1944 — March 3, two USAAF B26s collide 10M N of Barksdale Field, Shreveport, LA– 12
Compiled by Wayne Blanchard; last edit 4-12-2024 for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/
— 12 Mireles 2006. Fatal Army AF Aviation Accidents…US…, V2, July 1943-July 1944, p. 710.
— 12 San Antonio Light, TX. “Barksdale Craft Collide; 12 Die.” 3-4-1944, p. 2.
Narrative Information
Mireles: “At 1350 CWT, a Martin B-26C and a B-26B collided in midair and crashed ten miles north of Barksdale Field, Shreveport, Louisiana, killing 12 crewmembers aboard both bombers…. Investigators stated,
Airplane No. 41-35169 took off on a routine instrument training mission. Time of take off was 1320. Airplane No. 41-32067 took off at 1315 on a routine three-ship formation training mission. Airplane No. 2067 was scheduled to fly as the lead ship. Airplane No. 5245 was scheduled to fly No. 2 position and airplane No. 2024 was scheduled to fly No. 3 position in the three-ship formation. On take-off airplane No. 5245 was delayed while waiting for Boeing 13-17 airplane to land and clear the runway. However, airplane No. 2067 and airplane No. 2024 took off and joined while on a northerly heading. Airplane No. 2024, in joining up, overran and consequently this put him in the relative lead position with airplane No. 2067 in the No. 2 position, since airplane No. 5245 had not yet caught up with the formation. At this time airplane No. 5245 was approximately 300 yards behind airplane No. 2067 and was in a very opportune position to observe the collision with the instrument ship. At this time, airplane No. 5169 was observed by the pilot of airplane No. 5245 coming out of the haze from approximately one o’clock and headed directly at the two-ship formation. The pilot in airplane No. 2067 apparently saw airplane No.-5169 coming toward him at a collision course, because he was observed to make a sharp diving turn to the right. At the same time the observer or safety pilot in airplane No. 5169 apparently saw airplane No. 2024, and not being able to see airplane No. 2067, because of the instrument hood being up on the left side of the cockpit, made a diving turn to the left so as to avoid airplane No. 2024. This caused him to collide almost head-on with airplane No. 2067. Airplane No. 5169 immediately went into a spin and crashed. Airplane No. 2067 continued in level flight for a few seconds and then also went into a partial spin and crashed. It should be noted that at the time of this crash the visibility was very low and the airplanes were flying at approximately 3,000 feet. Ceiling was variable at 3,500 feet, Due to low visibility, the airplanes did not observe one another until they were at very close range and after doing so, both went into a dive so as to avoid a crash, rather than climb and get into the overcast. (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, p. 710.)
Newspaper
March 4: “Shreveport, La., March 4. – (AP) – Twelve Barksdale field airmen were killed yesterday when two medium bombers crashed after a collision while in flying formation. The planes were buried in the mud of a plantation field about eight miles northeast of Shreveport. None of the dead was from Texas.” (San Antonio Light, TX. “Barksdale Craft Collide; 12 Die.” 3-4-1944, p. 2.)
Sources
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.
San Antonio Light, TX. “Barksdale Craft Collide; 12 Die.” 3-4-1944, p. 2. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=69065624&sterm