1943 – March 27, USAAF C-47 Structural Failure and Crash, Oliver Springs, TN — 11
Compiled by Wayne Blanchard; last edit 5-14-2024 for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/
–12 Mireles 2006. Fatal Army AF Aviation Accidents…US…, V. 1 Jan 1941-Jun 1943, p. 319.
[Though Mireles notes 12 fatalities, he names 11.]
–11 Kingsport News, TN. “Aircraft Failure Cause of Crash.” 4-2-1943, p. 8.
–11 Kingsport Times, TN. “11 Killed in Tennessee Plane Crash.” 3-28-1943, p. 1.
–11 Kingsport Times, TN. “Army Announces Names of Men Killed in Crash.” 3-29-1943, p. 1.
Narrative Information
Mireles: “At 1235 CWT, a Douglas C-47 flying in instrument conditions suffered a catastrophic structural failure and crashed at Oliver Springs, Tennessee, killing the four-man crew and eight passengers. The Aircraft Accident Classification Committee stated,
“Pilot took off on an instrument flight from Pope Field [North Carolina] to Tulsa [Oklahoma] to cruise at 8,500 feet. At 1223 CWT, pilot called Knoxville, Tennessee, Airways Radio, stating he was at 11,500 feet and asked for instructions. Knoxville radio replied ‘no instructions.’ Pilot broke out of the-overcast at about 3,000-feet in a descending attitude 32 miles west of Knoxville. Descent continued for about 2.2 miles holding a generally straight heading. The ship then assumed an abrupt left climbing turn, at which time a section of the metal skin over the left tanks and a small piece of left stabilizer left the aircraft. Immediately thereafter an explosion occurred which completely disintegrated all the forward portion of the aircraft from the main entrance door, also the tail surfaces, scattering portions over about one and one-half square miles. One propeller was feathered, the other almost completely feathered, we believe, because pilot had detected excessive vibration or flutter. It is the belief of this Accident Committee that this accident was caused by one or more of the following: Disintegration of the fabric covered control surfaces due to excess speed. Structural failure of left wing and stabilizer in sudden pull-up, which might have been caused by either pilot making this maneuver on sight of the ground, or shifting of passengers into the tail for possible crash landing after realizing loss of control surfaces by shredding, or failure of elevator hinge bracket by a resonate vibration set up in using 1,200 to 1,600 rpms. The descent from original altitude was probably due to conditions beyond the pilot’s control, such as icing of one or more of the following: engines, outside instrument vents on ship, mechanical failure of either or both engines, failure of controls due to resonant frequency, or controls becoming jammed. The explosion was probably caused by the auxiliary venting through the filler cap of the fuel tanks installed in the cabin or the fracture of the gas lines leading to the wing tanks from these auxiliary cabin tanks at the time of the crumpling action in the left wing.”
“Crewmembers killed in the accident were: [We breakout names into single lines.]
F/O [Flight Officer] Charles E. Fontaine, pilot;
End Lt. J. C. Wingate, co-pilot;
SSgt. Joseph A. Strahlman, engineer;
Cpl. Walter C. Oughton, radio operator.
“Passengers killed in the accident were:
Pvt. George P Bacca,
Pvt. James E. Berry,
Pvt. Claude A Brasier,
Pfc. William C. Hoover,
Cpl. Willis F. McElroy,
SSgt. William G. Snell, and
2Lt. Allen C. Deatherage.”
(Mireles 2006. Fatal Army AF Aviation Accidents…US…, V1 1941-Jun 1943, p. 319.)
Newspapers
March 28: “Oliver Springs, Tenn. – (AP) – Eleven bodies were removed late Saturday from the wreckage of a large cargo type Army airplane that exploded after skimming housetops of this East Tennessee village and crashed on the outskirts. There were no survivors.
“The plane carried Army personnel attached to Polk Field, Fort Bragg, N.C., and was on a routine training flight, Executive Officer Samuel Price told the Associated Press. He said the plane was to have reported back to its home base Sunday.
“Bodies of the Army men, whom Price said were not paratroopers, were taken to two Oliver Springs funeral homes. Bodies recovered were not mangled or burned extensively, an undertaker reported.
“Parts of the ship were scattered over 15 acres on the farm of Dan Kelly. William F. Sharp, whose funeral home accepted six of the bodies, said he saw the plane flying low over Oliver Springs’ buildings just before the explosion. ‘There was a sound of motor trouble; the plane dipped lower and exploded before disappearing in a wood. Bodies of the plane’s occupants, parachutes attached, were scattered everywhere. First reports said 12 bodies were found. Only eleven have been recovered.’
“The Polk Field officer said it was uncertain how many men were aboard the plane. He said it was doubtful that twelve were on the flight since his records did not bear out that figure. Price indicted less than 12 were killed….[in] the worst air accident in East Tennessee’s history.” (Kingsport Times, TN. “11 Killed in Tennessee Plane Crash.” 3-28-1943, p. 1.)
March 29: “Fort Bragg, N.C. – AP – The Fort Bragg public relations office announced Monday the names and addresses of eleven officers and enlisted men killed in the crash of an army transport plane Saturday near Oliver Springs, Tenn. The announcement said all on board the plane were killed.” (Kingsport Times, TN. “Army Announces Names of Men Killed in Crash,” 3-29-1943, 1.)
April 2: “Knoxville – AP – An army investigating board Thursday declared the cause of an army cargo plane crash at nearby Oliver Springs last Saturday, in which 11 army men were killed, was aircraft failure. Lieut. W. P. Corrington, attached to the Nashville air base, said the plane was flying at a normal altitude when it began to disintegrate, following an explosion inside the plane. The plane was on a routine training flight from Pope Field, Fort Bragg, N. C.” (Kingsport News, TN. “Aircraft Failure Cause of Crash.” 4-2-1943, p. 8.)
Sources
Kingsport News, TN. “Aircraft Failure Cause of Crash.” 4-2-1943, p. 8. Accessed 10-4-2012 at: http://newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=48741477
Kingsport Times, TN. “11 Killed in Tennessee Plane Crash.” 3-28-1943, p. 1. Accessed 10-4-2012 at: http://newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=49820508
Kingsport Times, TN. “Army Announces Names of Men Killed in Crash,” 3-29-1943, p. 1, col. 2. Accessed 10-4-2012: http://newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=49820530
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.