1944 – March 18, USAAF B-24 hits peak, 25M N Davis-Monthan Field, Tucson, AZ –all 10
Compiled by Wayne Blanchard; last edit 4-11-2024 for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/
— 10 Mireles 2006. Fatal Army AF Aviation Accidents…US…, V2, July 1943-July 1944, p. 727.
— 10 Tucson Daily Citizen, AZ. “10 Killed in Bomber Crash in Catalinas.” 3-20-1944, p. 7.
Narrative Information
Baugher: “Douglas-Tulsa B-24H-15-DT Liberator….28874 crashed in Santa Catalina Mountain range, AZ Mar 18, 1944 on ferry flight from Hamilton Field to Tucson, AZ. All onboard killed.” (Baugher, Joseph F. 1941 USAAF Serial Numbers (41-24340 to 41-30847). 9-12-2011 revision.)
Mireles: “At 1345 MWT, a Consolidated B-24H flying in poor weather collided with terrain and crashed 25 miles north of Davis-Monthan Field, Tucson, Arizona, killing the crew of ten. The airplane was flying on the first legs of a ferry flight to an active war theater. Investigators stated,
Aircraft endeavored to pass through a thunderhead while on instruments, encountering vertical turbulence…. The pilot was cleared from Phoenix, [Arizona] to Midland, Texas, with an alternate airport at El Paso, [Texas,] for a flight over the top. In the vicinity of Mt. Lemmon, which is 20 miles northeast of Tucson, at an altitude of 9,000 feet he apparently attempted a turn to return to Phoenix as there was moderate turbulence, probably hail and icing conditions in that area at the time. Pilot was at too low an altitude and either during or immediately after his turn he clipped the left rudder, and possibly the underside of the fuselage on a peak, knocking the left rudder completely off of the airplane. This unbalanced condition resulted in extreme vibration and loss of control. The airplane careened on down a canyon, finally losing the right wing outer panel, at which time the aircraft turned over and struck another peak with the top of the fuselage. From that point on disintegration was complete. At the point of final impact, where the motors and the balance of the wing hit, the wreckage burned. No other parts of the airplane were burned. Accident was fatal to all on board. Total distance from the point of first impact to the point of final rest was about four and one-half miles. (Mireles 2006. Vol. 2, p. 727.)
Newspaper
March 20, Tucson Daily Citizen: “The crash of a B-24 Liberator bomber in the Santa Catalina mountains about 32 miles-northeast of the city Saturday afternoon took the lives of 10 members of the Army air force, it was announced yesterday by Col. C..K. Rich, commanding officer at Davis-Monthan Army airbase.
“No information was available this morning concerning the cause of the accident, but an investigating board has been set up for that purpose. The men were not stationed at Davis-Monthan field but were from Hamilton field, Calif.
“A searching party sent out late Saturday afternoon recovered the bodies of the 10 men, who were killed instantly, from the wrecked plane which fell in an isolated section near Sabino Canyon. The mountainous terrain hampered rescue efforts and made the return of the bodies difficult. The dead and next of kin:
Second Lt. Judson T. Holmes, pilot…Danbury, Conn.
Second [Lt.] Randolph H, Aspinwall, co-pilot…Upper Montclair, N. J.
Second Lt. James P. Smith, bombardier…Oakland, Calif.
Second Lt. Merle; Q. Norley, navigator…Chico, Calif.
Staff Sgt. Lloyd G. Kadel, aerial engineer-gunner…Minden, Ia.
Staff Sgt. William A. Scully, radio operator-gunner…Bridgeport, Conn.
Sergeant Ignatius T. R. Rybinski, aerial engineer-gunner…Barrett Hill, Mahopac, N.J.
Sergeant Howard W. Binn, aerial gunner…Mount Healthy, Ohio.
Sergeant Charles W. Bishop, aerial gunner, son of Mrs. Paul Bishop, Norwalk, La.
Cpl. Harlan S. Darby,, son of Mrs. Silvia Darby, Laconner, Wash.”
(Tucson Daily Citizen, AZ. “10 Killed in Bomber Crash in Catalinas.” 3-20-1944, p. 7.)
Sources
Baugher, Joseph F. 1941 USAAF Serial Numbers (41-24340 to 41-30847). Sep 12, 2011 revision. Accessed 12-7-2011 at: http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1941_4.html
Mireles, Anthony J. Fatal Army Air Forces Aviation Accidents in the United States, 1941-1945 (Volume 2: July 1943 – July 1944). Jefferson, NC: McFarland and Co., 2006.
Tucson Daily Citizen, AZ. “10 Killed in Bomber Crash in Catalinas.” 3-20-1944, p. 7. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=85128327