1942 — Feb 11, four USAAF planes crash, Taft & Lemoore CA, Granby CT, Tolt WA– 13
Compiled by Wayne Blanchard; last edit 7-4-2024 for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/
— 13 Mireles. Fatal [AAF] Aviation Accidents...[US]…V1: 1941–June 1943. 2006, p. 52.
— 2 08:50, Gardner Field, USAAF Vultee BT-13A crash, two miles from Taft, CA
— 6 15:50, Bradley Field, CT USAAF Lockheed A-29 crash, East Granby, CT
— 1 15:20, Lemoore Army Air Field USAAF Vultee BT-13A crash, 14 mls NW Lemoore, CA
— 4 23:50, McChord Field USAAF Martin B-10BM crash near Tolt, WA
Crash 1: 08:50. USAAF BT-13A airport approach crash, Gardner Field, CA
Mireles: “At 0850, a Vultee BT-13A stalled and spun to the ground at Gardner Field, Taft, California, killing instructor 2Lt. Gordon D. McKenney and student Aviation Cadet Miller Draughan. .Investigation revealed that the student had stalled the airplane while turning from the base leg to final approach as an altitude of approximately 300 feet. The airplane spun in and smashed to the ground, killing the occupants instantly.” (Mireles. Fatal…Aviation Accidents ... [US]…V1: 1941–June 1943. 2006, p. 52.)
Feb 11: “A crash which occurred during a routine training flight claimed the lives of two Gardner Field fliers at 8:45 a.m. today. Dead are Lieutenant Gordon D. McKenney, 27, of Los Angeles, flight instructor, and Cadet Miller Draughon, 22, of Temple, Texas. The crash occurred approximately 2 miles from the field when the plane was at an altitude of 300 feet. Colonel Kenneth C. McGregor, field commander, has named a board of inquiry….” (Bakersfield Californian. “Two Gardner Fliers Die in Plane Crash.” 2-11-1942, p. 1.)
Crash 2: 15:50. USAAF A-29 engine failure and crash, East Granby, CT
Mireles: The plane suffered “the failure of the starboard engine… A member of the crew bailed out of the airplane and was struck by the horizontal stabilizer causing the progressive failure of the tail section….
“The Accident Classification Committee stated, ‘It is the opinion of the committee that the loss of one engine at high altitude {12,000 feet} was followed by a spin; that after the spin had started, some member of the crew jumped with his parachute harness insecurely fastened; that the parachute, still containing the man, struck the leading edge of the stabilizer and burst the parachute open. After opening, the parachute became entangled in the tail surfaces, pulled them away from the ship and threw the occupant out of the harness. The committee believes that the member of the crew who jumped was Sgt. Quinn for the reason that his arm, hand and sleeve were found some distance from the rest of his body and the wreck….” (Mireles. Fatal [AAF] Aviation Accidents...[US]…V1: 1941–June 1943. 2006, p. 52.)
Feb 12: “Windsor Locks, Conn., Feb. 12. (AP) – Five Army fliers went to their deaths and a sixth was reported missing in the crash of their multi-motored plane on a routine flight yesterday, between East Granby and Tariffville, just west of Bradley Field here.
“Army officers at the field said in their brief announcement of the tragedy that an open parachute had been picked up near East Willington, Conn., but no trace of its occupant was found….The dead:
Second Lieutenant Walter C. Boyle of…La Crosse, Wis.
Staff Sergeant Michael Kaufman of…Windsor Locks [CT].
Sergeant Gordon G. Johnson of…Renovo, Pa.
Sergeant John T. Howey, Jr., of…New York City.
Sergeant Thomas F. Quinn, of…Upper Darby, Pa…..”
(Cumberland Evening Times, MD. “5 Army Fliers Die in Crash of Huge Plane.” 2-12-1942, 2.)
Feb 13: “Windsor Locks, Conn. — (AP) — The body of a second Wisconsin young man, First Lieutenant Melvin W. Schoephoerster, 30, of Baraboo, was found yesterday a mile and a quarter southeast of a wrecked army plane which crashed west of Bradley Field. Second Lieutenant Walter C. Boyle, 26, of La Crosse, was the other state victim, in the crash which took four other lives Wednesday. Lieut. Schoephoerster is survived by his widow, daughter of General and Mrs. William Bryden, of Fort Myers, Va.; a 3-months’-old son, William Bryden Schoephoerster….
“The multi-motored plane crashed on a routine training flight between Granby and Tariffville, and the bodies of five fliers were found at the scene. Announcement of the finding of Lieut. Sohoephoerster’s body gave no explanation of an open parachute found near East Willington, about 20 miles from where the plane crashed.” (Sheboygan Press, WI. “Second Man From State is Crash Victim.” 2-13-1942, p. 3.)
Crash 3: 15:20. USAAF BT-13A stalled and crashed 14M NW Lemoore Army Air Field, CA
Mireles: “2-11-42C, Lemoore, California. At 1520, a Vultee BT-13A stalled and spun to earth 14 miles northwest of Lemoore Army Air Field, California….Investigation revealed that the airplane entered a gliding turn at an altitude of approximately 2,000 feet when it stalled and fell off into a spin to the right, describing four or five turns before diving into the ground…”
Feb 12: “Lemoore, Feb. 12 – (UP) – Aviation Cadet Weldon W. Woods, 25, of Oklahoma City, died instantly late yesterday when his training plane crashed six miles west of the Lemoore Army Air Base on a routine flight… Woods…was the first fatality recorded at the Lemoore base.” (Oakland Tribune, CA. “Series of Airplane Crashes Take Toll of 10 Army Pilots.” 2-12-1942, p9.)
Crash 4. 23:50. USAAF B-10BM crash near Tolt, WA
Mireles: “2-11-42D, Fall City, Washington. At 2350, a Martin B-10BM crashed five miles north of Fall City, Washington, killing the crew of four. The airplane had been observed two miles north of Boeing Field, Washington, at an altitude of 3,000 feet. The B-10 flew into the terrain a short time later….”
Feb 12: “McChord Field, Wash., Feb. 12. (AP) – A plane believed to be a bomber from McChord Field, crashed last night in a swamp land near Tolt, about 20 miles east of Seattle. Two bodies were recovered and two more were believed to be in the wreckage, which was partly submerged. McChord Field reported one of its two-motored bombers was missing.. Because the wrecked ship was partly submerged and swampy land made the going difficult, searchers were not able immediately to identify the plane or its occupants.” (Cumberland Evening Times, MD. “Bomber Plane Crashes.” 2-12-1942, p. 2.)
Feb 12: “McChord Field, Wash. Feb. 12 – (AP)…The men were identified as:
First Lieut. H. Hasfeldt [or Hosfelt (Mireles)]
Second Lieut. H. A. Klein.
Corp. W. W. Bentley [or Bently (Mireles)], Post Falls, Idaho.
Pvt. W. M. Sings [Dings (Mireles)], Seattle.
“Residents of Tolt reported the plane woke them as it flew low over the town, its motors roaring but apparently unable to climb. A few moments later the ship crashed in the swampy farm land, scattering pieces of wreckage over a wide area. Two of the fliers’ bodies were found shortly after the crash but it took several hours to locate the others because part of the wreckage was partially submerged…” Oakland Tribune, CA. “Series of Airplane Crashes Take Toll of 10 Army Pilots.” 2-12-1942, p. 9.)
Sources
Bakersfield Californian. “Two Gardner Fliers Die in Plane Crash.” 2-11-1942, p. 1. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=156326687
Cumberland Evening Times, MD. “5 Army Fliers Die in Crash of Huge Plane.” 2-12-1942, 2. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=95990829
Cumberland Evening Times, MD. “Bomber Plane Crashes.” 2-12-1942, 2. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=95990829
Mireles, Anthony J. Fatal Army Air Forces Aviation Accidents in the United States, 1941-1945 (Volume 1: Introduction, January 1941 – June 1943). Jefferson, NC: McFarland and Co., 2006.
Oakland Tribune, CA. “Series of Airplane Crashes Take Toll of 10 Army Pilots.” 2-12-1942, 9. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=34499044
Sheboygan Press, WI. “Second Man From State is Crash Victim.” 2-13-1942, p. 3. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=1895525