1944 — Sep 17, USAAF B-29 buzzing a farmhouse crashes 1M S of Copeland, KS — 12
Compiled by Wayne Blanchard; last edit 3-23-2024 for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/
— 12 Aviation Safety Network. USAAF B-29 crash 1M S of Copeland, KS, 9-17-1944.
— 12 Hutchinson News-Herald, KS. “Death Strikes Two Families.” 9-19-1944, p. 1.
— 12 Mireles. Fatal Army AF Aviation Accidents…US…, V3, Aug 1944-Dec 1945, 2006, 916.
Narrative Information
Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation, Database, 1944:
“Date and Time: Sunday 17 September 1944; 21:50
“Type: Boeing B-29 Superfortress
“Owner/operator: 883rd BS1n / 500th BGp USAAF
“Registration: 42-6379
“MSN: 3513
“Fatalities: Fatalities: 10 / Occupants: 10
“Other fatalities: 2
“Aircraft damage: Destroyed
“Location: Ora Hatfield’s Farm, 1 mile South of Copeland, Kansas, USA
“Phase: Maneuvering…
“Nature: Military
“Departure airport: Walker AAF, Victoria, Kansas
“Destination airport: [Not noted.]
“Narrative:
“B-29-15-BW 42-6379: Delivered to the USAAF 26 February 1944. Assigned to 792nd Bomb Squadron, 468th Bomb Group, USAAF, Kharagpur, India. Returned to CONUS (the Continental USA) as “War Weary” and reassigned to the 883rd Bomb Squadron, 500th Bomb Group.
“Written off (destroyed) when crashed 17 September 1944 near Copeland, Kansas. On a training flight out of Walker AAF, either the pilot or the co-pilot had worked on a farm in Copeland and deviated from their approved flight path to buzz the town. Plane hit the ground and cartwheeled through the farm of Ora Hatfield, killing Hatfield and his infant grandson Jay Settles and severely burning Hatfield’s wife and daughter Ruth Settles. Entire crew of 42-6379 killed.
“Partial List Of Crew Victims:
Second Lieutenant LAWRENCE H. ESLINGER, 26, 1642 Fairchild, Manhattan, Kan., co-pilot.
Staff Sgt. CLARENCE A. BOSTON, 26, son of Mrs. Sadie Boston, Council Grove, Kan.
Lieutenant KENNETH O. WEST, 22, husband of Mrs. Barbara Jean West of Washburn, Wis.
Corporal JOHN F. KELLEY, 19, son of Mrs. Angela H. Kelley, Springville, Iowa.
“Claims for damages and loss-of-life initially denied by the USAAF because the training flight was off-course and therefore not on official USAAF business. Claims by Hatfield family finally granted by Act of Congress in 1947.”
Mireles: “At approximately 2146 CWT, a Boeing B-29 crashed into a farm house one mile south of Copeland, Kansas, killing ten crewmembers and two civilians on the ground. Two civilians were seriously injured.
“The airplane had taken off from Walker Army Air Field, Walker, Kansas, on a gunnery mission. The subject airplane had successfully completed the gunnery mission and had returned and landed at Walker Army Air Field. A navigator that had been on board had become sick and was let off the airplane. The crew was then assigned to fly a formation training flight with another B-29, but the other B-29 failed to take-off on the mission because of mechanical difficulties. The subject B-29 took off on an instrument-training mission instead. At approximately 2145, the subject airplane flew over Copeland from the northeast to the southwest at an altitude of about 200 feet agl, making a low-altitude pass. The B-29, flying at very low altitude with its landing lights illuminated, began a shallow turn to the right. The airplane lost altitude in the turn and descended into the ground, smashing into an occupied farmhouse and a barn. The airplane exploded into flames upon impact. Farmer O.H. Hatfield and his 14-month-old grandson were killed. Mrs. O.H. Hatfield and her adult daughter sustained serious injuries. The official accident report did not list the names of the adult daughter or her child. Investigation revealed that the co-pilot had worked for four summers at Copeland and had lived with two of his uncles during that time. It was discovered that the subject B-29 had buzzed the uncle’s house just prior to the accident.” (Mireles, Anthony J. Fatal Army Air Forces Aviation Accidents in the United States, 1941-1945 (Volume 3: August 1944 – December 1945). Jefferson, NC: McFarland and Co., 2006, p. 916.)
Newspapers
Sep 18: “Copeland – A Liberator bomber from the Liberal army air base[1] crashed in flames, striking a farmhouse half a mile south of this Gray county town, at 9:20 p.m. (MWT) Sunday, killing two occupants of the farmhouse, and all crewmen aboard the plane, probably 11 men, or 13 in all. Two other occupants of the house are in critical condition from bums.
“O. H. Hatfield, prominent Gray county farmer, and his one-year-old grandson, Jay Settle, were killed. Mrs. Hatfield and Mrs. Dean Settle, the baby’s mother, were seriously burned and were removed to a Dodge City hospital.
“The bomber was seen flying over Copeland in distress at a low level. It burst into flames, barely
missing striking the town of Copeland,. and hit the Hatfield home. The house immediately burst
into flames and within 15 minutes was destroyed.
“None of the crew in the bomber had a chance to bail out here and unless some managed to leave the plane before it reached the low level here, all must have perished.
“Mrs. Settle is the wife of Capt. Dean Settle, with the army air corps in England, pilot of a B-17 bomber. Capt. Settle had recently been home on a 30 day leave, having completed 35 missions as a bomber pilot over Germany. Mrs. Settle accompanied him to the Atlantic seaboard on his return to overseas duty, and she arrived home just a week ago. She and the baby were staying with her parents….” (Hutchinson News-Herald, KS. “Burning Bomber Crashes into Farm House. Liberal Plane Crew and Two Civilians Die.” 9-18-1944, p. 1.)
Sep 19: “Copeland — Death struck the Eslinger and Hatfield families of Copeland, Kinsley and Manhattan in three ways Sunday and Monday in a strange turn of events in the crash of the Superfortress into the O. H. Hatfield home, near Copeland. Mr. Hatfield and his year old grandson, Jay Settle, were, killed as was Lt. Lawrence Eslinger, pilot of the plane, and nine crewmen of the plane based at the Walker army air field.
“About 15 hours after the crash, Mrs. Florence Eslinger, Kinsley, died in a Hutchinson hospital. She had been ill for many weeks. Mrs. Eslinger was the grandmother of Lt. Eslinger. The Eslinger and Hatfield families are related, Mrs. Florence Eslinger’s daughter married Charles Hatfield who is a brother of O. H. Hatfield.
“Lt. Eslinger had worked on the Hatfield farm and this may have been a contributing factor in the crash of the plane into the Hatfield home because Lt. Eslinger knew of a large pasture on the Hatfield farm which could handle the plane landing….
“Bodies of 11 adults and Hatfield’s year-old grandson, Jay Settle, were removed from the smoking ruins of the home and fortress Monday morning. Many of them were charred beyond recognition. Mrs. Hatfield and Mrs. Dean Settle, the baby’s mother, were reported to be in a satisfactory condition in St. Anthony’s hospital at Dodge City…Both were burned.
“The flaming bomber sprayed gasoline over the Hatfield farmstead before it crashed into the dwelling. The home, barn, granaries filled with wheat and other outbuildings were destroyed in the conflagration. Only structure still standing Monday were a stone garage and a chicken house.” (Hutchinson News-Herald, KS. “Death Strikes Two Families.” 9-19-1944, p. 1.)
Sources
Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation, Database, 1944. USAAF B-29 crash 1M S of Copeland, KS, 9-17-1944. Accessed 3-23-2024 at: https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/98446
Hutchinson News-Herald, KS. “Burning Bomber Crashes into Farm House.” 9-18-1944, p. 1. At: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=137993398&sterm=copeland+plane+crash
Hutchinson News-Herald, KS. “Death Strikes Two Families.” 9-19-1944, p. 1. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=137993402&sterm=copeland+plane+crash
Mireles, Anthony J. Fatal Army Air Forces Aviation Accidents in the United States, 1941-1945 (Volume 3: August 1944 – December 1945). Jefferson, NC: McFarland and Co., 2006.
[1] “Liberal Army Airfield was a World War II B-24 Liberator heavy bomber training base of the United States Army Air Forces Second Air Force. It is currently the city-owned Liberal [KS] Mid-America Regional Airport.” (Wikipedia. “Liberal Army Air Field.” 4-9-2013 modification.)