1942 — Sep 11, P-40K in-flight fire, crash into Curtiss-Wright Plant, Buffalo, NY — 14
Compiled by Wayne Blanchard; last edit 6-5-2024 for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/
–14 Malloy. “It Happened Today – September 11, 1942…” Buffalo History Gazette, 9-11-2010
–14 Wright. “Fatal Crash at Airplane Plant,” NFPA Quarterly, Vol., 36, No. 2, Oct. 1942, 137.
Narrative Information
Baugher: “Curtiss P-40K-5-CU Warhawk…9797 wrecked Sep 11, 1942 when caught fire in midair, civilian pilot bailed out and plane crashed through roof of Curtiss-Wright plant at Buffalo, NY.” (Baugher, Joseph F. 1942 USAAF Serial Numbers (42-001 to 42-30031). 10-28-2011 rev.)
Malloy: “….Pilot [J. Bertrand] Purnell remained with his ship until flames drove him out. He parachuted to earth, some two miles away at Union Road and Walden Ave. near the Cheektowaga Town Hall. Doctors said he had serious burns. Flying wild, the plane did several loops and then dived nose down, crashing through the steel and concrete roof of the factory. Nearly all the injured were burned by gasoline from the plane’s tank. Nothing inside the factory burned, Junior Capt. August H. Fleischauer of Engine 7 at the airport explaining that everything in the plant is fireproof…
“Ambulances were summoned by General Manager Davey from all hospitals. Station-wagons, one driven by Mrs. Burdette S. Wright, wife of the head of the Curtiss organization here, also were pressed into service to removed the injured. Some ambulances made return trips the burden was so heavy….
“City, State and Cheektowaga Police and Deputy Sheriffs sped to the factory and barred the public from airport and plant grounds. Word of the accident attracted hundreds of persons but none was permitted to venture close to the scene of the disaster. One Curtiss worker who declined to give his name, said “the plane was pulverized when it hit the floor, you couldn’t find a piece bigger than a bushel basket.”
“A competent observer estimated the plane took fire at 5:15 p.m. at 15,000 Ft., nearly three miles up. Pilot Purnell turned the plane over, pulling the release lever that allowed him to drop out while he was upside down in the single seat. The plane hit the lower part of the factory roof on an angle. The wings were ripped off, but the rest of the machine ripped a six foot hole in the roof and hit the concrete floor on the inside.
Engine Buried in Floor
“The planes engine buried itself in the concrete flooring. The fuselage skidded 60 feet along the floor, disintegrating and scattering parts over a 30 ft radius as it went. Gas, thrown from the planes fuel tank was ignited turning on the automatic sprinkler system.
“Several thousand second shift workers were on duty when the crash occurred, but despite haze, smoke and flame, there was no panic.
“Men assigned to the disaster unit under the leadership of Roscoe S. Harmon, sprang into action, snatching blankets from the walls wrapping them around their heads and plunging into the densest smoke to save fellow workers. Flying debris caused some injuries, and others were scorched trying to pull colleagues to safety.
“”That was what we thought at first — a bombing”. Winston J. (“Tex”) Dandrew 24 of 498 Delaware Ave. declared from his bed at Edward J. Meyer Memorial Hospital. “But there really wasn’t time to think much of anything, everything happened so fast. First there was the crash of the plane through the roof and then, almost simultaneously it seemed, a blinding flash occurred as the plane exploded… Bits of plane and metal went shooting in all directions. It is hard for me to understand how I escaped alive. I couldn’t have been more than one or two feet to the side of the edge of the hole above me. A piece of metal knocked me in the arm, but aside from that the flying pieces of metal and flames seemed to miss me…Right near me a man was knocked against a ladder and had difficulty extracting himself. I pulled him free and we both ran as fast as we could. Later we came back to help the other injured and to help put out the fire. Dandrew said the scene of human agony all around him after the explosion was most indescribable.
“The first part of the tragedy was told by persons near the airport. “When I first saw it the plane was very high to the south west of the port, said John J. Kennuth of 253 Maple Street, a Van Dyke Coach driver. “It was already burning and I could see the parachute of the pilot who had bailed out, some distance away.” “It came nearer and nearer to where I was standing at the auto entrance for the airport building. For a while I thought it was going to hit the airport building. I wanted to run, but I couldn’t. I was scared stiff and couldn’t move.” Then the plane swept over the Curtiss roof and crashed. Black smoke poured out 30 to 40 feet high.”
“Editor: My mother Julia (Stanek) Malloy, who worked at the Curtiss plant from 1942 to the end of the war, was working in the P-40 assembly area when the plane crashed. She relates “when the plane hit, we could feel the heat on our backs. Then someone yelled “FIRE” and men rushed from all directions grabbing the fire hoses off the wall and heading to the scene. The Plane crashed into the tool crib, a fenced in area, making escape difficult for the victims. When the fire was out we watched as the dead and injured were being carried out on stretchers. The water was so deep in our area our foreman told us we couldn’t work in that, and sent us home.”
“A Curtiss Wright guard who was burned severely on both arms Friday while rescuing fellow workers injured in the plane crash…donated his blood to the American Red Cross to aid suffering survivors. Although his bandaged arms bore testimony to the heroic part he played in the tragedy. Herbert Boxhorn, 26, of 46 Inter Park, was among the first of more than 50 Curtiss employes who appeared at the blood donor center in the Ellicott Square. Although Boxhorn modestly minimized his heroic role, other Curtiss workers disclosed that he risked his own life to carry four injured workers to safety. One of the severely burned men he helped carry from the smoke filled plant died a few minutes later. (Herbert Boxhorn is a name not included on the injured list)
“Management Statement: “Concerning the heroism of the Curtiss workers — I cannot say enough. Many risked injury and even their lives in rescuing their fellow employees from the flames that followed the crash. Some of the rescuers are among those now in hospitals.” “Curtiss guards, members of the volunteer fire-fighting and air raid precaution units and individuals from office and factory staffs, performed these extra duties without once hesitating to reckon the cost or to think of their personal danger. “All other workers in the plant at the time, who may not have participated directly, showed their mettle by their calmness and by the manner in which they remained at their work. I would like to express the heartfelt thanks of the management to all, including the outside agencies that so readily volunteered their help. It is a great tribute to those on the battlefront, that those on production front are carrying on normally today with true American fighting spirit.”
“The final toll of those who died was 14 with 34 injured, many seriously. Those who died in this tragedy
“Jack H. Boyer, Paul Chase, Cecil Clark, James E. Collins, Lester F. Glenn, Salvatore Palmeri, Carlson M. Rauh, Francis Ryan, Norman Savage, Joseph J. Sciolino, Samuel Shalala, Martin Till, Laverne Voelker, Frank Warda….” (Malloy, Jerry. “It Happened Today – September 11, 1942 – Tragedy at Curtiss-Wright.” Buffalo History Gazette, 9-11-2010.)
Wright/National Fire Protection Association Quarterly: “…a burning, plane crashed through the roof of the Curtiss-Wright Airplane Division plant at Cheektowaga near Buffalo, New York, on September 11. According to reports appearing in the press, a test pilot was putting a P-40 pursuit plane through its paces at a high altitude, when flames broke out. Heading the plane toward open country, the pilot was forced to bail out at approximately 20,000 feet. In some unexplained manner the falling plane reversed its direction of flight and plunged through the roof of the plant. Two men were instantly killed, while twelve others were fatally burned by flaming gasoline released from the wrecked plane. In addition, 44 men and two women employees suffered burns and other injuries. One wing of the plane remained on the roof, but the motor and fuselage fell into the building and struck the concrete floor.
“Description of the Plant. The building was a one-story structure of brick, concrete and steel construction, consisting of one very large fire area. There was no basement under the section where the crash and fire occurred. The department into which the plane crashed consisted of a 30 by 60-foot area surrounded by an iron grill fence, and was located in the northwest corner of the building. The fire caused by the burning plane was confined to an area approximately 40 feet square.
“Story of the Fire. When the plane crashed through the roof, gasoline released from the fuselage tank caused an extremely hot fire. Plant employees immediately sounded the alarm over three private fire alarm boxes and 90 members of the plant fire brigade responded and did excellent work in extinguishing the fire. They were aided by the operation of 208 automatic sprinkler heads on a wet-pipe system. Fortunately, the falling plane had not seriously damaged the sprinkler piping, although a 174-inch sprinkler pipe and a 6-inch commercial water service line suspended from the ceiling were ruptured. These pipes released considerable quantities of water, which flooded a large area. The plant engineer on duty upon hearing the crash immediately consulted the water pressure gauge and noticed that the pressure had dropped to twenty pounds. He started the 1500 g.p.m. electrically driven fire pump and started to warm up the 1500 g.p.m. steam turbine pump which was placed in operation. A pressure of 75 pounds per square inch was maintained at both pumps….
“The prompt application of the foam and carbon dioxide was helpful in preventing the gasoline burning on the surface of the water from spreading the fire. It is estimated that the fire was under control in 15 minutes and was completely out in 30 minutes.
“The fall of the blazing plane was observed by members of Engine Co. 7 of the Buffalo Fire Department, stationed at the Buffalo Airport. This company, assuming that the plane would fall in a field beyond the building, responded at 5:15 P.M. with a crash truck equipped with foam and carbon dioxide equipment, and with a 1000-gallon pumper. Neither piece of apparatus was used, but the fire company rendered valuable service in manning one of the private standpipe hose streams, removing the injured to the first aid station, pumping out the flooded area below the ground level, and in covering the damaged roof….” (Wright. NFPA Quarterly, Oct. 1942, 137.)
Newspaper
Sep 12, INS: “Buffalo, N.Y., Sept. 12 (INS) – The toll resulting from the crash of a flaming plane through the roof of the Curtiss-Wright corporation buildings at the Buffalo airport today mounted to nine dead and 41 injured. Two men were killed outright and seven others died of injuries during the night…..It was feared that nine of the 41 injured persons would die….” (Lowell Sun, MA. “Nine Dead in Buffalo Plane Crash.” 9-12-1942, p. 1.)
Sources
Lowell Sun, MA. “Nine Dead in Buffalo Plane Crash.” 9-12-1942, p. 24. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=15023509
Malloy, Jerry. “It Happened Today – September 11, 1942 – Tragedy at Curtiss-Wright.” Buffalo History Gazette, 9-11-2010. Accessed 12-12-2011 at: http://www.buffalohistorygazette.com/2010/09/it-happened-today-september-11-1942.html
Wright, Chief George E. (Fire Prevention Bureau, Buffalo Fire Dept.). “Fatal Crash at Airplane Plant,” Quarterly of the National Fire Protection Association, V36, N.2, Oct 1942, pp. 137-138.