1943 — Sep 20, USAAF C-53D transport crash after takeoff, Maxton AAB, NC — 25
— 25 Daily Times, Burlington, NC. “Army Transport Fall at Maxton Fatal to 25,” 21 Sep 1943.
— 25 Gero. Military Aviation Disasters: Significant Losses Since 1908. 1999, 25.
— 25 Lockhart Post-Register, TX. “The Year in Review…Disasters,” Jan 6, 1944, p. 6.
— 25 Mireles 2006. Fatal Army AF Aviation Accidents…US…, V2, July 1943-July 1944, p. 519.
— 25 Nash. Darkest Hours. 1977, p. 631.
— 25 Salt Lake Tribune, UT. “Plane Crash Kills 25.” 9-21-1943, p. 1.
Narrative Information
Gero:
“Date: 20 September 1943 (c.08:50)
“Location: Near Maxton, North Carolina, US
“Operator: US Army Air Forces
“Aircraft type: Douglas C-53D (42-68729
“All 25 American service personnel aboard were killed, including four crewmen, when the twin-engine transport crashed in a wooded area about 35 miles (55km) south-west of Fayetteville after nearly colliding with another C-53 that was towing a glider. Immediately after it had taken off from Maxton Army Air Base, 42-68729 confronted the other two aircraft nearly head-on, at an approximate height of 300ft (100m), prompting an evasive maneuver. However, the crew was unable to recover from the steep bank and resulting stall, and the transport slammed to earth and burst into flames.” (Gero 1999, p. 25.)
Mireles: “At 0849, a Douglas C-53D crashed at Laurinburg-Maxton Army Air Base, Maxton, North Carolina, killing four crew-members and 21 passengers. The C-53 was cleared for take-off on an instrument clearance to Louisville, Kentucky, at 0720 EWT. The airplane was delayed on the ground while ATC issued the clearance. The C-53 was cleared for take-off and began its take-off roll. The airplane lifted off at 0849 and had reached an altitude of about 300 feet when it encountered a Douglas C-47 flying straight at it head on. The C-47 had been towing a glider but the glider pilot released the glider and banked away for a landing at the field. The C-47 pilot, realizing that a collision was imminent, dove the C47 to the right. The C-53 pilot, apparently noticing the converging flight paths, put the C-53 into a 90- degree bank to the left to avoid the collision. The pilot failed to recover from the steep bank and the airplane stalled, the nose fell, the airplane entered a spin to the left and crashed into a wooded area where it exploded into flames.” (Mireles 2006. Fatal Army AF Aviation Accidents, V2, July 1943-July 1944, p. 519.)
Newspaper
Sep 21, AP: “Maxton, N. C., Sept. 21—(AP)—A board of inquiry sought to learn today the cause of the crash of an army transport plane which carried 25 soldiers to their deaths. The plane crashed on the Laurinburg-Maxton army airbase field two miles from here while on a routine flight yesterday…After striking the ground, the craft burst into flames.” (Daily Times (Burlington, NC). “Army Transport Fall at Maxton Fatal to 25,” 21 Sep 1943)
Sources
Daily Times, Burlington, NC. “Army Transport Fall at Maxton Fatal to 25,” 21 Sep 1943. Accessed at: https://newspaperarchive.com
Gero, David. Military Aviation Disasters: Significant Losses Since 1908. UK and Newbury Park, CA: Patrick Stephens Limited, an imprint of Hayes Publishing, 1999.
Lockhart Post-Register, TX. “The Year in Review…Disasters,” 1-6-1944, p. 6. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=158478718
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.
Nash, Jay Robert. Darkest Hours – A Narrative Encyclopedia of Worldwide Disasters from Ancient Times to the Present. New York: Pocket Books, Wallaby, 1977, 792 pages.
Salt Lake Tribune, UT. “Plane Crash Kills 25.” 9-21-1943, p. 1. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=89772310