1942 — Dec 30, USAAF B-17F icing crash 8M south of Musselshell, MT                       —     12

Compiled by Wayne Blanchard; last edit 5-24-2024 for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/

—  12  Mireles 2006, Fatal Army AF Aviation Accidents in US 1941-1945, Vol. 1, p. 224.

—  11  Salt Lake Tribune, UT.  “11 Men Killed as Big Army Plane Crashes.” 12-31-1942, p. 1.

Narrative Information

Mireles: “At 1430, a Boeing B-17F flying in icing conditions crashed to the ground out of control eight miles south of Musselshell, Montana, killing 12 crew and passengers.

 

“The B-17 had taken off from the Army Air Base at Great Falls, Mon­tana, at 1300 MWT with two other B-17 airplanes on a navigation and formation training flight to Ainsworth, Nebraska, land, refuel, and return. The for­mation began its climb to altitude and entered the over­cast at about 8,500 feet, breaking out on top at about 16,000 feet. The ascent took about 20 minutes at an indicated airspeed of 140 mph.

 

“All aircraft began to pick up rime ice about one inch thick on the under­side of the leading edge. The subject airplane, which was also the lead B-17, also picked up some carbure­tor ice while climbing through the overcast. After about 20 minutes of flying on top, the lead B-17 was seen to descend into the clouds. There was no further visual or radio contact between the formation and the air­plane after it began its descent. Witnesses on the ground reported seeing the B-17 spinning out of the overcast out of control. The airplane appeared to par­tially recover before entering an extreme nose-up po­sition. The airplane then fell straight down and began to enter a flat spin, striking the ground with little for­ward motion and exploding into flames.

 

“Killed in the crash were:  [We place the 12 names into separate lines.]

 

1Lt. Edward T. Layfield, pilot;

2Lt. Gerald K. Beem, co-pilot;

2Lt. Regis J. Newland, navigator;

2Lt. Chester A. Knight, Jr., bombardier;

SSgt. Hulon B. Dutton, engineer;

SSgt. Charles T. Valys, radio operator;

SSgt. Frederick T. Brown, gunner;

Cpl. Fred E. Murray, gunner;

Cpl. Hobart L. Hall, gunner

Maj. Orville A. Ralston, pilot rated passenger;

Pfc. Jacob J. Reiss, passenger;

TSgt. Wallace H. Hanson, passenger.”

 

(Mireles 2006, V1,  224.)

Newspaper

 

Dec 30: “Musselshell, Mont., Dec. 30 (AP) – A four-motored army plane crashed and burned in the wooded, sparsely-settled hill country 11 miles south of this central Montana village Wednesday afternoon [Dec 30], killing 11 persons.

 

“Deputy Sheriff Frank Ottman hurried to the crash scene and returned for help.  He identified the plane as belonging to the army.  He said he assumed that only 11 persons were aboard the big plane since no other bodies were found.  The officer told Storekeeper W. K. Timmerman in Musselshell that two of the bodies had been flung clear of the plane and that the others were inside the charred wreckage.

 

“Persons who went there described a desolate scene of charred bodies, wreckage and snapped trees where the big four-engined ship made its final plunge.  “The plane had all but cleared a rolling slope when it struck,” George Swertelle, Roundup newspaperman, who visited the scene, reported. “From gouges made in the earth, the plane apparently bounced once, then slithered about 100 yards before bursting into flames.  “Two of the crew were thrown clear of the ship and lay within 10 feet of a roaring inferno, caused, probably, by gasoline in the tanks. The plane had made a crash landing, for its wheels were not let down. Two eight-inch pine trees had been torn off by the wingtips of the ship, although the wings themselves were not wrenched from the fuselage.  The latter, however, was flattened out by the impact”.”  (Salt Lake Tribune, UT.  “11 Men Killed as Big Army Plane Crashes.” 12-31-1942, p. 1.)

 

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.

 

Salt Lake Tribune, UT. “11 Men Killed as Big Army Plane Crashes.” 12-31-1942, p. 1. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=89923437