1943.<ref>Freeman, Roger A., with Osborne, David., "The B-17 Flying Fortress Story", Arms & Armour Press, Wellington House, London, UK, 1998, ISBN 978-1-85409-301-1, p. 74.</ref> |
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;9 December 1943 :'The Galley Uncle', number ''42-31468'', crashed in a field adjacent to Graan Monastery, near [[Enniskillen]], [[County Fermanagh]], [[Northern Ireland]]. Seven crew members died and five were saved by local monks.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-27460789|title=BBC News - Eisenhower remembered in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh|work=BBC News|accessdate=25 December 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.joeoloughlin.co.uk/?p=104|title=Joe O’Loughlin » Blog Archive » The B17 Galley Uncle|publisher=|accessdate=25 December 2014}}</ref> |
;9 December 1943 :'The Galley Uncle', number ''42-31468'', crashed in a field adjacent to Graan Monastery, near [[Enniskillen]], [[County Fermanagh]], [[Northern Ireland]]. Seven crew members died and five were saved by local monks.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-27460789|title=BBC News - Eisenhower remembered in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh|work=BBC News|accessdate=25 December 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.joeoloughlin.co.uk/?p=104|title=Joe O’Loughlin » Blog Archive » The B17 Galley Uncle|publisher=|accessdate=25 December 2014}}</ref> |
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;2 January 1944 :"[[Hornick, Iowa|NORNICK]], [sic] Iowa, Jan. 2 ([[Associated Press|AP]]) - Nine crew members of a [[Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress|Flying Fortress]] based at [[Sioux City Air National Guard Base|Sioux City]], , were killed when the plane crashed and burned on a farm near here late today. Persons within a radius of several miles said they saw the plane explode and crash."<ref>Associated Press, "Nine Killed In Iowa", ''The Spokesman-Review'', Spokane, Washington, Saturday 3 January 1944, Volume 61, Number 234, page 1.</ref> B-17F-40-VE, ''42-6013'', of the 393d CCTS, piloted by Frank R. Hilford, appears to be the airframe involved.<ref>http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/AARmonthly/Jan1944S.htm</ref> |
;2 January 1944 :"[[Hornick, Iowa|NORNICK]], [sic] Iowa, Jan. 2 ([[Associated Press|AP]]) - Nine crew members of a [[Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress|Flying Fortress]] based at [[Sioux City Air National Guard Base|Sioux City]], , were killed when the plane crashed and burned on a farm near here late today. Persons within a radius of several miles said they saw the plane explode and crash."<ref>Associated Press, "Nine Killed In Iowa", ''The Spokesman-Review'', Spokane, Washington, Saturday 3 January 1944, Volume 61, Number 234, page 1.</ref> B-17F-40-VE, ''42-6013'', of the 393d CCTS, piloted by Frank R. Hilford, appears to be the airframe involved.<ref>http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/AARmonthly/Jan1944S.htm</ref> |
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;2 January 1944 :"[[Sacramento, California|SACRAMENTO]], Calif., Jan. 2 ([[Associated Press|AP]]) - Thirteen army flyers were killed today when a [[B-17 Flying Fortress]], headed for [[Los Angeles]] from [[McChord Air Force Base|McChord field]], [[Tacoma, Washington|Tacoma]], Wash., exploded in flight over [[McClellan Air Force Base|McClellan field]] and plunged 3000 feet to the ground in flames. Thousands of Sacramentans, startled by a terrific explosion, looked skyward and saw the crippled and burning four-motored bomber emerge from the overcast sky and fall. Only one member of the plane's crew of 14 escaped the flaming wreckage, parachuting to safety before the crash. He was Maj. James H. Wergen of [[Kingman Airport (Arizona)|Kingman field]], Ariz., the bomber's home base. The plane went to pieces in the air as it fell, scattering a wingtip, one of its motors and other parts over a vast area. McClellan field authorities said medical officers were attempting to identify the dead, but that names would be withheld pending notification of next of kin."<ref>Associated Press, "Bomber Bursts In Air, 13 Dead", ''The Spokesman-Review'', Spokane, Washington, Saturday 3 January 1944, Volume 61, Number 234, page 1.</ref> The B-17G was piloted by Frederick M. Klopfenstein.<ref>http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/AARmonthly/Jan1944S.htm</ref> |
;2 January 1944 :"[[Sacramento, California|SACRAMENTO]], Calif., Jan. 2 ([[Associated Press|AP]]) - Thirteen army flyers were killed today when a [[B-17 Flying Fortress]], headed for [[Los Angeles]] from [[McChord Air Force Base|McChord field]], [[Tacoma, Washington|Tacoma]], Wash., exploded in flight over [[McClellan Air Force Base|McClellan field]] and plunged 3000 feet to the ground in flames. Thousands of Sacramentans, startled by a terrific explosion, looked skyward and saw the crippled and burning four-motored bomber emerge from the overcast sky and fall. Only one member of the plane's crew of 14 escaped the flaming wreckage, parachuting to safety before the crash. He was Maj. James H. Wergen of [[Kingman Airport (Arizona)|Kingman field]], Ariz., the bomber's home base. The plane went to pieces in the air as it fell, scattering a wingtip, one of its motors and other parts over a vast area. McClellan field authorities said medical officers were attempting to identify the dead, but that names would be withheld pending notification of next of kin."<ref>Associated Press, "Bomber Bursts In Air, 13 Dead", ''The Spokesman-Review'', Spokane, Washington, Saturday 3 January 1944, Volume 61, Number 234, page 1.</ref> The B-17G was piloted by Frederick M. Klopfenstein.<ref>http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/AARmonthly/Jan1944S.htm</ref> |
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;4 January 1944 :B-17G-10-BO, ''42-31257'',<ref>http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1942_2.html</ref> flying in formation with other B-17s, catches fire near [[Alamo, Nevada|Alamo]], Nevada, while en route between [[Creech Air Force Base|Indian Springs Army Airfield]] and [[Nellis Air Force Base|Las Vegas Army Airfield]], Nevada, and twelve of thirteen aboard bail out. One is killed when his chute fails to open in time, and one aboard the bomber dies in the crash 67 miles NNE of Las Vegas AAF.<ref>http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/AARmonthly/Jan1944S.htm</ref> Other planes circled the spot where the plane went down and radioed the base news of the crash. "Eleven of their number were brought to the airfield hospital hospital last night (5 January), suffering from minor injuries and exposure after having spent the intervening time in heavy snow on a high mountain plateau."<ref>Associated Press, "Bomber Afire, 13 Use 'Chutes", ''The Spokesman-Review'', Spokane, Washington, Friday 7 January 1944, Volume 61, Number 238, page 2.</ref> |
;4 January 1944 :B-17G-10-BO, ''42-31257'',<ref>http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1942_2.html</ref> flying in formation with other B-17s, catches fire near [[Alamo, Nevada|Alamo]], Nevada, while en route between [[Creech Air Force Base|Indian Springs Army Airfield]] and [[Nellis Air Force Base|Las Vegas Army Airfield]], Nevada, and twelve of thirteen aboard bail out. One is killed when his chute fails to open in time, and one aboard the bomber dies in the crash 67 miles NNE of Las Vegas AAF.<ref>http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/AARmonthly/Jan1944S.htm</ref> Other planes circled the spot where the plane went down and radioed the base news of the crash. "Eleven of their number were brought to the airfield hospital hospital last night (5 January), suffering from minor injuries and exposure after having spent the intervening time in heavy snow on a high mountain plateau."<ref>Associated Press, "Bomber Afire, 13 Use 'Chutes", ''The Spokesman-Review'', Spokane, Washington, Friday 7 January 1944, Volume 61, Number 238, page 2.</ref> |
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;13 January 1944: B-17G-30-DL, ''42-38094'', flown by Ralph M. Calhoon, and B-17G-10-VE, ''42-40038'', piloted by Thomas W. Williams,<ref>http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/AARmonthly/Jan1944S.htm</ref> of the [[99th Reconnaissance Squadron|99th Bomb Squadron]], collide ~10 miles SW of [[Brooksville Army Airfield]], Florida,<ref>http://www.accident-report.com/world/namerica/US/FL3.html</ref> killing four officers and five enlisted men, reports Brigadier General Hume Peabody, commander of the Army Air Forces Tactical Center (AAFTAC), at [[Naval Training Center Orlando|Orlando]]. One victim is Sgt. Benjamin B. Estes, son of J. M. Estes, [[Burley, Idaho|Burley]], Idaho.<ref>Associated Press, "Nine Men Killed", ''The Spokesman-Review'', Spokane, Washington, Friday 14 January 1944, Volume 61, Number 245, page 7.</ref> |
;13 January 1944: B-17G-30-DL, ''42-38094'', flown by Ralph M. Calhoon, and B-17G-10-VE, ''42-40038'', piloted by Thomas W. Williams,<ref>http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/AARmonthly/Jan1944S.htm</ref> of the [[99th Reconnaissance Squadron|99th Bomb Squadron]], collide ~10 miles SW of [[Brooksville Army Airfield]], Florida,<ref>http://www.accident-report.com/world/namerica/US/FL3.html</ref> killing four officers and five enlisted men, reports Brigadier General Hume Peabody, commander of the Army Air Forces Tactical Center (AAFTAC), at [[Naval Training Center Orlando|Orlando]]. One victim is Sgt. Benjamin B. Estes, son of J. M. Estes, [[Burley, Idaho|Burley]], Idaho.<ref>Associated Press, "Nine Men Killed", ''The Spokesman-Review'', Spokane, Washington, Friday 14 January 1944, Volume 61, Number 245, page 7.</ref> |
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;15 January 1944 :B-17F-50-VE, ''42-6147'',<ref>http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1942_1.html</ref> of the [[128th Airborne Command and Control Squadron|818th Bomb Squadron (H)]], [[483d Airlift Group|483d Bomb Group (H)]],<ref>http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/AARmonthly/Jan1944S.htm</ref> [[MacDill Field]], Florida, piloted by William R. Sablotny,<ref>http://www.accident-report.com/world/namerica/US/WV.html</ref> lost in a blizzard over the [[Allegheny Mountains]], crashes three miles N of [[Rich Mountain, West Virginia|Rich Mountain]], West Virginia, killing six of seven aboard, state police said 16 January.<ref>Associated Press, "6 Die In Bomber", ''The Spokesman-Review'', Spokane, Washington, Monday 17 January 1944, Volume 61, Number 248, page 1.</ref> |
;15 January 1944 :B-17F-50-VE, ''42-6147'',<ref>http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1942_1.html</ref> of the [[128th Airborne Command and Control Squadron|818th Bomb Squadron (H)]], [[483d Airlift Group|483d Bomb Group (H)]],<ref>http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/AARmonthly/Jan1944S.htm</ref> [[MacDill Field]], Florida, piloted by William R. Sablotny,<ref>http://www.accident-report.com/world/namerica/US/WV.html</ref> lost in a blizzard over the [[Allegheny Mountains]], crashes three miles N of [[Rich Mountain, West Virginia|Rich Mountain]], West Virginia, killing six of seven aboard, state police said 16 January.<ref>Associated Press, "6 Die In Bomber", ''The Spokesman-Review'', Spokane, Washington, Monday 17 January 1944, Volume 61, Number 248, page 1.</ref> |
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;9 April 1944 :B-17G-35-VE, ''42-97854'', of the [[390th Bombardment Group|390th Bomb Group]],<ref name="joebaugher.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1942_5.html|title=1942 USAAF Serial Numbers (42-91974 to 42-110188)|publisher=|accessdate=25 December 2014}}</ref> on a ferry flight from the United States to England, piloted by George L. Williamson, ditches in the [[Graah Fjord]], [[Greenland]]<ref name="Thompson, Scott A. 2011, page 228"/> this date (another source states that it was ditched in [[Lageons Fjord]]).<ref>http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/AARmonthly/Apr1944O.htm</ref> Attempts by noted aircraft recovery expert Gary Larkins to locate the airframe have been unsuccessful.<ref name="Thompson, Scott A. 2011, page 228"/> MACR report 3637. FAA registration N9094V to Institute of Aeronautical Archaeological Research of Auburn, California, provisionally assigned to this airframe.<ref name="joebaugher.com"/> |
;9 April 1944 :B-17G-35-VE, ''42-97854'', of the [[390th Bombardment Group|390th Bomb Group]],<ref name="joebaugher.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1942_5.html|title=1942 USAAF Serial Numbers (42-91974 to 42-110188)|publisher=|accessdate=25 December 2014}}</ref> on a ferry flight from the United States to England, piloted by George L. Williamson, ditches in the [[Graah Fjord]], [[Greenland]]<ref name="Thompson, Scott A. 2011, page 228"/> this date (another source states that it was ditched in [[Lageons Fjord]]).<ref>http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/AARmonthly/Apr1944O.htm</ref> Attempts by noted aircraft recovery expert Gary Larkins to locate the airframe have been unsuccessful.<ref name="Thompson, Scott A. 2011, page 228"/> MACR report 3637. FAA registration N9094V to Institute of Aeronautical Archaeological Research of Auburn, California, provisionally assigned to this airframe.<ref name="joebaugher.com"/> |
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;24 April 1944 :B-17G-55-BO, ''42-102685'', of the 271st Air Base Unit, [[Kearney Air Force Base|Kearney Army Airfield]], [[Kearney, Nebraska|Kearney]], Nebraska, crashes six miles N of [[Bertrand, Nebraska|Bertrand]], Nebraska,<ref>http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/AARmonthly/Apr1944S.htm</ref> after an oxygen fire breaks out in flight.<ref>http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1942_5.html</ref> Six crew bail out but both pilots are killed. Dead were 2d Lt. Thomas G. Eppinger, pilot, of [[Huntington Woods, Michigan|Huntington Woods]], Michigan; and 2d Lt. Robert D. Shaw, co-pilot, of [[Vicksburg, Mississippi|Vicksburg]], Mississippi. Survivors were 2d Lt. Voris H. Fabik, navigator, of [[East St. Louis, Illinois|East St. Louis]], Illinois; 2d Lt. Lewis E. Louraine, bombardier, of [[Purcell, Oklahoma|Purcell]], Oklahoma; 2d Lt. Robert Durocher, assistant bombardier, hometown not available; S/Sgt. Clifford M. Bowen, engineer, of [[Jefferson, Oregon|Jefferson]], Oregon; S/Sgt. Obert M. Lay, radioman, of [[Aurora, Illinois|Aurora]], Illinois; and Sgt. James T. Grantham, waist gunner, of [[Phoenix, Arizona|Phoenix]], Arizona.<ref>International News Service, "Flying Fortress Crashes", ''Nebraska State Journal'', Lincoln, Nebraska, 26 April 1944</ref><ref>http://www3.gendisasters.com/nebraska/14091/bertrand-ne-fortress-crashes-apr-1944</ref> |
;24 April 1944 :B-17G-55-BO, ''42-102685'', of the 271st Air Base Unit, [[Kearney Air Force Base|Kearney Army Airfield]], [[Kearney, Nebraska|Kearney]], Nebraska, crashes six miles N of [[Bertrand, Nebraska|Bertrand]], Nebraska,<ref>http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/AARmonthly/Apr1944S.htm</ref> after an oxygen fire breaks out in flight.<ref>http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1942_5.html</ref> Six crew bail out but both pilots are killed. Dead were 2d Lt. Thomas G. Eppinger, pilot, of [[Huntington Woods, Michigan|Huntington Woods]], Michigan; and 2d Lt. Robert D. Shaw, co-pilot, of [[Vicksburg, Mississippi|Vicksburg]], Mississippi. Survivors were 2d Lt. Voris H. Fabik, navigator, of [[East St. Louis, Illinois|East St. Louis]], Illinois; 2d Lt. Lewis E. Louraine, bombardier, of [[Purcell, Oklahoma|Purcell]], Oklahoma; 2d Lt. Robert Durocher, assistant bombardier, hometown not available; S/Sgt. Clifford M. Bowen, engineer, of [[Jefferson, Oregon|Jefferson]], Oregon; S/Sgt. Obert M. Lay, radioman, of [[Aurora, Illinois|Aurora]], Illinois; and Sgt. James T. Grantham, waist gunner, of [[Phoenix, Arizona|Phoenix]], Arizona.<ref>International News Service, "Flying Fortress Crashes", ''Nebraska State Journal'', Lincoln, Nebraska, 26 April 1944</ref><ref>http://www3.gendisasters.com/nebraska/14091/bertrand-ne-fortress-crashes-apr-1944</ref> |
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;11 July 1944 :A U.S. Army Air Force B-17G-75-BO, ''44-38023'',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1943_2.html|title=1943 USAAF Serial Numbers (43-5109 to 43-52437)|publisher=|accessdate=25 December 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.accident-report.com/world/namerica/US/ME.html|title=Accident-Report.com - Accident-Report.com - USAAF/USAF Accidents for Maine|publisher=|accessdate=25 December 2014}}</ref> en route from [[Kearney Army Airfield]], Nebraska, to [[Dow Field]], Maine, for overseas deployment, crashes into Deer Mountain in Parkertown Township in [[North Oxford, Maine]], during a thunderstorm, killing all ten crew: Sgt. James A. Benson, Sgt. Gerald V. Biddle, 2nd Lt. John T. Cast, 2nd Lt. John W. Drake, 2nd Lt. William Hudgens, Cpl. John H. Jones, Staff Sgt. Wayne D. McGavran, Sgt. Cecil L. Murphy, 2nd Lt. Robert S. Talley, and Sgt. Clarence M. Waln. Locals saw the plane circling before it struck terrain 500 feet below the summit. It apparently descended below the clouds, struck treetops, and cartwheeled across the mountainside. Two days later, after a search by more than 100 spotters from the [[Civil Air Patrol]], the Army Air Force, the Navy, and the [[Royal Canadian Air Force]], the B-17’s wreckage was found on the side of the mountain. This was the second worst military crash in Maine history, occurring the same day as an [[Douglas A-26 Invader|A-26 Invader]] crash at Portland that killed 21. |
;11 July 1944 :A U.S. Army Air Force B-17G-75-BO, ''44-38023'',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1943_2.html|title=1943 USAAF Serial Numbers (43-5109 to 43-52437)|publisher=|accessdate=25 December 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.accident-report.com/world/namerica/US/ME.html|title=Accident-Report.com - Accident-Report.com - USAAF/USAF Accidents for Maine|publisher=|accessdate=25 December 2014}}</ref> en route from [[Kearney Army Airfield]], Nebraska, to [[Dow Field]], Maine, for overseas deployment, crashes into Deer Mountain in Parkertown Township in [[North Oxford, Maine]], during a thunderstorm, killing all ten crew: Sgt. James A. Benson, Sgt. Gerald V. Biddle, 2nd Lt. John T. Cast, 2nd Lt. John W. Drake, 2nd Lt. William Hudgens, Cpl. John H. Jones, Staff Sgt. Wayne D. McGavran, Sgt. Cecil L. Murphy, 2nd Lt. Robert S. Talley, and Sgt. Clarence M. Waln. Locals saw the plane circling before it struck terrain 500 feet below the summit. It apparently descended below the clouds, struck treetops, and cartwheeled across the mountainside. Two days later, after a search by more than 100 spotters from the [[Civil Air Patrol]], the Army Air Force, the Navy, and the [[Royal Canadian Air Force]], the B-17’s wreckage was found on the side of the mountain. This was the second worst military crash in Maine history, occurring the same day as an [[Douglas A-26 Invader|A-26 Invader]] crash at Portland that killed 21. |
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;19 July 1944 :[[Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress|Boeing B-17G-60-BO Flying Fortress]], ''42-102937'', "Ready Freddie", of the [[412th Bombardment Squadron|412th Bomb Squadron]], [[95th Bomb Group]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1942_5.html|title=1942 USAAF Serial Numbers (42-91974 to 42-110188)|publisher=|accessdate=1 October 2014}}</ref> crashed at [[RAF Duxford]], [[Cambridgeshire]], United Kingdom, when attempting to buzz the airfield at too low an altitude. The aircraft clipped a hangar and crashed into a barracks block killing all thirteen on board and one person on the ground.<ref> McLachlan, Ian. "Fallen Fortresses",''Aeroplane'', Cudham: Kelsey Publishing, August 2012, pp. 18–22. ISSN 0143-7240</ref> |
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;23 April 1945 :[[United States Army Air Forces|U.S. Army Air Forces]] B-17G-95-BO, ''43-38856'', 'GD-M', of the [[381st Training Group|381st Bombardment Group (Heavy)]], [[USAAF Boeing B-17 crash on North Barrule|crashed into]] the east facing slope of North Barrule in the [[Isle of Man]] killing 31 US service personnel (including ground crew) en route to [[Belfast]] for memorial service for [[Franklin D. Roosevelt|President Roosevelt]].<ref>Freeman, Roger, with Osborne, David, "The B-17 Flying Fortress Story: Design - Production - History", London, UK: Arms & Armour Press, 1998, ISBN 1-85409-301-0, p. 256.</ref> |
;23 April 1945 :[[United States Army Air Forces|U.S. Army Air Forces]] B-17G-95-BO, ''43-38856'', 'GD-M', of the [[381st Training Group|381st Bombardment Group (Heavy)]], [[USAAF Boeing B-17 crash on North Barrule|crashed into]] the east facing slope of North Barrule in the [[Isle of Man]] killing 31 US service personnel (including ground crew) en route to [[Belfast]] for memorial service for [[Franklin D. Roosevelt|President Roosevelt]].<ref>Freeman, Roger, with Osborne, David, "The B-17 Flying Fortress Story: Design - Production - History", London, UK: Arms & Armour Press, 1998, ISBN 1-85409-301-0, p. 256.</ref> |
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;5 August 1945 :A TB-17G, built as a B-17G-70-BO, ''43-37700'',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1943_2.html|title=1943 USAAF Serial Numbers (43-5109 to 43-52437)|publisher=|accessdate=25 December 2014}}</ref> of the 325th Combat Crew Training Squadron,<ref>http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/AARmonthly/Aug1945S.htm</ref> [[Avon Park Army Airfield]], Florida, crashes six miles S of [[Ridgeland, South Carolina]], after the number 2 (port inner) engine catches fire at 10,000 feet during a flight from [[Stewart Field]], New York, to its home base in Florida. Pilot Lieutenant Dewey O. Jones orders the crew to abandon ship. An announcement released by the [[Hunter Field]], Georgia, public relations office states that five parachuted safely, three were killed, and that two other men were missing. Listed as fatalities are Flight Officer Alfred Ponessa, of [[Newburgh, New York]], a passenger, Sergeant Leo B. Bucharia, of [[Long Island, New York]], and Technical Sergeant Edwin S. Salas, of [[Haverhill, Massachusetts]], both members of the crew. The missing were listed as Lieutenant William Cherry and Corporal Sidney Podhoretz (addresses not available). The names of the other four survivors were not given.<ref>Associated Press, "Bomber Crash Kills Three At Ridgeland", ''The State'', Columbia, South Carolina, Wednesday 8 August 1945, Number 19,787, page 8.</ref> |
;5 August 1945 :A TB-17G, built as a B-17G-70-BO, ''43-37700'',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1943_2.html|title=1943 USAAF Serial Numbers (43-5109 to 43-52437)|publisher=|accessdate=25 December 2014}}</ref> of the 325th Combat Crew Training Squadron,<ref>http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/AARmonthly/Aug1945S.htm</ref> [[Avon Park Army Airfield]], Florida, crashes six miles S of [[Ridgeland, South Carolina]], after the number 2 (port inner) engine catches fire at 10,000 feet during a flight from [[Stewart Field]], New York, to its home base in Florida. Pilot Lieutenant Dewey O. Jones orders the crew to abandon ship. An announcement released by the [[Hunter Field]], Georgia, public relations office states that five parachuted safely, three were killed, and that two other men were missing. Listed as fatalities are Flight Officer Alfred Ponessa, of [[Newburgh, New York]], a passenger, Sergeant Leo B. Bucharia, of [[Long Island, New York]], and Technical Sergeant Edwin S. Salas, of [[Haverhill, Massachusetts]], both members of the crew. The missing were listed as Lieutenant William Cherry and Corporal Sidney Podhoretz (addresses not available). The names of the other four survivors were not given.<ref>Associated Press, "Bomber Crash Kills Three At Ridgeland", ''The State'', Columbia, South Carolina, Wednesday 8 August 1945, Number 19,787, page 8.</ref> |
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;9 July 1946 :Eight USAAF crew, 16 U.S. Coast Guardsmen, returning from duty in [[Greenland]], and one civilian are killed when the B-17G-105-BO, ''43-39136'', c/n 10114, they are flying in crashes into [[Mount Tom (Massachusetts)|Mount Tom]], Massachusetts,<ref name="aviationarchaeology.com">http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/1940sLate/1947Aug.htm</ref> at ~2220 hrs. while attempting to land at [[Westover Field]], Massachusetts.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1943_2.html|title=1943 USAAF Serial Numbers (43-5109 to 43-52437)|publisher=|accessdate=25 December 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uscg.mil/history/Chron/Chronology_Jul.asp|title=Daily U.S. Coast Guard Historical Chronology: July|publisher=|accessdate=25 December 2014}}</ref> A monument to the victims was dedicated on the crash site on 6 July 1996.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.check-six.com/Coast_Guard/1946-Jul-09_MtTomB-17.htm|title=Mt. Tom B-17|publisher=|accessdate=25 December 2014}}</ref> |
;9 July 1946 :Eight USAAF crew, 16 U.S. Coast Guardsmen, returning from duty in [[Greenland]], and one civilian are killed when the B-17G-105-BO, ''43-39136'', c/n 10114, they are flying in crashes into [[Mount Tom (Massachusetts)|Mount Tom]], Massachusetts,<ref name="aviationarchaeology.com">http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/1940sLate/1947Aug.htm</ref> at ~2220 hrs. while attempting to land at [[Westover Field]], Massachusetts.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1943_2.html|title=1943 USAAF Serial Numbers (43-5109 to 43-52437)|publisher=|accessdate=25 December 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uscg.mil/history/Chron/Chronology_Jul.asp|title=Daily U.S. Coast Guard Historical Chronology: July|publisher=|accessdate=25 December 2014}}</ref> A monument to the victims was dedicated on the crash site on 6 July 1996.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.check-six.com/Coast_Guard/1946-Jul-09_MtTomB-17.htm|title=Mt. Tom B-17|publisher=|accessdate=25 December 2014}}</ref> |
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;14 January 1947 :B-17G-95-VE, ''44-85588'', of the Flight Test Division, [[Air Materiel Command]], [[Wright Field]], Ohio,<ref>http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/1940sLate/1947Jan.htm</ref> crashes through a rain-soaked swamp thicket, cutting a 500-yard swath through the underbrush, rams a tree and burns at ~1810 hrs., coming down ~3 miles NE of [[Fairborn, Ohio|Fairfield]], and ~3 miles NW of [[Patterson Field]], where the pilot apparently intended to land. The crash, coming at the end of a routine test flight to [[Lawson Field]], [[Fort Benning]], Georgia, and return, kills three crew and leaves one injured. Dead are Maj. Walter L. Massengill of [[Dayton, Ohio|Dayton]], the pilot; Master Sgt. Lee P. Hartman, engineer, and Warrant Officer Benedict F. Jacquay. The injured crewman is Lt. Marvin C. Rice, copilot. Other home towns were unavailable, said Wright Field officials.<ref>Associated Press, "Three Die as Army Bomber in Ohio Crashes and Burns", ''The Plain Dealer'', Cleveland, Ohio, 15 Jan 1947.</ref><ref>http://www3.gendisasters.com/ohio/13311/dayton-oh-bomber-crash-jan-1947</ref> |
;14 January 1947 :B-17G-95-VE, ''44-85588'', of the Flight Test Division, [[Air Materiel Command]], [[Wright Field]], Ohio,<ref>http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/1940sLate/1947Jan.htm</ref> crashes through a rain-soaked swamp thicket, cutting a 500-yard swath through the underbrush, rams a tree and burns at ~1810 hrs., coming down ~3 miles NE of [[Fairborn, Ohio|Fairfield]], and ~3 miles NW of [[Patterson Field]], where the pilot apparently intended to land. The crash, coming at the end of a routine test flight to [[Lawson Field]], [[Fort Benning]], Georgia, and return, kills three crew and leaves one injured. Dead are Maj. Walter L. Massengill of [[Dayton, Ohio|Dayton]], the pilot; Master Sgt. Lee P. Hartman, engineer, and Warrant Officer Benedict F. Jacquay. The injured crewman is Lt. Marvin C. Rice, copilot. Other home towns were unavailable, said Wright Field officials.<ref>Associated Press, "Three Die as Army Bomber in Ohio Crashes and Burns", ''The Plain Dealer'', Cleveland, Ohio, 15 Jan 1947.</ref><ref>http://www3.gendisasters.com/ohio/13311/dayton-oh-bomber-crash-jan-1947</ref> |
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;15 August 1947 :B-17H, ''43-39473'', with [[10th Air Rescue Squadron]], built as a B-17G-110-BO, crashes after takeoff ~2 miles from [[Thornbrough Air Force Base|Fort Randall Army Airfield]], [[Cold Bay, Alaska|Cold Bay]], Alaska, this date, killing all eight on board.<ref>http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1943_2.html</ref> Pilot was Marion E. Calender.<ref name="aviationarchaeology.com"/> Some wreckage still there. |
;15 August 1947 :B-17H, ''43-39473'', with [[10th Air Rescue Squadron]], built as a B-17G-110-BO, crashes after takeoff ~2 miles from [[Thornbrough Air Force Base|Fort Randall Army Airfield]], [[Cold Bay, Alaska|Cold Bay]], Alaska, this date, killing all eight on board.<ref>http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1943_2.html</ref> Pilot was Marion E. Calender.<ref name="aviationarchaeology.com"/> Some wreckage still there. |
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;24 December 1947 :B-17G-95-DL, ''44-83790'', of the 1385th Base Unit, [[Narsarsuaq Air Base|Bluie West One]], Greenland,<ref>http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/1940sLate/1947Dec.htm</ref> delivering presents and mail to isolated outposts on [[Baffin Bay]], runs out of fuel on Christmas Eve and pilot Chester M. Karney makes a forced landing on snow-laden frozen Dyke Lake in [[Labrador]]. None of the nine aboard are injured and they are picked up on 26 December by a ski and [[JATO]]-equipped [[Douglas C-47]]. Officers at Atlantic Division headquarters of [[Air Transport Command]], [[Westover Air Force Base]], Massachusetts, said that a snowstorm earlier in the day delayed one flight by the C-47 to fetch the seven crew and two passengers off the ice and that they had prepared to spend a third night in the sub-zero temperatures. But a successful rescue was achieved and the marooned flown 275 miles to [[CFB Goose Bay|Goose Bay]].<ref>Associated Press, "Plane Picks Up Stranded Fliers", ''The Spokesman-Review'', Spokane, Washington, Saturday 27 December 1947, Volume 65, Number 227, page 2.</ref> Fortress abandoned and sinks to the bottom of lake. Aircraft located in July 1998; recovered from the lake on 9 September 2004. Now under restoration to fly at [[Douglas, Georgia|Douglas]], Georgia.<ref>http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1944_5.html</ref> |
;24 December 1947 :B-17G-95-DL, ''44-83790'', of the 1385th Base Unit, [[Narsarsuaq Air Base|Bluie West One]], Greenland,<ref>http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/1940sLate/1947Dec.htm</ref> delivering presents and mail to isolated outposts on [[Baffin Bay]], runs out of fuel on Christmas Eve and pilot Chester M. Karney makes a forced landing on snow-laden frozen Dyke Lake in [[Labrador]]. None of the nine aboard are injured and they are picked up on 26 December by a ski and [[JATO]]-equipped [[Douglas C-47]]. Officers at Atlantic Division headquarters of [[Air Transport Command]], [[Westover Air Force Base]], Massachusetts, said that a snowstorm earlier in the day delayed one flight by the C-47 to fetch the seven crew and two passengers off the ice and that they had prepared to spend a third night in the sub-zero temperatures. But a successful rescue was achieved and the marooned flown 275 miles to [[CFB Goose Bay|Goose Bay]].<ref>Associated Press, "Plane Picks Up Stranded Fliers", ''The Spokesman-Review'', Spokane, Washington, Saturday 27 December 1947, Volume 65, Number 227, page 2.</ref> Fortress abandoned and sinks to the bottom of lake. Aircraft located in July 1998; recovered from the lake on 9 September 2004. Now under restoration to fly at [[Douglas, Georgia|Douglas]], Georgia.<ref>http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1944_5.html</ref> |
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;30 January 1948 :A [[Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress]], searching for the [[Douglas C-47]] that went missing on 27 January in France, spots the downed transport on the mountainside, and then itself crashes and burns. Only one member of the ten crew survives, Sgt. Angelo LaSalle, of [[Des Moines]], Iowa. He is aided by a former ''[[Luftwaffe]]'' pilot, Horst Kupski, a prisoner-of-war working for a French farmer, who lends him garments and helps him down the mountain.<ref>Associated Press,"German Saves American Flier - Helps Carry Him Down Mountain", ''The Sun-Telegram'', Sunday 1 February 1948, Volume 1, Number 42, page 2.</ref> |
;30 January 1948 :A [[Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress]], searching for the [[Douglas C-47]] that went missing on 27 January in France, spots the downed transport on the mountainside, and then itself crashes and burns. Only one member of the ten crew survives, Sgt. Angelo LaSalle, of [[Des Moines]], Iowa. He is aided by a former ''[[Luftwaffe]]'' pilot, Horst Kupski, a prisoner-of-war working for a French farmer, who lends him garments and helps him down the mountain.<ref>Associated Press,"German Saves American Flier - Helps Carry Him Down Mountain", ''The Sun-Telegram'', Sunday 1 February 1948, Volume 1, Number 42, page 2.</ref> |
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;5 November 1948 :DB-17G, ''44-83678'',<ref name=jb/> returning to [[Eglin AFB]], Florida, from [[Fort Wayne, Indiana]], crashes in woods SE of Auxiliary Field 2, Pierce Field due to pilot error, crashing and burning NE of the runway at Eglin main base early Friday. All five on board are KWF, including Lt. Col. Frederick W. Eley, 43, of [[Shalimar, Florida]], staff judge advocate at Eglin for nearly three years – he was returning from his grandmother's funeral in Portland, Indiana; Maj. Bydie J. Nettles, 29, who lived in [[Shalimar, Florida]] but was originally from [[Pensacola, Florida]], group adjutant for the 3203rd Maintenance and Supply section; Capt. Robert LeMar, 31, Ben's Lake, Eglin AFB, test pilot with the 3203rd; crew chief M/Sgt. Carl LeMieux, 31, of [[Milton, Florida]]; and Sgt. William E. Bazer, 36, assistant engineer, [[Destin, Florida]]. Bazer's wife was the Eglin base librarian.<ref>Fort Walton, Florida, "''Seven Airmen Dead in Eglin Plane Crashes''", Playground News, Thursday 11 November 1948, Volume 3, Number 41, page 1.</ref> |
;5 November 1948 :DB-17G, ''44-83678'',<ref name=jb/> returning to [[Eglin AFB]], Florida, from [[Fort Wayne, Indiana]], crashes in woods SE of Auxiliary Field 2, Pierce Field due to pilot error, crashing and burning NE of the runway at Eglin main base early Friday. All five on board are KWF, including Lt. Col. Frederick W. Eley, 43, of [[Shalimar, Florida]], staff judge advocate at Eglin for nearly three years – he was returning from his grandmother's funeral in Portland, Indiana; Maj. Bydie J. Nettles, 29, who lived in [[Shalimar, Florida]] but was originally from [[Pensacola, Florida]], group adjutant for the 3203rd Maintenance and Supply section; Capt. Robert LeMar, 31, Ben's Lake, Eglin AFB, test pilot with the 3203rd; crew chief M/Sgt. Carl LeMieux, 31, of [[Milton, Florida]]; and Sgt. William E. Bazer, 36, assistant engineer, [[Destin, Florida]]. Bazer's wife was the Eglin base librarian.<ref>Fort Walton, Florida, "''Seven Airmen Dead in Eglin Plane Crashes''", Playground News, Thursday 11 November 1948, Volume 3, Number 41, page 1.</ref> |
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Revision as of 21:38, 6 March 2017
This is a partial list of accidents and incidents involving the Boeing-designed B-17 Flying Fortress. Combat losses are not included except for a very few cases denoted by singular circumstances. A few documented drone attrition cases are also included.
Aircraft were constructed by a three firm consortium, Boeing, Vega and Douglas, known by the acronym BVD. Boeing built airframes at their plant in Seattle, Washington and their production models were appended -BO. Douglas Aircraft Company constructed airframes at Long Beach, California with a -DL suffix. The Vega Aircraft Corporation, a subsidiary of the Lockheed Aircraft Company, at Burbank, California, delivered airframes with the -VE suffix.
1930s
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/06/Boeing_Model_299_crash.jpg/220px-Boeing_Model_299_crash.jpg)
- 30 October 1935
- Prototype Boeing Model 299, NX13372, 'X13372', c/n 1963, the future B-17, crashes on take-off from Wright Field, Ohio, due to locked control surfaces, killing early military aviator and test pilot Maj. Ployer Peter Hill. Other engineers taken to hospital with injuries. Boeing test pilot and observer Les Tower died later. Ogden Air Depot, Utah, renamed Hill Field, (later Hill Air Force Base), on 1 December 1939. As the prototype was owned by Boeing, it had no USAAC serial.[1][2][3]
- 7 December 1936
- First Y1B-17, 36-149, c/n 1973, first flown 2 December, makes rough landing at Boeing Field, Seattle, Washington, on third flight, when Army pilot Stanley Umstead touches down with locked brakes, airframe ends up on nose after short skid. Repaired, Flying Fortress departs for Wright Field on 11 January 1937.[4]
1940s
- 18 December 1940
- Y1B-17, 36-157, c/n 1981, of the 2d Bomb Group, Langley Field, Virginia, crashed E of San Jacinto, California, en route to March Field, California.[3]
- 6 February 1941
- B-17B Flying Fortress, 38-216, c/n 2009,[5] crashes near Lovelock, Nevada while en route to Wright Field, Ohio, killing all eight on board. Pilot Capt. Richard S. Freeman had shared the 1939 MacKay Trophy for the Boeing XB-15 flight from Langley Field, Virginia via Panama and Lima, Peru at the request of the American Red Cross, for delivering urgently needed vaccines and other medical supplies in areas of Chile devastated by an earthquake. General Order Number 10, dated 3 March 1943, announces that the advanced flying school being constructed near Seymour, Indiana is to be named Freeman Field in honor of the Hoosier native.[6]
- 22 June 1941
- Royal Air Force Boeing Fortress I, AN522, of No. 90 Squadron, RAF Great Massingham, flown by F/O J. C. Hawley, breaks up in mid-air over Yorkshire during a training flight. Single survivor, a medical officer from RAE Farnborough, reports that the bomber entered a cumulo-nimbus cloud at 33,000 feet (10,100 m), became heavily iced-up with hailstones entering through open gunports, after which control was lost, the port wing detached, and the fuselage broke in two at 25,000 feet (7,600 m). Survivor, who was in the aft fuselage, was able to bail out at 12,000 feet (3,700 m).[7]
- 3 July 1941
- Royal Air Force Boeing Fortress I, AN528, of No. 90 Squadron, RAF Polebrook, is destroyed when a troublesome engine catches fire during a late-night ground run.[8]
- 2 November 1941
- B-17C, 40-2047, of the 7th Bomb Group, en route from Salt Lake City, Utah, to McClellan Field, near Sacramento, California, enters a winter storm over the Sierras, stalls at 18,000 feet and spins in, coming down near Georgetown, California,[9] ~30 miles NE of Placerville. Eight of nine crew successfully parachute down, pilot is KWF. Scattered wreckage is still where it fell.[10]
- 3 April 1942
- The 303rd Bomb Group, activated at Pendleton Field, Oregon, on 3 February 1942, suffers its first fatal aircraft accident when three flying officers and five enlisted crew are killed in the crash of a B-17E-BO, 41-9053, six miles (10 km) N of Strevell, Idaho [11] during a training mission.[12]
- 27 June 1942
- During Operation Bolero, the ferrying of combat aircraft from the U.S. to England by air, B-17E-BO, 41-9090, c/n 2562, ditches in a Greenland fjord near Narasak. Attempts have been made to locate the airframe, particularly by noted recovery expert Gary Larkins, but it has yet to be found. Provisionally assigned the FAA registration N3142U if it can be found and retrieved from 1,500 feet of water.[13][14]
- 15 July 1942
- During Operation Bolero, the ferrying of combat aircraft from the U.S. to England by air, a flight of two B-17E-BO Flying Fortresses, 41-9101, c/n 2573, "Big Stoop", and 41-9105, c/n 2577, "Do-Do", of the 97th Bomb Group and six P-38F Lightnings of the 94th Fighter Squadron, 1st Fighter Group, on the 845-mile (1,360 km) leg between Bluie West 8 airfield and Reykjavík, Iceland, run out of fuel after being held up by bad weather, and all force-land on the Greenland icecap. All safely belly in except for the first P-38 which attempts a wheels-down landing, flipping over as nosewheel catches a crevasse, but pilot Lt. Brad McManus unhurt. All crews rescued on 19 July, but aircraft are abandoned in place. One P-38F-1-LO, 41-7630, c/n 222-5757, now known as "Glacier Girl", recovered in 1992 from under 200 feet (61 m) of accumulated snow and ice and rebuilt to flying status, registered N17630. One B-17 ("Big Stoop") also found, but it is too badly crushed for recovery.[15] Although the USAAF had expected to lose 10 percent of the 920 planes that made the North Atlantic transit during Bolero, losses were only 5.2 percent, the majority being involved in this single incident.[16]
- 23 August 1942
- B-17E-BO, 41-9091, of the 427th Bomb Squadron, 303rd Bomb Group,[17] operating out of Biggs Field, El Paso, Texas, suffers center fuselage failure in extremely bad weather 12 miles W of Las Cruces, New Mexico, only the radio operator and the engineering officer for the 427th Bomb Squadron, both in the radio room, survive by parachuting. Pilot was James E. Hudson. The 303rd BG was due to deploy overseas from Biggs on 24 August.[18]
- 17 September 1942
- A B-17E, 41-2650, of the 93d Bombardment Squadron, 19th Bombardment Group, based at Mareeba airfield in north Queensland, Australia, departed Seven Mile Aerodrome at Port Moresby to bomb Rabaul. Piloted by 2nd Lt. Claude N. Burckey, the crew completed the mission and set an initial return path for Port Moresby, which was clouded in, and then for Horn Island. The aircraft became lost and ran out of fuel over Cape York, Australia. The crew bailed out, and the aircraft crashed N of Weipa. 1st. Lt. William F. Meenagh (0-372623) was never found, the other eight crew members survived.[19]
- 21 October 1942
- B-17D, 40-3089, of the 5th Bomb Group/11th Bomb Group, with Capt. Eddie Rickenbacker, America's top-scoring World War I ace (26 kills), aboard on a secret mission, is lost at sea in the central Pacific Ocean when the bomber goes off-course. After 24 days afloat in three rafts, he and surviving crew are rescued by the U.S. Navy after having been given up for lost, discovered by OS2U Kingfisher crew.
- 30 December 1942 :B-17F-35-BO, 42-5123,[20] of the 20th Bomb Squadron, 2d Bomb Group, Great Falls Army Air Base, Montana, piloted by Edward T. Layfield,[21] crashes near Musselshell, Montana. Capt. John Lloyd, public relations officer at the Great Falls base, said that eleven aboard were killed.[22]
- 3 January 1943
- B-17F-27-BO, 41-24620, "snap! crackle! pop!", of the 360th Bomb Squadron, 303rd Bomb Group, on daylight raid over Saint-Nazaire, France, loses wing due to flak, goes into spiral. Ball turret gunner Alan Eugene Magee (13 January 1919 – 20 December 2003), though suffering 27 shrapnel wounds, bails out (or is thrown from wreckage) without his chute at ~20,000 feet (6,100 m), loses consciousness due to altitude, freefall plunges through glass roof of the Gare de Saint-Nazaire and is found alive but with serious injuries on floor of depot - saved by German medical care, spends rest of war in prison camp.[23]
- 30 May 1943
- A B-17F-45-BO, 42-5318, of the 464th Bomb Squadron, 331st Bomb Group,[24] out of Casper Army Air Field, Wyoming, piloted by James O. Westbury,[25] crashes into a mountainside ~10 miles NW of Covelo, California, during a training mission killing all six crew. Some wreckage remains at the site.[14]
- 3 June 1943
- B-17F-55-DL, 42-3399, "Scharazad",[26] of the Plummer Provisional Group, 318th Bomb Squadron,[24] flying to Grand Island, Nebraska from Pendleton Army Air Base in Oregon crashes on Bomber Mountain in the Big Horn Mountains of Wyoming. 10 crew members were killed. Wreckage finally discovered on 12 August 1945.
- 14 June 1943
- B-17C, 40-2072, "Miss E.M.F." (Every Morning Fixing), of the 19th Bomb Group, heavily damaged on Davao mission 25 December 1941 and converted into transport. With 46th Troop Carrier Squadron, 317th Troop Carrier Group, crashed Bakers Creek, Queensland, Australia, this date while ferrying troops to New Guinea. Six crew and 34 GIs killed. One survived. (see Bakers Creek air crash) A memorial to the victims of this crash was installed at the Selfridge Gate of Arlington National Cemetery on 11 June 2009, donated by the Bakers Creek Memorial Association. The gate is named for Lt. Thomas Selfridge, killed in a 1908 crash at Fort Myer, Virginia, the first victim of a powered air accident.[27]
- 16 June 1943
- B-17E-BO converted to XB-38-VE, 41-2401, with Allison V-1710 liquid-cooled engines. Wrecked near Tipton, California, on its ninth test flight when the number three (starboard inner) engine caught fire. Attempts to extinguish it were unsuccessful, and as the fire spread to the wing, the pilots bailed out after pointing the aircraft to an uninhabited area. Lockheed test pilot George MacDonald was killed when his parachute did not deploy, and Lockheed test pilot Bud Martin was seriously injured when his parachute did not deploy properly.
- 2 August 1943
- B-17E-BO, 41-2463, "Yankee Doodle", of the 19th Bomb Group, then to 394th Bomb Squadron, 5th Bomb Group, crashes on takeoff due mechanical failure at Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides, Bombardier Sgt. John P. Kruger and navigator Lt. Talbert H. Woolam are killed. Pilot was Gene Roddenberry, future creator of Star Trek.[28] The airframe was stricken on 13 August 1943.[29]
- 9 December 1943
- 'The Galley Uncle', number 42-31468, crashed in a field adjacent to Graan Monastery, near Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. Seven crew members died and five were saved by local monks.[30][31]
- 2 January 1944
- "NORNICK, [sic] Iowa, Jan. 2 (AP) - Nine crew members of a Flying Fortress based at Sioux City, , were killed when the plane crashed and burned on a farm near here late today. Persons within a radius of several miles said they saw the plane explode and crash."[32] B-17F-40-VE, 42-6013, of the 393d CCTS, piloted by Frank R. Hilford, appears to be the airframe involved.[33]
- 2 January 1944
- "SACRAMENTO, Calif., Jan. 2 (AP) - Thirteen army flyers were killed today when a B-17 Flying Fortress, headed for Los Angeles from McChord field, Tacoma, Wash., exploded in flight over McClellan field and plunged 3000 feet to the ground in flames. Thousands of Sacramentans, startled by a terrific explosion, looked skyward and saw the crippled and burning four-motored bomber emerge from the overcast sky and fall. Only one member of the plane's crew of 14 escaped the flaming wreckage, parachuting to safety before the crash. He was Maj. James H. Wergen of Kingman field, Ariz., the bomber's home base. The plane went to pieces in the air as it fell, scattering a wingtip, one of its motors and other parts over a vast area. McClellan field authorities said medical officers were attempting to identify the dead, but that names would be withheld pending notification of next of kin."[34] The B-17G was piloted by Frederick M. Klopfenstein.[35]
- 4 January 1944
- B-17G-10-BO, 42-31257,[36] flying in formation with other B-17s, catches fire near Alamo, Nevada, while en route between Indian Springs Army Airfield and Las Vegas Army Airfield, Nevada, and twelve of thirteen aboard bail out. One is killed when his chute fails to open in time, and one aboard the bomber dies in the crash 67 miles NNE of Las Vegas AAF.[37] Other planes circled the spot where the plane went down and radioed the base news of the crash. "Eleven of their number were brought to the airfield hospital hospital last night (5 January), suffering from minor injuries and exposure after having spent the intervening time in heavy snow on a high mountain plateau."[38]
- 13 January 1944
- B-17G-30-DL, 42-38094, flown by Ralph M. Calhoon, and B-17G-10-VE, 42-40038, piloted by Thomas W. Williams,[39] of the 99th Bomb Squadron, collide ~10 miles SW of Brooksville Army Airfield, Florida,[40] killing four officers and five enlisted men, reports Brigadier General Hume Peabody, commander of the Army Air Forces Tactical Center (AAFTAC), at Orlando. One victim is Sgt. Benjamin B. Estes, son of J. M. Estes, Burley, Idaho.[41]
- 15 January 1944
- B-17F-50-VE, 42-6147,[42] of the 818th Bomb Squadron (H), 483d Bomb Group (H),[43] MacDill Field, Florida, piloted by William R. Sablotny,[44] lost in a blizzard over the Allegheny Mountains, crashes three miles N of Rich Mountain, West Virginia, killing six of seven aboard, state police said 16 January.[45]
- 9 April 1944
- B-17G-35-VE, 42-97854, of the 390th Bomb Group,[46] on a ferry flight from the United States to England, piloted by George L. Williamson, ditches in the Graah Fjord, Greenland[14] this date (another source states that it was ditched in Lageons Fjord).[47] Attempts by noted aircraft recovery expert Gary Larkins to locate the airframe have been unsuccessful.[14] MACR report 3637. FAA registration N9094V to Institute of Aeronautical Archaeological Research of Auburn, California, provisionally assigned to this airframe.[46]
- 24 April 1944
- B-17G-55-BO, 42-102685, of the 271st Air Base Unit, Kearney Army Airfield, Kearney, Nebraska, crashes six miles N of Bertrand, Nebraska,[48] after an oxygen fire breaks out in flight.[49] Six crew bail out but both pilots are killed. Dead were 2d Lt. Thomas G. Eppinger, pilot, of Huntington Woods, Michigan; and 2d Lt. Robert D. Shaw, co-pilot, of Vicksburg, Mississippi. Survivors were 2d Lt. Voris H. Fabik, navigator, of East St. Louis, Illinois; 2d Lt. Lewis E. Louraine, bombardier, of Purcell, Oklahoma; 2d Lt. Robert Durocher, assistant bombardier, hometown not available; S/Sgt. Clifford M. Bowen, engineer, of Jefferson, Oregon; S/Sgt. Obert M. Lay, radioman, of Aurora, Illinois; and Sgt. James T. Grantham, waist gunner, of Phoenix, Arizona.[50][51]
- 11 July 1944
- A U.S. Army Air Force B-17G-75-BO, 44-38023,[52][53] en route from Kearney Army Airfield, Nebraska, to Dow Field, Maine, for overseas deployment, crashes into Deer Mountain in Parkertown Township in North Oxford, Maine, during a thunderstorm, killing all ten crew: Sgt. James A. Benson, Sgt. Gerald V. Biddle, 2nd Lt. John T. Cast, 2nd Lt. John W. Drake, 2nd Lt. William Hudgens, Cpl. John H. Jones, Staff Sgt. Wayne D. McGavran, Sgt. Cecil L. Murphy, 2nd Lt. Robert S. Talley, and Sgt. Clarence M. Waln. Locals saw the plane circling before it struck terrain 500 feet below the summit. It apparently descended below the clouds, struck treetops, and cartwheeled across the mountainside. Two days later, after a search by more than 100 spotters from the Civil Air Patrol, the Army Air Force, the Navy, and the Royal Canadian Air Force, the B-17’s wreckage was found on the side of the mountain. This was the second worst military crash in Maine history, occurring the same day as an A-26 Invader crash at Portland that killed 21.
- 19 July 1944
- Boeing B-17G-60-BO Flying Fortress, 42-102937, "Ready Freddie", of the 412th Bomb Squadron, 95th Bomb Group,[54] crashed at RAF Duxford, Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom, when attempting to buzz the airfield at too low an altitude. The aircraft clipped a hangar and crashed into a barracks block killing all thirteen on board and one person on the ground.[55]
- 23 April 1945
- U.S. Army Air Forces B-17G-95-BO, 43-38856, 'GD-M', of the 381st Bombardment Group (Heavy), crashed into the east facing slope of North Barrule in the Isle of Man killing 31 US service personnel (including ground crew) en route to Belfast for memorial service for President Roosevelt.[56]
- 5 August 1945
- A TB-17G, built as a B-17G-70-BO, 43-37700,[57] of the 325th Combat Crew Training Squadron,[58] Avon Park Army Airfield, Florida, crashes six miles S of Ridgeland, South Carolina, after the number 2 (port inner) engine catches fire at 10,000 feet during a flight from Stewart Field, New York, to its home base in Florida. Pilot Lieutenant Dewey O. Jones orders the crew to abandon ship. An announcement released by the Hunter Field, Georgia, public relations office states that five parachuted safely, three were killed, and that two other men were missing. Listed as fatalities are Flight Officer Alfred Ponessa, of Newburgh, New York, a passenger, Sergeant Leo B. Bucharia, of Long Island, New York, and Technical Sergeant Edwin S. Salas, of Haverhill, Massachusetts, both members of the crew. The missing were listed as Lieutenant William Cherry and Corporal Sidney Podhoretz (addresses not available). The names of the other four survivors were not given.[59]
- 9 July 1946
- Eight USAAF crew, 16 U.S. Coast Guardsmen, returning from duty in Greenland, and one civilian are killed when the B-17G-105-BO, 43-39136, c/n 10114, they are flying in crashes into Mount Tom, Massachusetts,[60] at ~2220 hrs. while attempting to land at Westover Field, Massachusetts.[61][62] A monument to the victims was dedicated on the crash site on 6 July 1996.[63]
- 14 January 1947
- B-17G-95-VE, 44-85588, of the Flight Test Division, Air Materiel Command, Wright Field, Ohio,[64] crashes through a rain-soaked swamp thicket, cutting a 500-yard swath through the underbrush, rams a tree and burns at ~1810 hrs., coming down ~3 miles NE of Fairfield, and ~3 miles NW of Patterson Field, where the pilot apparently intended to land. The crash, coming at the end of a routine test flight to Lawson Field, Fort Benning, Georgia, and return, kills three crew and leaves one injured. Dead are Maj. Walter L. Massengill of Dayton, the pilot; Master Sgt. Lee P. Hartman, engineer, and Warrant Officer Benedict F. Jacquay. The injured crewman is Lt. Marvin C. Rice, copilot. Other home towns were unavailable, said Wright Field officials.[65][66]
- 15 August 1947
- B-17H, 43-39473, with 10th Air Rescue Squadron, built as a B-17G-110-BO, crashes after takeoff ~2 miles from Fort Randall Army Airfield, Cold Bay, Alaska, this date, killing all eight on board.[67] Pilot was Marion E. Calender.[60] Some wreckage still there.
- 24 December 1947
- B-17G-95-DL, 44-83790, of the 1385th Base Unit, Bluie West One, Greenland,[68] delivering presents and mail to isolated outposts on Baffin Bay, runs out of fuel on Christmas Eve and pilot Chester M. Karney makes a forced landing on snow-laden frozen Dyke Lake in Labrador. None of the nine aboard are injured and they are picked up on 26 December by a ski and JATO-equipped Douglas C-47. Officers at Atlantic Division headquarters of Air Transport Command, Westover Air Force Base, Massachusetts, said that a snowstorm earlier in the day delayed one flight by the C-47 to fetch the seven crew and two passengers off the ice and that they had prepared to spend a third night in the sub-zero temperatures. But a successful rescue was achieved and the marooned flown 275 miles to Goose Bay.[69] Fortress abandoned and sinks to the bottom of lake. Aircraft located in July 1998; recovered from the lake on 9 September 2004. Now under restoration to fly at Douglas, Georgia.[70]
- 30 January 1948
- A Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, searching for the Douglas C-47 that went missing on 27 January in France, spots the downed transport on the mountainside, and then itself crashes and burns. Only one member of the ten crew survives, Sgt. Angelo LaSalle, of Des Moines, Iowa. He is aided by a former Luftwaffe pilot, Horst Kupski, a prisoner-of-war working for a French farmer, who lends him garments and helps him down the mountain.[71]
- 5 November 1948
- DB-17G, 44-83678,[24] returning to Eglin AFB, Florida, from Fort Wayne, Indiana, crashes in woods SE of Auxiliary Field 2, Pierce Field due to pilot error, crashing and burning NE of the runway at Eglin main base early Friday. All five on board are KWF, including Lt. Col. Frederick W. Eley, 43, of Shalimar, Florida, staff judge advocate at Eglin for nearly three years – he was returning from his grandmother's funeral in Portland, Indiana; Maj. Bydie J. Nettles, 29, who lived in Shalimar, Florida but was originally from Pensacola, Florida, group adjutant for the 3203rd Maintenance and Supply section; Capt. Robert LeMar, 31, Ben's Lake, Eglin AFB, test pilot with the 3203rd; crew chief M/Sgt. Carl LeMieux, 31, of Milton, Florida; and Sgt. William E. Bazer, 36, assistant engineer, Destin, Florida. Bazer's wife was the Eglin base librarian.[72]
1950s
- 16 October 1950
- A QB-17G, 44-83565, of the 3200th Drone Squadron, piloted by Emerson N. Hixson, is involved in a ground accident at Eglin AFB, Florida,[73] due to weather, receiving moderate damage.[74]
- 8 November 1950
- SB-17G, 43-39364, of the 3d Air Rescue Squadron, is heavily damaged while parked when struck by SB-17G, 43-39365, of the same unit, at Ashiya Air Base, Japan, when its hydraulics failed. The noses of both are wrecked and both are written off.[75][76][77]
- 1 November 1951
- 44-83699 is subjected to the Easy shot of the Operation Buster–Jangle atomic weapons tests as a ground target.[78][better source needed]
- 19 January 1952
- SB-17G, 44-85746, built as B-17G-105-VE, accepted May 1945, based at McChord AFB, Washington, returning from a search and rescue mission, strikes a ridge near Tyler Peak on the Olympic peninsula, killing 3 crew, 5 survive.[79] Wreckage is still there.[14]
- 11 July 1952
- Seven of eight crew survive the crash landing of a Boeing SB-17 Flying Fortress, of the 10th Air Rescue Squadron at Anchorage, Alaska, when it fails to return from a search for an RCAF bomber, missing since 30 June with four aboard. The Fortress had apparently completed its six hour search sweep and was en route to Whitehorse when it crashed. The last radio message, shortly before noon, stated that they were over their search area in fair to good weather. The hunt for the B-17 began at 2015 hrs. when it had not returned by fuel exhaustion limits. An amphibian sighted the downed plane in the night and dropped food and sleeping bags. American parachutists jumped to the downed crew's aid on 12 July and three helicopters - two American and one Canadian - began moving survivors to Snag, Yukon territory, about 30 miles SW of the crash site. A seriously burned crewman was ferried by C-47 to Elmendorf Air Force Hospital at Anchorage. Two other survivors were not as seriously injured.[80]
- 4 January 1953
- A VB-17G, 44-85576, of the 6600th Air Base Unit, Pepperrell AFB, St. Johns, Newfoundland, Canada, piloted by Joseph H. Huau, Jr., suffers moderate damage during a landing accident at Bolling AFB, Washington, D.C., due to mechanical failure.[81]
- 26 August 1953
- U.S. Coast Guard PB-1G Flying Fortress, BuNo 77253, ex-44-85827, loses brakes while landing at NAS Sand Point, near Seattle, Washington, overruns runway, crushes nose as it ends up in Lake Washington. Retrieved and sold for salvage.[82][83]
- 26 May 1954
- A Republic of China Air Force B-17 crashed near Fujian, People's Republic of China. "Pilot Nie Jing Yuan, four crew members and four agents that were to be airdropped, were all killed. The People's Republic of China did not make a claim to have shot the aircraft down, so it might have suffered an accident."[84]
- 26 June 1956
- An F-89H Scorpion downed a remote-controlled target QB-17 Flying Fortress over the Eglin water ranges with a Hughes GAR-1 Falcon, "the first time the missile has been employed to destroy a target ship in a simulated air defense environment." Lt. Col. Louis E. Andre, Jr., from the 3241st Test Group, Interceptor, of APGC and his radar observer, Squadron Leader George T. E. Richards of the Royal Air Force, were credited with the kill. The Falcon is designed to be launched by the F-89H and the F-102A Delta Dagger interceptors. "The missile as well as the Scorpion and the F-102A are presently undergoing operational suitability testing at the Air Force Operational Test Center."[85]
- 30 June 1956
- An F-102A Delta Dagger downed a remotely controlled QB-17 Flying Fortress over the Eglin water ranges with a Hughes GAR-1 Falcon on this date, announced Air Proving Ground Commander Maj. Gen. Robert W. Burns, the second drone to fall prey to the air-to-air missile within a week at the APGC.[86]
- 1 November 1956
- A third QB-17 drone kill was achieved by a Hughes GAR-1 Falcon fired from a F-102A Delta Dagger of the 3201st Test Group (Interceptor), flown by Maj. Robert T. Goetz on this date over the Eglin water ranges. The drone had been previously damaged by an earlier hit during the same mission, fired by Capt. William T. Quirk. Goetz had been credited with one of the two QB-17 kills during June 1956.[87]
1960s
- 29 August 1967
- B-17G-95-DL, 44-83857, later PB-1W, BuNo 77226, to civil register as N7228C.[88] Destroyed in crash at 0927 hrs. at Kalispell, Montana while in use as a fire bomber, after making wheels-up landing due to smoke in the cockpit, killing two crew according to one source,[89] no fatalities according to an NTSB report, which seems more credible as the co-pilot reported that the fire began in the accessory section of the number three (starboard inner) engine. Jettisoned load before touch down.[90]
1970s
- 18 August 1970
- B-17F-50-VE, 42-6107, c/n 6403, to TB-17F, to civil register as N1340N. Reengined with Rolls-Royce Dart turboprops in 1969.[24] Crashed at 1637 hrs. during fire bomber run while operated by Aero Flite on down slope side of mountain near Dubois, Wyoming, with density altitude of ~13,000 feet, winds of 25-35 mph, updrafts and downdrafts. Pilot misjudged altitude and clearance, failed to maintain flight speed, aircraft stalled and struck trees. Two crew killed.[91]
- 12 July 1972
- B-17G-95-DL, 44-83864, c/n 32505, later to PB-1W, BuNo 77232, registered successively N6465D, N5234V, XB-BOE, and finally N73648, operated as a fire bomber 'E56' by Black Hills Aviation. Destroyed 20 mi SW of Socorro, New Mexico when the pilot misjudged his altitude during his second slurry drop and struck trees at 1605 hrs., killing two crew.[24][92]
- 12 July 1973
- B-17G-110-VE, 44-85840, c/n 8749, to Bolivian registry with Lloyd Aero Boliviano, November 1956, as CP-620, back to U.S. in 1968 with Aircraft Specialties, Inc. of Mesa, Arizona as N620L. Used in 1970 film Tora! Tora! Tora![79] Crashed near Elko, Nevada during fire bomber run, updrafts and downdrafts, 40 knot winds. Following steep turn downwind over downslope of mountain, pilot failed to maintain airspeed, stalled, two crew killed.[93]
- 5 August 1976
- B-17G-110-VE, 44-85812, later PB-1G, BuNo 77246, to civil register as N4710C and used for fire ant spraying by Dothan Aviation, destroyed in accident near Rochelle, Georgia.[88][94] NTSB report gives cause as fire in or near carburetor, forcing emergency landing at 0815 hrs., airframe burned.[95] Another source cites crash site as Blakely, Georgia.[96]
1980s
- 25 July 1989
- B-17G-100-VE, 44-85643,[88] c/n 8552, F-BEEA, of the Institut géographique national, destroyed when it hit a tree and a pile of gravel during takeoff at RAF Binbrook, United Kingdom, during filming of Memphis Belle. [97] Aircraft destroyed by fire, but ten on board escape. [98] This airframe had been the camera ship during filming of Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb in 1964, whose shadow makes an accidental cameo on the arctic ice pack below the B-52 Stratofortress attacking Russia.[99]
2010s
- 13 June 2011
- B-17G-105-VE, 44-85734, registered N390TH, previously N5111N, named Liberty Belle and operated by the Liberty Foundation of Tulsa, Oklahoma, as a flying history exhibit, suffered an in-flight fire in port wing behind #2 engine while on a positioning flight from Aurora, Illinois to Indianapolis, Indiana. The crew made an emergency landing in a field near Oswego, Illinois 20 minutes after takeoff. Three crew and four passengers escaped safely before fire consumed the airframe.[100][101]
See also
References
- ^ Mueller, Robert, "Air Force Bases Volume 1: Active Air Force Bases Within the United States of America on 17 September 1982", United States Air Force Historical Research Center, Office of Air Force History, Washington, D.C., 1989, ISBN 0-912799-53-6, p. 237.
- ^ Bowers, Peter M., "Fortress In The Sky", Sentry Books, Granada Hills, California, 1976, Library of Congress Card No. 76-17145, ISBN 0-913194-04-2, p. 37
- ^ a b Freeman, Roger; Osborne, David (1998). The B-17 Flying Fortress Story: Design - Production - History. London, UK: Arms & Armour Press. p. 71. ISBN 1854093010.
- ^ Bowers, Peter M., "The Forgotten Fortresses", Wings, Granada Hills, California, August 1974, Volume 4, Number 4, pp.22-23.
- ^ 1938–1939 USAAS Serial Numbers. Joebaugher.com. Retrieved on 2010-08-05.
- ^ Freeman Field Title Page. Members.tripod.com. Retrieved on 2010-08-05.
- ^ Taylor, H. A., "Fiasco or Foretaste?", Air International, Bromley, Kent, UK, December 1974, Volume 7, Number 6, p. 280.
- ^ Taylor, H. A., "Fiasco or Foretaste?", Air International, Bromley, Kent, UK, December 1974, Volume 7, Number 6, pp.280-281.
- ^ "1940 USAAC Serial Numbers". Retrieved 25 December 2014.
- ^ Thompson, Scott A., "Final Cut: The Post-War B-17 Flying Fortress and Survivors", Pictorial Histories Publishing Company, Missoula, Montana, and Aero Vintage Books, Lincoln, California, Fourth Edition, June 2011, ISBN 978-1-57510-156-9, page 227.
- ^ "April 1942 USAAF Accident Reports". Aviationarchaeology.com. Retrieved 2010-05-08.
- ^ O'Neill, Brian D., "303rd Bombardment Group", Osprey Publishing, Botley, Oxford, UK, 2003, ISBN 978-1-84176-537-2, p. 9.
- ^ "1941 USAAF Serial Numbers (41-6722 to 41-13296)". Retrieved 25 December 2014.
- ^ a b c d e Thompson, Scott A., "Final Cut: The Post-War B-17 Flying Fortress and Survivors", Pictorial Histories Publishing Company, Missoula, Montana, and Aero Vintage Books, Lincoln, California, Fourth Edition, June 2011, ISBN 978-1-57510-156-9, page 228.
- ^ Hayes, David, "The Lost Squadron - A Fleet of Warplanes Locked in Ice For Fifty Years", Chartwell Books / Madison Press Books, Edison, New Jersey / Toronto, Ontario, ISBN 978-0-7858-2376-6, 1994, pp.40-47, 276.
- ^ Bodie, Warren M. "The Lockheed P-38 Lightning". Hayesville, North Carolina.: Widewing Publications, 1991, ISBN 978-0-9629359-5-4, pp.99-103.
- ^ August 1942 USAAF Stateside Accident Reports
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- ^ "Alan Magee Story". 303rdbg.com. 1943-01-03. Retrieved 2010-05-08.
- ^ a b c d e "1942 USAAF Serial Numbers (42-001 to 42-30031)". Retrieved 25 December 2014.
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- ^ "Mission Details". BomberMountain.com. Archived from the original on 2008-10-06. Retrieved 2011-05-09.
- ^ Vogel, Steve, "40 Killed in 1943 Crash Receive U.S. Memorial", Washington Post, Washington, D.C., Friday 12 June 2009, Volume 132, Number 189, page A-19.
- ^ Alexander, David, "Star Trek Creator", ROC Books, an imprint of Dutton Signet, a division of Penguin Books USA, New York, June 1994, ISBN 0-451-45418-9, pp.75-76.
- ^ Freeman, Roger A., with Osborne, David., "The B-17 Flying Fortress Story", Arms & Armour Press, Wellington House, London, UK, 1998, ISBN 978-1-85409-301-1, p. 74.
- ^ "BBC News - Eisenhower remembered in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh". BBC News. Retrieved 25 December 2014.
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- ^ Associated Press, "Nine Men Killed", The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Washington, Friday 14 January 1944, Volume 61, Number 245, page 7.
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- ^ Associated Press, "6 Die In Bomber", The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Washington, Monday 17 January 1944, Volume 61, Number 248, page 1.
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{{cite web}}
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suggested) (help) - ^ Marion, Forrest L., "That Others May Live: USAF Air Rescue In Korea", Air Force History and Museums Program, 2004, page 40.
- ^ http://www.americanairmuseum.com/aircraft/13369
- ^ Campbell, Douglas E., "U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps and MATS Aircraft Lost During the Korean War", Syneca Research Group, Inc., 2013, ISBN 978-1-304-61073-7, page 227.
- ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CX9TtE6K-E4&feature=youtu.be&t=3105
- ^ a b "1944 USAAF Serial Numbers (44-83886 to 44-92098)". Retrieved 25 December 2014.
- ^ Associated Press, "Rescue 7 Crash Victims Of B-17 In Yukon Wilds - U. S. Paratroopers Jump to Their Aid; 1 Dead", Chicago Sunday Tribune, Chicago, Illinois, Sunday 13 July 1952, Volume CXI, Number 28, Part 1 - Page 7.
- ^ http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/1950s/1953Jan.htm
- ^ Bowers, Peter M., "Fortress in the Sky", Sentry Books, Inc., Granada Hills, California, 1976, Library of Congress card number 76-17145, pages 228-229.
- ^ "US Navy and US Marine Corps BuNos-Third Series (70188 to 80258)]". joebaugher.com. 2016-01-13. Retrieved 2016-05-22.
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- ^ Crestview, Florida, "Air-To-Air Missile Destroys Drone In Mock Attack", The Okaloosa News-Journal, Thursday 28 June 1956, Volume 42, Number 26, page 5
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- ^ Crestview, Florida, "Third Drone Kill Scored By 'Falcon'", The Okaloosa News-Journal, Thursday 8 November 1956, Volume 42, Number 45, page 6.
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- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on September 19, 2012. Retrieved June 14, 2011.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
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{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
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suggested) (help)CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on September 19, 2012. Retrieved June 15, 2011.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
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{{cite web}}
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suggested) (help)CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "44-85812 – B-17G N4710C". Retrieved 25 December 2014.
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{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
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suggested) (help)CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ Harro Ranter. "ASN Aircraft incident 05-AUG-1976 Boeing B-17 N4710C". Retrieved 25 December 2014.
- ^ Air Accident Investigation Branch - Boeing B17G Flying Fortress, F-BEEA 11-89 (Adobe Acrobat)
- ^ "1944 USAAF Serial Numbers (44-83886 to 44-92098)". USAAS-USAAC-USAAF-USAF Aircraft Serial Numbers—1908 to Present. Joseph F. Baugher. Archived from the original on January 7, 2009. Retrieved 2007-05-04.
{{cite web}}
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- ^ "Aero Vintage Books: 2014 B-17 News". Retrieved 25 December 2014.
- ^ "Fireball Fortress: Vintage B-17 'Flying Fortress' bursts into flames with seven people on board... who all make miraculous escape". Mail Online. London. 13 June 2011. Retrieved May 29, 2013.
External links
Media related to B-17 Flying Fortress at Wikimedia Commons