Last edit Dec 5, 2023 by Wayne Blanchard for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/

–11 Baugher. 1944 USAAF Serial Numbers (44-40049 to 44-70254). Oct 28, 2011 rev.

–11 Lord, Clifford F. The Loss of the “Radar Crew” May 12, 1945. Page 11.

–11 Mireles 2006. Fatal Army AF Aviation Accidents…US…, V3, Aug 1944-Dec 1945, 1094.

Narrative Information

Baugher: “Consolidated B-24M-10-CO Liberator….41995 crashed south of Kenny, CA and north of Usal, CA near Anderson Cliff and Mistake Point May 12, 1945 on training flight from March Field to Oregon. All 11 crew killed.” (Baugher. 1944 USAAF Serial Numbers (44-40049 to 44-70254). Oct 28, 2011 revision.)

Lord:

“Mishap Aircraft: Consolidated B-24M-10-CO (44-41949/44-42048) Liberator

“Aircraft Tail Number: 44-41995

“Place of Manufacture: Convair/San Diego, California

“Date of…Purchase: Dec 30, 1944

….

“Home Station: March Field, California

….

“Type of Flight: Navigation-Ferret (Intelligence Gathering) Training Mission

“Call Letters: 4JD

“Date of Flight: May 12, 1945

“Departed From: March Field, California

“Departure Time (Actual): 13:45 (1:45 PM)

“Landing Time (Scheduled): 02:00 (2:00 AM) May 13, 1945 @ March Field

….

Map 2 shows crash site in vicinity of Mistake Point. (Over land, when should have been offshore.)

“Weather at Time of Crash:

“The following is a statement from1st Lt Lloyd V. Mitchell, Air Corps, Base Weather Officer, Santa Rosa, California, 29 May 1945:

The weather at the time and the place of the accident is believed to be: Overcast at

500 to 1,000 feet MSL, which would mean that the clouds topped the mountains at

this point. Visibility 0 to 1/2 mile in the clouds and 1 to 3 miles out of the clouds.

There were probably some light rain showers along the coast at this time.

It is believed that the plane was flying in the clouds, where the visibility is believed

to be 0 to 1/2 mile. The low visibility obscured the ground from the pilot.

“The Accident (Excerpts from official accident report):

On May 12, 1945 the mishap, B-24M made contact with several large redwood

trees that extended above the top of a ridge or hill. At the time of the accident the

aircraft was flying at approximately 1,000 to 1,200 feet MSL, straight and level and

on a heading of 315º magnetic. The altitude of the plane at the time of the crash

was almost identical to the elevation of the ground at the top of the ridge. The ridge

elevation was approximately 1,200 feet AGL and had the trees not been in the way,

it is possible that the plane could have just missed the ridge.

After hitting the trees, the plane started to break up and some parts of it struck the

ground just below the ridge top. Other parts of the plane went over the top of the

ridge and out into space, crashing through the trees and coming to rest at varying

distances down the steep slope on the opposite side of the ridge. The entire

airplane, except for the tail assembly and a small section of the fuselage up to about

station 6 was completely torn to pieces and scattered through the dense forest and

undergrowth.

All eleven crewmembers died in the crash.

“The crash site was found on May 19, 1945. The crash site is located at: 39º 52′ N / 123º 54″ W, South of Kenny, CA and North of Usal, CA, near Anderson Cliff and Mistake Point. The plane crashed just South East of the old “Wheeler Mill” site.

“Possible causes of the crash (Excerpts from official accident report):

During the investigation, it was learned that the plane was to fly at 1,000 feet while out over the water doing its special work with the radar equipment if weather permitted. The crew was briefed to fly at 7,000 feet if weather prohibited satisfactory work at 1,000 feet.

The plane may have been held on a course at slightly above 1,000 feet under actual instrument conditions and the crew believed their position to be farther at sea. This could possibly have been caused through navigational error or through incorrect readings or malfunctioning of radio and or radar equipment used in plotting the course.

A second possibility is that while flying below the overcast, the ceiling, which was reported as very low by coastal weather observers, continued to drop as the flight progressed. After being forced very low in an effort to stay in the clear under the overcast the pilot may have started a gentle climb up into the overcast. If such were the case, the plane may have struck the ridge while in the overcast and while attempting to gain altitude for the remainder of the flight.

There were no witnesses to the accident and no reliable evidence was found which would indicate the exact time of the crash; however the crew made their last position report at 17:50 and they were instructed to report in every thirty minutes. The accident could have easily occurred at about the time (18:20) another position report was due to be given by the plane. The distance from the last position report given, to the scene of the crash, would have been covered in just about thirty minutes. This leads to the possibility that the pilot, in wanting to make an accurate report, may have seen the water through a break in the overcast while flying fairly low and nosed down just enough to break out into the clear. Had such been the case, his speed and path of flight would have been just about right to carry him across the coast line of the point of land upon which he hit and into the trees at the top of the ridge.

After discussing the accident with several B-24 pilots who were stationed at March Field with the pilot and crew of the crashed plane, the cause of the accident as mentioned under 3. above seems highly probable.

“Mishap Crew No. 505: Crew Position Name Rank ASN

Pilot: Apedaile, John W. 1st Lt 0-731786

CoPilot Gold, James T. F/O T-133522

Navigator Trowbridge, Carroll (NMI) F/O T-137481

RVO Frantz, Jr. Adolf (NMI) 2nd Lt 0-872703

Engineer Lord, Robert G. Sgt 31268613

Asst. Engineer Hamilton, Victor W. Cpl 32055936

Radio Operator Tippetts, Leroy T. Sgt 37358123

RVO Brown, Donald S. 2nd Lt 0-876430

Arm-Gunner Oppenheim, Raymond Sgt 42020966

RVO Peters, Kenneth H. F/O T-4639

Instructor Fuller, Jack L. 1st Lt 0-730249

“All eleven crewmembers lost their lives in the accident.

Mireles: At an unknown time between 1750 and 2300 PWT, a Consolidated B-24M collided with rising terrain 30 miles north of Fort Bragg, California, killing 11 fliers…. The B-24 took off at 1330 PWT from March Field, Riverside, California, on an over-water navigation flight. At 1750, after crossing the coast while flying out to sea on a northwest heading from Santa Rosa, California, the airplane transmitted a routine position report. There was no further contact with the airplane. The airplane failed to return to base and was declared missing. The airplane as found on 5-19-45. Investigation revealed that the airplane collided with large redwood trees on top of a ridge while flying in instrument conditions in a straight and level attitude with all engines producing power. The airplane broke up as it passed through the tall trees at an elevation of 1,200 feet msl. Many pieces of wreckage passed through the trees and were scattered at varying distances down the other side of the steep slope. It was not known if the airplane had completed its over-water navigation mission prior to colliding with rising terrain. Investigators speculated that the crash occurred a short time after the position report.” (Mireles 2006, pp. 1094-1095.)

Sources

Baugher, Joseph F. 1944 USAAF Serial Numbers (44-40049 to 44-70254). Oct 28, 2011 revision. Accessed 12-25-2011 at: http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1944_4.html

Lord, Clifford F. The Loss of the “Radar Crew” May 12, 1945. Accessed 12-5-2023 at: https://aircraftwrecks.com/B-24M%20Crash.pdf

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.

1945 – May 12, USAAF B-24 flies into cloud-covered tree-tops ~Anderson Cliff, CA –all 11