1945 — Aug 25, off-course USAAF B-24J flies into mountain, SE of Tollgate, OR        —    15

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Last edit Nov 29, 2023 by Wayne Blanchard for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/

–15  Baugher, Joseph. 1942 USAAF Serial Numbers (42-50027 to 42-57212. 5–14-2023 revision.

–15  Facebook. “Crash of B-24J Liberator #42-50564 August 25, 1945 Elgin / Tollgate, OR.”

–15  Mireles 2006. Fatal Army AF Aviation Accidents…US…, V3, Aug 1944-Dec 1945, 1159.

Narrative Information

 

Baugher, Joseph. 1942 USAAF Serial Numbers (42-50027 to 42-57212. May 14, 2023 revision.

“….Ford B-24J-1-FO Liberator…50564 (423 Base Unit) crashed in a mountain region 17 mi NW of Elgin, Oregon Aug 25, 1945 during flight from Sioux City, IA to Walla Walla, WA. All aboard killed (11 crew, 4 passengers.”

 

Mireles: “At 2244, a Consoli­dated B-24J crashed into a mountain 17 miles NNW Elgin,[1] Oregon, killing 15 crewmembers….The airplane took off from Sioux City Army Air Base, Sioux City, Iowa, on a “special training mission” to Walla-Walla Army Air Field, Walla-Walla, Washington. Investiga­tors stated,

 

“[The pilot] became confused as to his exact position while over LaGrande, Oregon. While flying Contact Flight Rules at night, the town of LaGrande looked similar to Pendleton [Oregon], and conse­quently Capt. Zdunczyk took up a heading of approx­imately 10 degrees in order to reach Walla-Walla. Ten degrees is the heading from Pendleton to Walla-Walla, and is not the heading of LaGrande to Walla-Walla. He let down to an altitude of approximately 5,200 feet, and while flying under an overcast, he crashed into a mountain about 28 miles south-southeast of Walla-Walla.”  (Quoted in Mireles 2006, 1159.)

 

Facebook. “Crash of B-24J Liberator #42-50564 August 25, 1945 Elgin / Tollgate, OR.”

 

On this page, amongst other information, is an obituary for Mario Melvin Pickell, of Madrid, IA, who “was killed in a plane crash near Tollgate, Oregon on a routine flight to Wala Walla, Washington on August 25, 1945, having served in the Army Air Force for two years and five days.” The same page also names all “15 U.S. Airmen lost in the crash of B-24J Liberator #42-50564 on August 25, 1945 between Elgin and Tollgate, Oregon.

 

Capt. Edwin F Zdunczyk, Pilot

1st Lt. Jerome Kagel

1st Lt. Carleton H. Keeler

2nd Lt. George C Oesterreicher

2nd Lt. Robert B Wright

Sgt. Arthur H Brundahl

Sgt. Emil Eckert

TSgt. Frederick G Emmelmann

Sgt. Berkley G Fletcher

Sgt. Troy R Frazier

Sgt. Robert W Johnson

Sgt. Paul E Kleiner

Sgt. Anthony P Lupisella

Sgt. Marlo M Pickell

SSgt. Robert B Walters

 

Sources

 

Baugher, Joseph. 1942 USAAF Serial Numbers (42-50027 to 42-57212. 5–14-2023 revision. Accessed 11-29-2023 at: https://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1942_3.html

 

Facebook. “Crash of B-24J Liberator #42-50564 August 25, 1945 Elgin / Tollgate, OR.” Accessed 11-29-2023 at: https://www.facebook.com/p/Crash-of-B-24J-Liberator-42-50564-August-25-1945-Elgin-Tollgate-OR-100071052530411/

 

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] Tollgate, OR is 21.1 miles northwest of Elgin. Thus the plane crashed closer to Tollgate than to Elgin.