1942 — Sep 22, Eight USAAF Planes Crash or Collide, CT, FL (3), GA, ME (2), PA — 25
Compiled by Wayne Blanchard; last edit 6-5-2024 for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/
— 25 Mireles. Fatal [AAF] Aviation Accidents…[US]…V1: 1941–June 1943. 2006, p. 155-157.
Druid Hills, near Decatur, GA. North American B-25C engine failure and crash.
— 2 Mireles. Fatal [AAF] Aviation Accidents…[US]…V1: 1941–June 1943. 2006, p. 156.
— 2 Richardson. “Druid Hills History. Plane Crashes Near Venetian Pools in 1942.” 2012.[1]
East Hartford, CT, near Rentschler Field. Curtis P-40F, landing crash.
— 1 Lebanon Daily News, PA. “Pilot Dies in Crash.” 9-23-1942, p. 1.
— 1 Mireles. Fatal [AAF] Aviation Accidents…[US]…V1: 1941–June 1943. 2006, p. 156.
Miami, Florida. Douglas B-18B collides with Douglas C-49 on runway.
— 5 Mireles. Fatal [AAF] Aviation Accidents…[US]…V1: 1941–June 1943. 2006, p. 155.
— 5 San Mateo Times, CA. “19 Meet Death …Army Plane Crashes in Five States.” 9-22-1942, 5
Middletown Air Depot Field, PA. Lockheed P-38F engine failure, crash.
— 1 Clearfield Progress, PA. “Pilot Killed in Plane Crash.” 9-23-1942, p. 9.
— 1 Mireles. Fatal [AAF] Aviation Accidents…[US]…V1: 1941–June 1943. 2006, p. 156.
Panama City, off Tyndall Field, Gulf of Mexico. North American AT-6A stalled and crashed.
— 2 Mireles. Fatal [AAF] Aviation Accidents…[US]…V1: 1941–June 1943. 2006, p. 157.
— 2 Panama City News-Herald FL. “Two Die When Plane Crashes Near Tyndall.” 9-23-1942, 1
~Presque Isle Army Air Base, Maine. North American B-25C Wing Failure, Crash.
— 7 Mireles. Fatal [AAF] Aviation Accidents…[US]…V1: 1941–June 1943. 2006, p. 156.
— 7 Sandusky Register-Star-News. “Investigation in Crash of Planes Opened…” 9-23-1942, p. 9.
Washburn, near Perham, Maine. North American B-25C Wing Failure, Crash.
— 7 Mireles. Fatal [AAF] Aviation Accidents…[US]…V1: 1941–June 1943. 2006, p. 155.
— 7 Sandusky Register-Star-News. “Investigation in Crash of Planes Opened…” 9-23-1942, p. 9.
Narrative Information
Druid Hills, near Decatur, GA
Mireles: “9-22-42F. Decatur, Georgia. At 1520, a North American B-25C suffering the failure of the starboard engine crash landed in a wooded hollow between Ponce de Leon Avenue and Coventry Road, Decatur, Georgia, killing two fliers and injuring another. Four other crew-members were uninjured.
“The aircraft was on a cross-country navigation training flight from Greenville, South Carolina, to Atlanta, Georgia, when the starboard engine quit due to a supposed fuel system problem. The B-25 instructor pilot (flying in the copilot seat) feathered the propeller and adjusted the power and trim for single-engine flight. A moment later, the port engine quit. The instructor re-trimmed the airplane for a non-powered glide and attempted a 180-degree left turn to make an emergency landing in an open area near a golf course. When he rolled out of the turn and realized that he could not make it, the instructor lowered the flaps and “held the nose up to stall the airplane in on the crash landing.” The airplane stalled and smashed into the trees, shearing off both wings and erupting in flames.
“Killed in the crash landing were Cpl. Jack P. Lee, Macon, Georgia, passenger, and 2Lt. Robert S. Oberheiman,[2] Norwood, Connecticut, passenger. Engineer SSgt. Claude E. Rieves received minor injuries. Crewmembers who escaped injury were: 2Lt. Harford P. Jenks, B-25 instructor pilot; 2Lt. Bud B. Binning, B-25 student; 2Lt. William R. Chandler, navigator; 2Lt. Michael A. Defeo, bombardier.” (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, p. 156.)
Richardson: “On September 23, 1942, two Army flyers were killed when a bomber crashed at 3:30 p.m. Five others on the plane narrowly escaped death by jumping before the plane hit the ground. The two victims had no time to escape before the bomber erupted in flames….
“The B-25 plane, housed at a Greenville, South Carolina, base, was making a routine training flight. At some point flying over the Druid Hills Golf Course, the plane was witnessed to be in obvious trouble, with one engine out and the other sputtering. At the Seaboard Airline railroad cut on Coventry Road, the plane bounced across the rails at the edge of the Chelsea Heights neighborhood and left part of its tail section where it first struck the earth there. It then smashed through the trees on the other side of the rail tracks, shearing off limbs and tree tops for another 300 yards until it climbed an eight-foot embankment before reaching the valley in back of Venetian Pools. There, it crashed into a one-room shack and burned in an open field behind the pools.
“The noise of the crash and explosions was heard all over Druid Hills, Emory, and Decatur. Many people thought it was a train wreck. Ambulances and fire trucks from Atlanta and Decatur rushed to the site of the burning plane. Once there, it was determined that the pilot and a passenger were dead at the scene, and five passengers, another pilot, a co-pilot, a navigator, an engineer, and a bombardier, were injured but alive after they bailed from the plane. The fire soon expanded from the burning wreckage to nearby grass and underbrush.
“The five survivors of the crash took fire equipment and helped Atlanta and Decatur firefighters extinguish the flames. Upon impact, the engine of the bomber was thrown more than 50 feet away from the plane itself. Huge amounts of black smoke poured from the burning plane. The sound of the crash and the fire attracted spectators from nearby neighborhoods. Officials from Atlanta, DeKalb County, and Decatur, and Army and Navy personnel quickly placed guards around the wreckage to keep away the curious.
“Three Decatur High School seniors witnessed the crash from a very close perspective. Fred Amsler, Scotty Candler, and Russell Whaley were searching the woods for scrap metal when they heard the sound of the crippled plane. They were standing approximately 200 yards away when the big bomber hit the ground, and they raced to the scene to try to assist the injured.
“Bedros Sharian, whose family started Sharian Rugs in Decatur, was a student at Decatur High in 1942. He walked to the crash site but was kept well back from the plane. John Guess was also a student at Decatur and recalled the crash. Jim Van Buren and his brother went to the site and collected a piece of the plane as a souvenir. Joseph Bond, who lived on Clairmont, recalled the smell of the burning plane—a smell that has stayed with him all his life. Bill Harrington was riding his bicycle to Venetian Pools when the plane crashed. He had crossed the tracks and was heading down a dirt path to Venetian Pools when the plane suddenly appeared and he felt it would crash on top of him. He was terrified.
“Much housing development and new streets have been added since the 1942 crash, but there are still extant landmarks from that era. Venetian Pools Community Association is still there, as is the railroad cut on Coventry. By examining a topographic map, a street map, and speaking to witnesses, I was able to come up with a ballpark estimate of where the plane ended up. There is an embankment and ravine behind and to the east of Venetian Pools (where the current condos are located) which was a field at the time of the crash. It’s this general vicinity where the plane crashed and burned in 1942—though nothing remains of the plane itself.” (Richardson, Jennifer J. “Druid Hills History. Plane Crashes Near Venetian Pools in 1942.” Druid Hills News, Vol. 26, No. 4, Winter 2012, p. 1.)
East Hartford (Rentschler Field), Connecticut
Mireles: “9-22-42E. East Hartford, Connecticut. At 1515, a Curtiss P-40F crashed near Rentschler Field, East Hartford, Connecticut, killing pilot SSgt. Raymond R. Kroskiewicz. The pilot was coming in for a landing when he overshot the field and began to go around for another approach. He started to circle the field with his landing gear and flaps down, apparently near stalling speed. The pilot was keeping the nose up in a climbing attitude but he did not increase the power. He began a climbing left turn at an altitude of approximately 300 feet and stalled the airplane. The airplane rolled over, did one complete turn of a spin, and then plunged to the ground nose first. The pilot died a short time after the accident. He had only 1.5 hours in P-40 type airplanes.” (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, p. 156.)
Newspaper
Sep 23: “East Hartford, Conn., Today – (AP) – Staff Sergeant Pilot Raymond R. Kroskiewicz of Nanticoke, Pa., was killed yesterday in the crash of his army plane at Rentschler Field here. Officials said the plane nose-dived shortly after taking off…” (Lebanon Daily News, PA. “Pilot Dies in Crash.” 9-23-1942, p. 1.)
Miami, Florida
Mireles: “9-22-42A. Miami, Florida. At 0309, a Douglas B-18B taking off on an anti-submarine mission collided head-on with a Douglas C-49 that was taxiing toward it on the active runway at the 36th Street Airport, Miami, Florida, killing five fliers and injuring four others. The B-18 was at the west end of the East-West runway waiting for clearance from the tower to begin its take-off roll to the east. All aircraft taking off on tactical missions were under orders not to radio the tower for take off clearance but to make prior arrangements for visual signals and scheduling.
“The B-18 had been scheduled for a 0300 take-off and had been delayed clearance because an Eastern Airlines Douglas transport was taking off ahead of it. After the Douglas transport took off, the tower then cleared the C-49 (militarized version of the DC-3 and operated under contract for the AAF by Eastern Airlines) to taxi west on the active runway, turn around at the west end and await clearance for take off. As the C-49 taxied toward the end of the runway, the B-18 turned onto the runway and began its take-off, colliding head on with the C-49 approximately 150 yards from the west end of the runway. Both aircraft burst into flames and efforts to fight the fire were hampered by exploding machine gun bullets, bombs and depth charges.
“Killed aboard the B-18 were: 1Lt. Charles M. Green, 24, San Angelo, Texas, pilot; 2Lt. Newell B. Smith, 21, Tylertown, Mississippi, co-pilot; Sgt. Walter Boehm, 30, Methuen, Massachusetts, bombardier. Crewmembers injured aboard the B-18 were: 2Lt. Lester Weiss, 22, Yonkers, New York, navigator; Sgt. Gilbert H. Isenberg, 22, Corpus Christi, Texas, radio operator; Pvt. Wesley T Johnson, 22, Conroe, Texas, assistant radio operator.
“The civilian crewmembers (all employees of Eastern Airlines) killed aboard the C-49 were Donald B. Johnston, 40, Coral Gables, Florida, pilot, and William F. Fortner, 22, Dothan, Alabama, co-pilot. Flight engineer John W Bussey, 24, Deland, Florida, received serious injuries and burns. This crash prompted a congressional investigation.” (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, p. 155.)
Newspaper
Sep 22, San Mateo Times: “Miami, Fla., Sept. 22. – (UP) – Five fliers were killed and four injured when a transport plane and an army bomber collided on the ground early today. The collision was followed by an explosion which could be heard 20 miles away. Military authorities declined to reveal details of the crash pending an investigation at the scene, the 36th street airport. Three men were reported aboard the transport — which recently was turned over by Eastern Airlines to the army under contract. Two of the three were killed. The other, a radio operator, escaped with minor head and shoulder burns. Three of the six-man crew of the army bomber were killed. The other three escaped with, slight injuries….
“Caribou, Maine, Sept. 22. – (UP) – A five-man crew was reported by police to have perished today when an army plane burst into flames and exploded at low altitude and crashed near here. Police described the victims as a pilot, co-pilot, radio operator, and two soldiers. Flaming wreckage was scattered over a wide area….” (San Mateo Times, CA. “19 Meet Death in Series of Army Plane Crashes in Five States.” 9-22-1942, p. 5.)
Middletown, PA
Mireles: “9-22-42D. Middletown, Pennsylvania. At 1241, a Lockheed P-38F stalled and spun into the ground after suffering the failure of its port engine just after take-off from the AAF Air Depot at Olmstead Field, Middletown, Pennsylvania, killing 2Lt. Herbert E. Smith. The pilot had been experiencing trouble with the port engine prior to take-off and he had returned to line to have the engine looked at. The spark plugs were changed and the engine run up and tested by the pilot. The pilot taxied to the runway, was cleared for departure and took off. The take-off appeared normal and the P-38 flew off with landing gear retracted. Witnesses on the ground reported that the aircraft never gained more than 300 feet of altitude after the takeoff. A minute later the aircraft was seen coming back toward the field with the landing gear in the extended position. The pilot attempted a series of right turns over the town in an effort to get back to the field. The port wing was seen to drop and the aircraft winged over to an inverted attitude. The P-38 missed striking a school building by ten feet and just cleared a church steeple before plunging to the ground inverted and exploded into flames. The careening wreckage of the aircraft struck houses in the vicinity and burned clown the home of Dr. O.H. Schwartz. The airplane was being ferried from Mines Field, California, to Newark, New Jersey.” (Mireles, Anthony J. Fatal Army Air Forces Aviation Accidents in the United States, 1941-1945 (Vol. 1: Introduction, January 1941 – June 1943). Jefferson, NC: McFarland and Co., 2006, 156.)
Sep 23, Clearfield Progress: “Middletown, PA. Sept. 23 – (AP) – Within two minutes after taking off from the Middletown Air Depot field, an Army pursuit plane crashed into a home here yesterday, killing the pilot and setting fire to the house. Killed was Second Lieutenant Herbert E. Smith, of Angelo, Texas, whose body was badly burned. One wing of his one-seated ship struck the brick home of Dr. O. H. Swartz, after ripping telephone wires. The physician and his family, eating lunch at the time, escaped injury. Fire companies brought the resulting fire under control while thousands watched.” (Clearfield Progress, PA. “Pilot Killed in Plane Crash.” 9-23-1942, p. 9.)
Maine
Sep 23: Sandusky Register-Star-News: “Caribou, Me., Sept. 23 (UP) – Army boards of inquiry today were investigating almost simultaneous explosions of two Army bombers, flying 15 miles apart, which killed 14 men. They crashed in flames in a backwoods district shortly after they had taken off from their base at Presque Isle yesterday. The first one caught fire over the Caribou-Presque Isle high-way. It grazed the tree-tops, roared across the Aroostook river and dived to earth three miles away. The crew was listed as Lieutenant R. L. Drogula, pilot; Lieutenant J. A. Crocker, copilot; and Sergeants W. H. Finch, Billy J. Hill, G. E. Simmons, L. A. Robinson and Joseph Martino.
“The second plane crashed at Washburn, near Perham. Its crew included Lieutenant F. F. Watson, pilot; Lieutenant John W. Rives, co-pilot; and Sergeants J. F. Delano, J. A King, X. J. Crosier, R. K. Riddle and F. W. Rowbottom.” (Sandusky Register-Star-News, OH. “Investigation in Crash of Planes Opened by Army.” 9-23-1942, p. 9.)
Washburn, near Perham, Maine
Mireles: “9-22-42B. Perham, Maine. At 0745, a North American B-25C flying in instrument conditions suffered the catastrophic failure of its port wing and crashed five miles east of Perham, Maine, killing the crew of seven. The aircraft was part of a flight of eight B-25C aircraft enroute to Gander, Newfoundland. The flight had landed at Presque Isle Army Air Base, Maine, to refuel and had planned on reassembling north of the field after take-off for the leg to Gander. Once the flight became airborne they encountered instrument conditions with ceilings as low as 600 feet and moderate fog. After flying around for some time with assembly becoming impossible due to the weather closing in on them, six of the B-25s returned to Presque Isle and landed safely. One aircraft departed the area and made it safely to Gander.
“The B-25 that crashed was found a short time later by a civilian who had witnessed the airplane fall out of the sky trailing debris. Investigators speculated that the pilot temporarily lost control of the aircraft in instrument conditions and stressed the port wing to the point of failure with an extreme pull-up maneuver in an effort to right his aircraft. When the wing failed and separated from the aircraft, it traveled from left to right and over the top of the fuselage, impacting the top turret and the starboard vertical fin and rudder assembly, causing them to separate from the aircraft. The aircraft struck the ground at a steep angle, exploding into flames and hurling wreckage over an area of 1,000 feet. Investigation revealed that the aircraft was over gross weight.
“Killed in the crash were: 2Lt. John F. Watson, pilot; 2Lt John W Rives, Jr., co-pilot; SSgt. John S. Delano, bombardier; SSgt. James A. Kviz, engineer; SSgt. Eugene J. Crozier, gunner; SSgt. Richard K. Riddle, radio operator; Sgt. Frederick W. Rowbottom, passenger.” (Mireles, Anthony J. Fatal Army Air Forces Aviation Accidents in the United States, 1941-1945 (Vol. 1: Introduction, January 1941 – June 1943). Jefferson, NC: McFarland and Co., 2006, 155-156.)
Presque Isle Army Air Base, Maine
Mireles: “9-22-42C. Presque Isle, Maine. At 0946, a North American B-25C flying in instrument conditions suffered the catastrophic failure of its port wing and crashed seven miles NNE of Presque Isle Army Air Base, Maine, killing the crew of seven.
“The aircraft was part of a flight of eight that was headed for Gander, Newfoundland, and had stopped at Presque Isle to refuel. When assembly was attempted after take-off, instrument conditions were encountered and six of the airplanes returned to Presque Isle, all landing safely. One aircraft left the area and landed safely at Gander. One aircraft crashed after it suffered a similar structural failure shortly after take-off, killing its crew of seven (see 9-22-42B).
“At 0935, three of the six remaining B-25s began taking off in five-minute intervals. The accident aircraft took off second and soon encountered instrument conditions. Investigators speculated that the pilot temporarily lost control of the aircraft in instrument conditions and stressed the port wing to the point of failure with an extreme pull-up maneuver in an effort to right his aircraft. Investigators later stated, “The ship was heard in the clouds with the engines roaring and came out of the clouds at 200 feet above the field at an angle of about 35 degrees going north. The ship was then seen to make a sharp pull out. The left wing folded back, taking with it the empennage. The ship then made a half roll {to the left} and struck the ground upside down and exploded immediately on contact. The ship made contact with the ground at a sharp angle.”
“Killed in the crash were: 2Lt. Ralph L Drogula, pilot; 2Lt. James Q. Crocker, copilot; SSgt. William H. Finch, bombardier; SSgt. Billy J. Hill, engineer; SSgt. George E. Simmons, radio operator; SSgt. Joseph Martino, gunner; SSgt. Lawrence A. Robinson, crew chief.
“When officers at the Presque Isle base learned of the accident, the three B-25s waiting to take-off were told to return to the line and their mission scrubbed. The other two B-25s that had taken off with the accident airplane made it safely to Gander. Investigation revealed that the airplane was over gross weight.” (Mireles, Anthony J. Fatal Army Air Forces Aviation Accidents in the United States, 1941-1945 (Vol. 1: Introduction, January 1941 – June 1943). Jefferson, NC: McFarland and Co., 2006, 156.)
Near Tyndall Field, Panama City, FL
Mireles: “9-22-42G. Gulf of Mexico, Florida. At 1430 CWT, a North American AT-6A returning from an aborted target-tow mission stalled and spun into the Gulf of Mexico three miles southwest of Tyndall Field, Panama City, Florida, killing pilots Sgt. William Moore, 22, West Palm Beach, Florida, and Sgt. Frederick Heskes, 19, a Dutch sergeant pilot from Java.
“The aircraft was returning to Tyndall Field because the sleeve target it was towing had somehow become fouled on itself. Witnesses on the ground and in the air observed the AT-6 approaching the field at an altitude of approximately 500 feet and then enter a shallow and slow right hand spin, making two full turns. The aircraft appeared to level off momentarily before plunging into shallow water just offshore. Investigators could find no evidence that the tow target fouled the control surfaces of the aircraft and could not determine why the pilot was unable to maintain flying speed.” (Mireles, Anthony J. Fatal Army Air Forces Aviation Accidents in the United States, 1941-1945 (Vol. 1: Introduction, January 1941 – June 1943). Jefferson, NC: McFarland and Co., 2006, 157.)
Sep 23, Panama City News-Herald: “The bodies of Sgt. Pilot Frederick L. Heskes, 19, a Javanese, and Sgt. William G. Moore, 22, West Palm Beach, today were being prepared for shipment to their interment places. Both were instantly killed yesterday afternoon when their plane crashed approximately three miles east of the Army Air Forces flexible Gunnery School at Tyndall Field. A military board of inquiry named immediately following the crash was today investigating its cause. Their flight was a routine training one….Sgt. Moore…was a tow target operator.
“Sgt. Heskes, who had been at Tyndall only two days was a member of the Royal Netherlands Military Flying School there. Dutch and their colonists are being trained in gunnery at the field….He was a native of the Dutch East Indies.” (Panama City News-Herald, FL. “Two Die When Plane Crashes Near Tyndall.” 9-23-1942, p. 1.)
Sources
Clearfield Progress, PA. “Pilot Killed in Plane Crash.” 9-23-1942, p. 9. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=11230694&sterm=decatur+plane+crash
Lebanon Daily News, PA. “Pilot Dies in Crash.” 9-23-1942, p. 1. Accessed 2-9-2013 at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=102620442&sterm=hartford+plane+crash
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.
Panama City News-Herald, FL. “Two Die When Plane Crashes Near Tyndall.” 9-23-1942, p. 1. http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=34819925&sterm=panama+plane+crash
Richardson, Jennifer J. “Druid Hills History. Plane Crashes Near Venetian Pools in 1942.” Druid Hills News, Vol. 26, No. 4, Winter 2012, p. 1. Accessed 2-9-2013 at: http://druidhills.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/dhn-winter2012lr1.pdf
San Mateo Times, CA. “19 Meet Death in Series of Army Plane Crashes in Five States.” 9-22-1942, p. 5. Accessed 2-9-2013 at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=52668383&sterm=plane+crash+perham
Sandusky Register Star-News, OH. “Investigation in Crash of Planes Opened by Army.” 9-23-1942, p. 9. At: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=150336961&sterm
[1] Richardson has the date of the crash as September 23.
[2] Or Oberhelman. (Stein, Hannah. “In Memoriam: A partial listing of Miami University’s war fallen.” Miami Student, Miami University, 11-10-2011.)