1943 – Oct 1, USAAF B-24D, too-low in cloud cover, hits Clift Ridge, south Elk, CA –all 10
Compiled by Wayne Blanchard; last edit 4-25-2024 for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/
–10 Aviation Safety Network. USAAF B-24D crash, Clift Ridge near Elk CA 10-1-1943.
–10 Mireles 2006. Fatal Army AF Aviation Accidents…US…, V2, July 1943-July 1944, p. 536.
Narrative Information
Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation, Database, 1943:
“Date: Friday 1 October 1943
“Type: Consolidated B-24D Liberator
“Owner/Operator: United States Army Air Force (USAAF)
“Registration: 42-40184
….
“Fatalities: 10 / Occupants: 10
“Aircraft damage: Destroyed
“Location: Clift Ridge, near Elk, CA – USA
“Phase: En route
“Nature: Military
….
“Narrative:
“Struck tall Douglas fir tree while at cruise in instrument conditions. Crossed ridge top and crashed in a tributary to the north fork of Elk Creek. All ten aboard killed in crash and post-crash fire.
Pilot: Lt. Elwood Allen
Copilot Lt. Leo Kaminski
Navigator Lt. James Woodruff
Bombardier Lt. Charles Barnhart
“The rest of the crew:
Sergeants
Moses Hall,
George Griffiths,
Jack Sellers,
James Baker,
David Gegg,
Robert Southern.”
Mireles: “At 1250, a Consolidated B-24D collided with rising terrain and crashed south of Elk, California, killing the crew of ten. Investigators stated,
“The accident occurred after the aircraft [was returning to Hamilton Field, California] from an authorized over-water navigation training mission. It is apparent that the navigator had lost his bearings as the aircraft was flying at 2,000 feet, the altitude prescribed for the mission over water. The weather at the time of the accident was [obscuring the mountains and surrounding terrain] and the aircraft struck a tree with its right wing while the pilot was flying on instruments. The shock of striking the tree caused a change in direction and the aircraft dove into the mountain just south of Elk, California, and exploded upon impact. The crash and explosion were fatal to all occupants of the aircraft”.” (Mireles 2006, V2, p. 536.)
Sources
Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation, Database, 1943. USAAF Consolidated B-24D Liberator crash, Clift Ridge near Elk CA 10-1-1943. Accessed 4-25-2024 at: https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/100240
Mireles, Anthony J. Fatal Army Air Forces Aviation Accidents in the United States, 1941-1945 (Volume 2: July 1943 – July 1944). Jefferson, NC: McFarland and Co., 2006.