1945 — Nov 1, USAAF C-47 flying too-low hits mountain near Bad Herrenalb, Germany–26

Last edit Nov 26, 2023 by Wayne Blanchard for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/

—  26  ASN.  Accident description. USAAF Douglas C-47A-20-DK…1 Nov 1945…Herrenalb.

—  26  Baugher. 1942 USAAF Serial Numbers (42-91974 to 42-110188). 10-28-2011 rev.

—  26  Gero, David. Military Aviation Disasters: Significant Losses Since 1908. 1999, p. 35. 

Narrative Information

Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation, Database, 1945, p. 126 (USAAF C-47):

“Date and Time:          Thursday 1 November 1945, 15:30 BST

“Type:                         Douglas C-47A-20-DK (DC-3)

“Operator:                   United States Army Air Force – USAAF

“Registration:              42-93041

“MSN:                         12909

“First flight:                1944

….

“Crew:                         Fatalities:   4 / Occupants:   4

“Passengers:                Fatalities: 22 / Occupants: 26

“Total:                         Fatalities: 26 / Occupants: 30

….

“Location:                   near Herrenalb (Germany)

“Phase:                        en route (ENR)

“Nature:                      Military

“Departure airport:      Bovingdon RAF Station, United Kingdom.

“Destination airport:   Schleifstein Airport (EDNX), Germany.

“Narrative: 

“The aircraft flew into the side of a mountain. The pilot was climbing through an overcast and struck the mountain.” Four survivors (passengers). (ASN. Accident description. USAAF Douglas C-47A-20-DK…1 Nov 1945…Herrenalb.)

Gero, David. Military Aviation Disasters: Significant Losses Since 1908. 1999:

“Date:              1 November 1945 (c.15:30)

“Location:       Near Herrenalb, Germany

“Operator:       US Army Air Forces

“Aircraft type: Douglas C-47A (42-93041)

The twin-engine transport crashed some 50 miles (80km) west of Stuttgart during a flight from England to an air base located near Munich. All but four of the 30 American servicemen aboard the aircraft lost their lives, including the entire crew of four, while the surviving passengers suffered serious injuries.

“In an apparent attempt to let the navigator check his position, the C-47 had descended through a low overcast, and witnesses stated that it then followed a river for several minutes before beginning to climb back into the clouds. It subsequently slammed into wooded mountainside and burned. According to a local observer, the meteorological conditions in the area at the time of the accident consisted of low stratus clouds that extended down to the hilltops, with a ceiling of around 1,300ft (400m) and a visibility of 2 miles (3km) in light rain and haze.

“The underlying cause of the accident was that the pilot had been flying on instruments below a safe altitude. Responsibility was also placed on the navigator, who failed to warn the pilot of the high terrain in the area. As a result, the pilot had initiated a descent while uncertain of his position. And, after determining his location, he should have ascended using higher engine power settings. Still another factor was inadequate meteorological information provided to the flight crew, this due to the absence of weather stations in the area. For that reason, one recommendation made in the investigative report was to employ local residents with knowledge of or backgrounds in weather observation and forecasting.”

Baugher: “Douglas C-47A-20-DK Skytrain….93041 (c/n 12909) struck high ground near Herrenalb, Germany Nov 1, 1945. 26 of 30 onboard killed.” (Baugher. 1942 USAAF Serial Numbers (42-91974 to 42-110188). 10-28-2011 rev.)

Newspaper

Marysville Tribune, Nov 3, 1945: “Wiesbaden, Germany, Nov. 3. – U.S. Army officials said that 21 soldiers were killed late Thursday when a C-47 plane crashed near Karlsruhe. There were at least three survivors.”  (Marysville Tribune, OH.  “Crash Kills 21.” 11-3-1945, 1.)

Sources

Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation, Database, 1945, p. 126. United States Army Air Force Douglas C-47A-20-DK hits mountain 1 Nov 1945 near Herrenalb, Germany. Accessed 11-26-2023 at: https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19451101-1

Baugher, Joseph F. 1942 USAAF Serial Numbers (42-91974 to 42-110188). Oct 28, 2011 revision. Accessed 12-17-2011 at:  http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1942_5.html

Gero, David. Military Aviation Disasters: Significant Losses Since 1908. UK and Newbury Park, CA: Patrick Stephens Limited, an imprint of Hayes Publishing, 1999. 

Marysville Tribune, OH. “Crash Kills 21.” 11-3-1945, 1. Accessed at:  http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=114364447