1942 — June 4, USAAF LB-30 emergency landing approach crash 3M WNW Hamilton Field, CA–14
Compiled by Wayne Blanchard; last edit 6-11-2024 for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/
–14 AP. “Heavy Bomber Crash Burns 14 to Death.” The Bakersfield Californian. 6-5-1942, p.1.
–14 Mireles 2006, Fatal Army AF Aviation Accidents in US 1941-1945, Vol. 1, p. 95.
Narrative Information
Mireles: “At 2245, a Consolidated LB-30 collided with a hill three miles WNW of Hamilton Field, California, killing 14 passengers and crewmembers. The aircraft, crewed by employees of the Consolidated Aircraft Company under contract to the Army Air Forces, had taken off at 2239 from Hamilton Field carrying AAF personnel and Martin B-26 parts for a flight to Hickam Field, Oahu, Hawaii.
“The pilot had been experiencing trouble with the number-two engine, forcing him to feather the propeller and to call the Hamilton Field control tower for a return to the field and emergency landing instructions. The pilot, apparently losing track of the hills surrounding the field, began to turn the airplane back toward the field in an attempt to land to the southeast, the same direction that he had taken off from.
“Personnel at the field began preparing for the emergency landing and tower personnel cleared the LB-30 for landing. To tower personnel, it appeared that the pilot had the situation under control. The tower, which had been handling two B-17 aircraft awaiting take-off, had lost sight of the bomber and called the LB-30 twice on the radio but received no response. At about the same time an explosion and flames were spotted in the hills to the northwest. Investigators could not determine with certainty the specific cause of the engine failure. The LB-30 was descending for the approach and struck a tree on top of the hill with the tail, causing it to be torn away. The aircraft crashed and burned in a ravine down the southeast side of the hill.” (Mireles 2006, Vol. 1, p. 95.)
Newspaper
June 5, AP: “San Rafael, June 5. (A.P.) – Fourteen army fliers died in the crash of a heavy bomber near here last night, the army said today. Flames consumed the wreckage when the plane hit a hilltop as the pilot circled for an emergency landing.
“The plane developed trouble soon after a takeoff and radioed nearby Hamilton Field to clear a runway. The pilot circled toward the field. The big ship lost altitude and then dived into a hilltop on the Herzog ranch, 3 miles northwest of Hamilton Field. As it crash great flames swept through the wreckage. Not a man escaped.” (AP. “Heavy Bomber Crash Burns 14 to Death.” The Bakersfield Californian. 6-5-1942, p.1.)
Sources
Associated Press. “Heavy Bomber Crash Burns 14 to Death.” The Bakersfield Californian. 6-5-1942, p.1. Accessed 6-11-2024 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/bakersfield-californian-jun-05-1942-p-1/
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.