1945 — Nov 11, USAAF B-17G, Marseille to Athens, icing crash, Mount Meta, Italy    —  20

Compiled Nov 25, 2023 by Wayne Blanchard for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/

–20  Aviation Safety Network. USAAF B-17 Flying Fortress crash on Mt. Meta, 11Nov45.

–20  Gero, David. Military Aviation Disasters: Significant Losses Since 1908. 1999, p. 36. 

Narrative Information

Gero:

“Date:                          11 November 1945 (c.12:00)              [WW II in Europe ended 9-2-1945.]

“Location:                   Near Picinisco, Frosinone, Italy

“Operator:                   US Army Air Forces

“Aircraft type:             Boeing B-17G (43-39197)      [MSN 10175, Aviation Safety Network.]

“One of three bombers of the same type that had taken off earlier from Marignane airport [Marseille], in France, bound for Athens, Greece, 43-39197 was last heard from when its pilot, in a radio transmission, reported heavy icing and requested permission to divert to Rome. A search failed to find any trace of the aircraft. The loss of the B-17 remained a mystery until the following May, when three shepherds came across its wreckage and the remains of the occupants about 75ft (20m) from the summit of Monte Meta, 65 miles (105km) east-south-east of the Italian capital. The aircraft had exploded and disintegrated on impact, and it was apparent that all 20 American servicemen aboard (16 passengers and a crew of four) had perished in the crash. Although the cause of the accident could not be determined, poor judgement on the part of the pilot or navigator coupled with the inclement weather encountered by the bomber, which consisted of cumulus clouds with bases of 4,000ft (1,200m) and tops at about 15,000 (5000m), with conditions conducive to icing, were suspected factors. In accordance with recommendations made in the investigative report, flight crews operating in the area would receive thorough briefings with regard to the dangers of icing and hazards associated with the mountainous terrain.”

Sources

Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation, Database, 1945, p. 127. USAAF Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress crash on Mt. Meta, Italy, 11Nov1945. Accessed 11-25-2023 at: https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/27857

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