1943 – Jan 2, USAAF B-17F flies into cloud-shrouded Ruby Mts. 25M E of Elko, NV –all 10
Compiled by Wayne Blanchard; last edit 5-18-2024 for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/
— 10 Mireles 2006, Fatal Army AF Aviation Accidents in US 1941-1945, Vol. 1, p. 228.
— 10 Reno Evening Gazette, NV. “Bomber Wreckage Found in Rubies.” 6-25-1943, p. 16.
Narrative Information
Baugher: “Boeing B-17F-40-BO Fortress….5152 (379th BG, 526th BS) crashed into a mountain near Elko, NV Jan 2, 1943. All onboard killed….Wreckage found Jun 24, 1943.”
(Baugher, Joseph F. 1942 USAAF Serial Numbers (42-001 to 42-30031). 10-28-2011 revision.)
Mireles: “At a time after 0853 PWT, a Boeing B-17F crashed into rising terrain in the Ruby Mountains 35 miles east of Elko, Nevada, killing the crew of ten. The airplane had taken off from Wendover Field, Utah, at 0810 PWT on a routine navigation flight to Elko, Nevada, to Burley, Idaho, and return to Wendover Field.
“The B-17 was originally to fly a navigation mission to Pocatello, Idaho, and Ogden, Utah, but this was cancelled in mid-air by controllers who advised that very unfavorable weather conditions existed along the route for that flight. The airplane acknowledged the change of flight and flew away to the west. The airplane called in a position report at 0853 and was never heard from again.
“The airplane remained missing until 6-24-43 when it was found to have flown into the side of a mountain that was undoubtedly shrouded in clouds at the time of the accident. Snow had been falling at the crash site at the time of the accident and it was speculated that the wreckage was covered with snow soon after the accident, hampering efforts to find the airplane.” (Mireles 2006, Fatal Army AF Aviation Accidents in US 1941-1945, Vol. 1, p. 228.)
Newspaper
June 25, Reno Evening Gazette: “Rescue parties toiled today to a high peak in the Ruby mountains southeast of Elko to reach the wreckage of an army Flying Fortress that disappeared from the Wendover field the day after New Year’s day.
“Ten men of the giant bomber’s crew were killed when the plane crashed into the mountains. Their bodies, still recognizable, were to be brought out today.
“Wreckage of the bomber was discovered from the air Wednesday. Ground crews who had established their base at the Jim Wright ranch in the head of Pole canyon were notified, and a party in a jeep reached the scene Thursday. Official announcement that the plane had been discovered was made Thursday night from the Wendover base.
“Names of the crew were announced by Lieut. Alphonse J. Madden, public relations officer for
Wendover field, as follows:
Second Lieut., Cyril J. Casey, pilot…Brooklyn, N. Y.
Second Lieut. Bay C. Hochheimer, co-pilot…Blue Island, Ill.
Second Lieut. Arthur F. Kelly…Chicago, Ill.
Second Lieut. Clifford J. Elliott, wife. Mrs. C. J. Elliott, 908 Broadway, Buhl, Idaho.
Sergeant Michael J. DiSalvo…Philadelphia, Pa.
Sergeant Alexander C. Johnson, mother, Mrs. Harold Messer, Salt Lake City, Utah.
Sergeant Seymour E. Sonkin…Tucson, Ariz.
Sergeant Byron E. Olson, mother, Mrs. Gertrude Olson, Morrill, Neb.
Sergeant Lowell T. Stoner, father, Charles Stoner, Seneca, South Dakota.
Sergeant James A. Karaspan [or Karaspas], Long Island, N. Y.
“The big four-motored bomber left Wendover on the morning of January 2 on a routine flight. As it left the field, it headed west and it never was heard from again. Civil air patrol units from all parts of Nevada were called to search for the plane. Military searching parties from Wendover operated from the air and ground while civil authorities also joined in the search. Army authorities at Wendover said today that the hunt for the plane never had lagged.
“Reports from Elko today stated that the plane evidently had crashed when it failed to clear a sheer cliff on the east side of the Ruby mountains. Nine bodies were found in the wreckage of the plane, the tenth was found below the plane. All of the bodies were said to be in a good state of preservation because of the snow and intense cold at that altitude, and because the men had been wearing heavy flying suits.” (Reno Evening Gazette, NV. “Bomber Wreckage Found in Rubies.” 6-25-1943, p. 16.)
Sources
Mireles, Anthony J. Fatal Army Air Forces Aviation Accidents in the United States, 1941-1945 (Volume 1: Introduction, January 1941 – June 1943). Jefferson, NC: McFarland and Co., 2006.
Reno Evening Gazette, NV. “Bomber Wreckage Found in Rubies.” 6-25-1943, p. 16. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=10080463