1943 – Oct 4, USAAF B-24D, engine failure emer. lndg. attempt, Blythe AAB, CA –all 10
Compiled by Wayne Blanchard; last edit 4-25-2024 for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/
–10 Big Timber Pioneer, MT. “Ten Army Airmen Killed In Crash.” 10-7-1943, p. 1.
–10 Mireles 2006. Fatal Army AF Aviation Accidents…US…, V2, July 1943-July 1944, p. 539.
Narrative Information
Mireles: “At 20:42, a Consolidated B-24D crashed while attempting an emergency landing at Blythe Army Air Base, Blythe, California, killing ten fliers. The airplane had just taken off from Blythe AAB on a night navigation mission. Investigators stated,
“Pilot was attempting an emergency landing after losing the number-three engine after takeoff. Pilot called [the control tower, advising] that he had feathered the number-three [propeller] and was coming in for a landing. The Control Officer sighted the airplane coming from the southeast and [then it] turned on a northerly heading. When the pilot began to lose altitude the Control Officer told pilot to increase power. The airplane crashed simultaneously with the word ‘power.’ The pilot stated, ‘I can’t hold her!’ The wings were level and the airplane was making a skidding turn to the right. The right wing dropped through 90 degrees and then 90 degrees further.”
“The airplane entered a half-roll at an altitude of about 200 feet, causing it to strike the ground in an inverted dive. The B-24 immediately exploded into flames upon impact with the ground, killing the crew instantly.” (Mireles 2006, Vol. 2, July 1943-July 1944, p. 539.)
Newspaper
Oct 5: “Blythe, Cal., Oct. 5 – Ten army airmen were killed when their four-engined heavy bomber crashed here Monday night [Oct 4]. The air base public relations officer said the victims included: Second Lieutenant Richardd W. Fisher, 20, copilot, mother, Mrs. Willard Fisher, 117 First street, southeast, Dickinson, N.D.” (Big Timber Pioneer, MT. “Ten Army Airmen Killed In Crash.” 10-7-1943, p. 1.)
Sources
Big Timber Pioneer, MT. “Ten Army Airmen Killed In Crash.” 10-7-1943, p. 1. Accessed 4-25-2024 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/big-timber-pioneer-oct-07-1943-p-1/
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.