20th Century

1946 — March 23, USAAF C-47 flies into Mount Banahaw/Banahao, Leyte, Philippines– 19

lornajarrettblanchard March 23, 1946

1946 -- March 23, USAAF C-47 flies into Mount Banahaw/Banahao, Leyte, Philippines-- 19

Compiled 11-11-2023 by Wayne Blanchard for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/

–19 Aviation Safety Network. USAAF C-47 flew into side of Mt. Banahaw, Philippines, 3-23-1946.

–19 Baugher, Joseph F. USAAF Serial Numbers (43-5109 to 43-52437). 9-1-2023 revision.

–19 Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives. “Crash…C-47B-1-DL…Mt Banahao: 19 Killed.”

Narrative Information

Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation, Database, 1946, p. 9:

“Date: Saturday 23 March 1946

“Type: Douglas C-47B-1-DL (DC-3)

“Operator: United States Army Air Force – USAAF

“Registration: 43-16211

“MSN: 20677

“First flight: 1944

….

“Total: Fatalities: 19 / Occupants: 24

….

“Location: Banaho Mountain (Philippines)

“Phase: En Route

….

“Narrative: Flew into the side of a mountain.”

Baugher: “….Douglas C-147B-1-DL Skytrain…16211 (MSN (20677) to USAAF 04Jul44. 5^th AF 11Aug44. Sole Philippines 25Feb46. W/o Mar 23, 1946 Banahao Mountains, Philippines. 19 killed.”

Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives. “Crash…C-47B…Mt Banahao: 19 Killed.”:

“Date & Time: Mar 23, 1946

“Type of aircraft: Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)

“Operator: USAAF

“Registration: 43-16211

“Flight Phase: Flight

“Flight Type: Military

“Survivors: Yes

“Site: Mountains

“MSN: 20677

“YOM: 1944

“Location: Mt Banahao, Leyte [There is a Banahao Mountain on Leyte.]

“Country: Philippines….

“Crew of board: 3

“Crew fatalities: 3

“Pax on board: 21

“Pas fatalities: 16

“Other fatalities: 0

“Total fatalities: 19

“Circumstances: Enroute, the twin engine aircraft hit the slope of Mt Banahao, and was

totally destroyed. Five passengers were seriously injured and evacuated

while 19 other occupants were killed.”

Sources

Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation, Database, 1946, p. 9. USAAF C-47 flies into side of Mt. Banahaw, Philippines, 3-23-1946. Accessed 11-11-2023 at:

https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19460323-2

Baugher, Joseph F. USAAF Serial Numbers (43-5109 to 43-52437). 9-1-2023 revision. Accessed 11-11-2023 at: https://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1943_2.html

Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives. “Crash of a Douglas C-47B-1-DL on Mt Banahao: 19 Killed.” Accessed 11-11-2023 at:

https://www.baaa-acro.com/crash/crash-douglas-c-47b-1-dl-mt-banahao-19-killed

20th Century

1946 — Mar 19, USAAF B-17 crash in adverse weather, northern Formosa (Taiwan) –all 10

lornajarrettblanchard March 19, 1946

Compiled 11-11-2023 by Wayne Blanchard for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/

–10 AP. “Spot Wreckage of Army B-17.” The Sedalia Weekly Democrat, MO, 3-22-1946, p. 1.

–10 Aviation Safety Network. USAAF B-17 crash, adverse weather, northern Formosa, 3-19-1946.

Narrative Information

Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation, Database, 1946, p. 8:

“Date: Tuesday 19 March 1946

“Type: Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress

“Owner Operator: United States Army Air Force (USAAF)

“Registration: 44-83779

….

“Fatalities: Fatalities: 10 / Occupants: 10

….

“Location: northern Formosa – Taiwan

….

“Narrative: Crashed in bad weather. General James E. Parker (49)[1] and nine other

officials and soldiers died.”

Newspaper

March 22, AP: “Tokyo, Friday, March 22 – (AP) – The wreckage of an army B-17 Flying Fortress bomber, which was piloted by Maj. Gen. James E. Parker and carried nine other military personnel, has been located on northern Formosa, Lt. Gen. Ennis C. Whitehead announced today. The four-engined bomber, flown by the commanding general of the 20^th airforce, had been missing since March 19. The plane left Kinakway airfield near Shanghai that morning on its way to Manila. Its last reported position was 180 miles off the China coast. Reports from Formosa were that the craft was located in a remote area and a ground party is on the way to the scene. Other details were lacking but General Whitehead said identification of the plane was positive….”

Sources

Associated Press. “Spot Wreckage of Army B-17.” The Sedalia Weekly Democrat, MO, 3-22-1946, p. 1. Accessed 11-11-2023 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/sedalia-democrat-mar-21-1946-p-15/

Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation, Database, 1946, p. 8. USAAF B-17 crash, adverse weather, northern Formosa, 3-19-1946. Accessed 11-11-2023 at:

https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19460319-0

Find a Grave. “Maj Gen James Edmund Parker.” Posted 8-8-2010. Accessed 11-11-2023 at: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56777088/james-edmund-parker

[1] He was the Commander of the Twentieth Air Force. (Find a Grave. “Maj Gen James Edmund Parker.” 8-8-2010.)

20th Century

1946 — March 19, USAAF C-47 breaks-up in-flight, near Hobart Mills, CA –all 26

lornajarrettblanchard March 19, 1946

Latest edit 11-8-2023 by Wayne Blanchard for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/

— 26 Aviation Safety Network. Accident Report, USAAF Douglas C-47B-50, March 19, 1946.

— 26 Baugher. 1945 USAAF Serial Numbers. Sep 21, 2011 revision.

— 26 Gero. Military Aviation Disasters: Significant Losses Since 1908. 1999, p. 39.^[1]

— 26 Macha, G. Pat and D. Jordan. Aircraft Wrecks in the Mountains and Deserts of [CA]. 1997.

— 26 National Fire Protect. Assoc. “Large Loss Fires of 1946.” Quarterly, 40/3, Jan 1947, p.206.

— 26 Nevada State Journal, Reno. “Army Opens Inquiry in Sierra Crash.” 3-21-1946, p. 1.

— 26 Salt Lake Tribune, UT. “Army C-47 Explodes, Kills 26.” 3-20-1946, p. 1.

Narrative Information

Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation, Database, 1946, p. 8:

“Date: Tuesday 19 March 1946

“Type: Douglas C-47B-50-DK (DC-3)

“Operator: United States Army Air Force – USAAF

“Registration: 45-1085

“MSN: 34355/17088

“First Flight: 1945

….

“Crew Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 3

“Passengers: Fatalities: 23 / Occupants: 23

“Total: Fatalities: 26 / Occupants: 26

….

“Location: near Hobard Mills, CA (USA)

“Departure airport: Stockton Airport, CA…USA

“Destination airport: Ogden (unknown airport), UT, USA

“Narrative: Broke up in flight.”

Baugher: “Douglas C-47B-50-DK Skytrain….1085 (c/n 17088/34355) broke up in flight near Hobard [Hobart] Mills, CA Mar 19, 1946. 26 killed.” (Baugher. 1945 USAAF Serial Numbers. 9-21- 2011 rev.)

Gero:

“Date: 19 March 1946 (c.11:45)

“Location: Near Hobart Mills, California, US

“Operator: US Army Air Forces

“Aircraft type: Douglas C-47B (45-1085)

“The twin-engine transport crashed in the Sierra Nevada region, not far from the Nevada border, and all 26 American military personnel aboard (23 passengers and a crew of three) were killed. Having taken off earlier from Stockton Field in California, and stopped at McClellan Air Base, near the state capital of Sacramento, the aircraft had been en-route to Hill Field, located near Ogden, Utah, when it disintegrated at an approximate height of 7,300ft (2,200m) over Donner Summit. The separation of its right wing and empennage was followed by a more general break-up of the C-47 which scattered wreckage and bodies across the mountainous terrain over an area of some 2 square miles (3 sq km). No reason was given for the structural failure, but releasable findings of the investigation revealed no evidence of in-flight explosion or fire.” (Gero 1999, p. 39/)

National Fire Protection Association: “March 19, near Truckee, Calif. Aircraft. Over $250,000.

“An Army C-47 transport plane exploded in flight and crashed on a snow-covered mountain 11 miles from Truckee. Twenty-three Army passengers and 3 crew members were killed instantly. Rescue parties on skis and snowshoes reached the scene only to discover the wreckage and dead scattered over a half-mile area. No reason for the explosion has been released by Army authorities.” (National Fire Protection Association. “Large Loss Fires of 1946.” Quarterly of the National Fire Protection Association, Vol. 40, No. 3, Jan 1947, p. 206 of pp. 179-248.)

Newspapers:

March 19: “Hobart Mills, Calif., March 19. – (AP) — The airways communication station at Donner Summit reported today a large airplane “exploded” in the air near here today, dissolved in pieces and buried itself in a Sierra snowbank. Rescue crews were dispatched at once on skis and snowshoes. Station officials said they had contacted about 10 minutes earlier a Denver-bound C-47 military transport in the area. The plane which crashed in the snow-storm, however appeared to be heading in the opposite direction, toward Sacramento.

“Mr. and Mrs. Clair Heater, caretakers at Hobart Mills, described the plane as ‘a big one.’ They said pieces of it fell in Hobart Mills, but the main body plunged down probably two miles distant.” (San Mateo Times, CA. “Plane Explodes Near Truckee.” 3-19-1946, p. 1.)

March 19: “Truckee, Cal., March 19 (AP) – Twenty-six army and navy men were killed Tuesday in a C-47 transport plane which strewed wreckage over a wide area of the crash scene in the snowy Sierras north of Lake Tahoe. Hours later, the wreckage of a B-29 army bomber was sighted near Livermore, 150 miles southwest of Truckee, with a probable loss of seven more lives.

“The C-47, flying from Stockton army air base to Denver, crashed in midmorning with some witnesses reporting it previously exploded aloft. It was flying from Stockton army air base to Ogden, Utah, and Denver, Colo. The plane was due at Hill field at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday….

“More than 20 of the bodies already have been counted at the C-47 crash scene, a heavily wooded sector difficult to reach….

“Some witnesses peering through snow from a distance thought they saw the C-47 blow up in the air, with the fuselage landing near Hobart Mills, seven miles north of Truckee….

“Capt. Harold Simer, commanding officer of the Reno, Nev., army air base, who made his way to the scene, said the right wing of the plane had not been found, perhaps having dropped away first. The plane evidently had spiraled down crazily, striking a tree which sheared off the left wing. The fuselage had struck the mountain slope and nosed over into the snow, breaking open.

“A huddled mass of bodies in the fuselage were so entangled first attempts to count them were unsuccessful. There were no signs of life when La Mar arrived. All were in army or navy uniform, and for the most part were intact. There was no fire.

“Charles Bennett, photographer for the Associated Press, said some 23 bodies had been counted before dusk fell — early in the wooded mountain hollow, with the heavy snow still falling steadily. The temperature was just about freezing. ‘The plane seemed to have broken in two,’ said Bennett. ‘The tail was about 150 feet from the fuselage and a wing had hit a tree. I don’t see how the plane got down without striking more trees.’

“The snow in the hollow was over an average man’s head. Capt. Simer once stepped into a hollow and disappeared from view floundering, until fellow-members of the rescue party on snow shoes extricated him.

“Hobart Mills, a ghost town with only a caretaker and his wife for residents, was the nearest point to which a vehicle could come unaided. Rescuers sent for tractors and snow plows. Night lights also were on the way so that the task of making a road among the big pines could go on in the dark. Army men produced a walkie-talkie set, so that communication soon wan set up with Hobart Mills….

“Hobart Mills, a ghost lumber town in which one family resides, is at 6500 feet elevation in the Sierras. The crash scene was one mile southwest of the town in a heavily wooded area covered by about eight feet of snow.

“Lt. Thomas M. Pickett at Stockton air field, said the plane, which left there Tuesday morning, cleared McClelland field at Sacramento at 10:15 a. m. and crashed about 11:45 a. m.

“In Sacramento, Col. B. R. Ertwine of McClelland field, said the 26 aboard comprised mixed army and navy personnel.

“The scene of the tragedy is about 10 miles west of Reno.” (Salt Lake Tribune, UT. “Army C-47 Explodes, Kills 26.” 3-20-1946, p. 1.)

March 21: (UPI) “Searchers, working in a blinding Sierra Nevada blizzard, yesterday afternoon recovered and identified bodies of 26 victims of the explosion and crash of a C-47 transport plane near Hobart Mills as army officials opened an official investigation of the tragedy.

“The plane, carrying 23 army and navy officers and enlisted men as passengers and three army men as crew members exploded in mid-air over Hobart Mills shortly before noon Tuesday. The plane was enroute from Stockton army air base to Denver when the crash occurred.

“The investigation was opened by a board of inquiry from the Stockton base. Meantime, the war department announced in Washington that Maj. Robert W. Schick and Maj. Gerald E. Crane of the army air transport command flying safety service had left their headquarters at Winston-Salem, N.C., for the scene of the crash…..” (Nevada State Journal, Reno. “Army Opens Inquiry in Sierra Crash.” 3-21-1946, p. 1.

Sources

Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation, Database, 1946, p. 8. USAAF C-47B-DK breaks-up in flight near Hobard Mills CA, 3-19-1946. Accessed 11-8-2023 at:

https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19460319-0

Baugher, Joseph F. 1945 USAAF Serial Numbers. 9-21-2011 revision. Accessed 1-1-2012 at: http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1945.html

Gero, David. Military Aviation Disasters: Significant Losses Since 1908. UK and Newbury Park, CA: Patrick Stephens Limited, an imprint of Hayes Publishing, 1999.

Macha, G. Pat and Don R. Jordan. Aircraft Wrecks in the Mountains and Deserts of California 1909-1996 (3^rd ed.). Info Net Pub, 1997.

National Fire Protection Association. “Large Loss Fires of 1946.” Quarterly of the National Fire Protection Association, Vol. 40, No. 3, Jan 1947, pp. 179-248.

Nevada State Journal, Reno. “Army Opens Inquiry in Sierra Crash.” 3-21-1946, p. 1. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=3664582&sterm=hobart+mills+plane

Salt Lake Tribune, UT. “Army C-47 Explodes, Kills 26.” 3-20-1946, p. 1. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=91109091&sterm=hobart+mills+plane

San Mateo Times, CA. “Plane Explodes Near Truckee.” 3-19-1946, p. 1. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=37284683&sterm=hobart+mills+plane

[1] We give the benefit of the doubt to the Gero report of structural failure as the cause of the crash, given his reliance on military investigations, as opposed to an explosion as noted in newspaper reporting and early periodicals. However, it should be noted that not all public versions of military accident investigation reports can be relied on as “the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. See, for example, Alan E. Diehl’s, Silent Knights: Blowing the Whistle on Military Accidents and Their Cover-Ups (NY: Bristol Park Books, 2002). See also the story of the July 12, 1943 explosion at Eglin Air Force Base, Pensacola, Florida, originally reported by the military as an accident while removing tree stumps on base. Many years later it was uncovered that what actually happened was a mishap during the testing of a new explosive compound named Nitramon. In addition, any event involving nuclear or nuclear weapon components is likely to be shrouded in national security cloudiness.

20th Century

1946 – March 7, Kirtland AAB USAAF B-29 disintegrates, Los Lunas bombing range, NM–10

lornajarrettblanchard March 7, 1946

— 10 Coshocton Tribune, OH. “Army Reveals Names Of 10 Men Killed…,” Mar 11, 1946, p.4.

— 10 Salt Lake Tribune. “B-29 Yields Last 2 of Ten Bodies,” March 9, 1946, p. 3.

— 10 San Mateo Times, CA. “10 Fliers Die In B-29 Crash,” March 8, 1946, p. 2.

— 10 Wikipedia. “List of accidents and incidents involving military aircraft (1945-1949).”

Narrative Information

Wikipedia: “7 March 1946… Silverplate Boeing B-29-30-MO Superfortress 42-65387 from Kirtland Army Air Field in New Mexico, on a practice mission to the Los Lunas bombing range, released a 10,150-pount Fat Man before it disintegrated for unknown reasons and spun in from 32,000 feet. Ten crew members died, and wreckage was strewn up to 16 miles from the crash site….”[1]

Newspapers

March 8, United Press: “Albuquerque, N. M., March 8.—(UP)—Ten army airmen were killed late yesterday when their B-29 Flying Fortress crashed and burned in an isolated section 60 miles southwest of here, Kirtland field authorities reported today.” (San Mateo Times. “10 Fliers Die In B-29 Crash,” March 8, 1946, p. 2.)

March 8, UP: “Albuquerque, N.M., March 8 (UP) – The blackened wreckage of a B-29 Superfortress, which crashed in isolated country southwest of here, Friday night gave up the last of the bodies of 10 fliers. The charred bodies of the airmen were brought to Kirtland field here, from which base the army fliers made their tragic flight, for identification….

“The Superfortress crashed and burned about 3½ hours after taking off from Kirtland field at 9:30 a.m. (MST) Thursday… First report of the crash came from an unidentified New Mexico rancher, who, with an Indian ranch-hand, saw the big ship slide out of control and plunge to earth, bursting into flames on impact. The rancher telephoned Kirtland field after making his way about 40 miles from the barren crash scene – 60 miles southwest of Albuquerque – to the nearest telephone.” (Salt Lake Tribune. “B-29 Yields Last 2 of Ten Bodies,” March 9, 1946, p. 3)

March 11, International News Service: “Albuquerque, N. M.—(INS) —The tenth army airman killed in the crash of a B-29 superfortress near Las Lunas N. M. late Thursday was identified today as Sgt. Carl W. Ruch 21 radio operator from Tamaqua, Pa. Earlier officials at Kirtland Field near Albuquerque, had released the names of nine of the ten crew members who died in the crash.

“Investigation was under way today to determine the cause of the crash. The giant bomber plunged into the ground 35 miles west of Las Lunas during a practice bombing run.” (Coshocton Tribune, OH. “Army Reveals Names Of 10 Men Killed When Plane Crashed,” 11 Mar 1946, p. 4.)

Sources

Coshocton Tribune, OH. “Army Reveals Names Of 10 Men Killed When Plane Crashed,” March 11, 1946, p. 4. At: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=4325605

Salt Lake Tribune, UT. “B-29 Yields Last 2 of Ten Bodies,” March 9, 1946, p. 3. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=91108799

San Mateo Times, CA. “10 Fliers Die In B-29 Crash,” March 8, 1946, p. 2. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=37284622

Wikipedia. “List of accidents and incidents involving military aircraft (1945-1949).” Accessed 11-8-2023 at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_accidents_and_incidents_involving_military_aircraft_(1945%E2%80%931949)

[1] Cites: Campbell, Richard H. The Silverplate Bombers: A History and Registry of the Enola Gay and Other B-29s Configured to carry Atomic Bombs. McFarland & Co., Inc., 2005, pp. 48 and 59.

20th Century

1946 — March 3, American Airlines 6-103 descent crash in zero visibility, Thing Mt. CA–25

lornajarrettblanchard March 3, 1946

Latest edit 11-8-2023 by Wayne Blanchard for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/

— 25 Aviation Safety Network, Accident Description, American Flight 6-193, March 3, 1946.

— 25 Baugher. 1942 USAAF Serial Numbers (42-57213 to 42-70685). Sep 6, 2011 revision.

— 25 CAB. AIR, American Airline – Thing Mountain, California – March 3, 1946.

— 25 Notable California Aviation Disasters. “The 1940s.”

Narrative Information

Baugher: “Douglas C-49H-DO….Returned to American Airlines as NC21799 May 27, 1944. Crashed 35m W. El Centro, CA, Mar 03, 1946. Crashed into Thing Mountain at altitude of 4860 feet. All 25 on board killed.” (Baugher. 1942 USAAF Serial Numbers (42-57213 to 42-70685). Sep 6, 2011 revision.)

Civil Aeronautics Board, Accident Investigation Report (American Airlines 3-3-1946, CA):

“The Accident

“American Airlines Flight 6-103 crashed against the east slope of Thing Mountain California, at 0812 Pacific Standard Time] March 3, 1946, during a scheduled flight from El Paso and while descending toward San Diego. The 22 passengers and the crew of 3 were fatally injured, and the Douglas DC-3 was demolished by impact and subsequent fire.

“History of the Flight

“Flight 6-103 departed New York, New York, at 0902 March 2, 1946, en route to San Diego, California. Crew changes were made at Nashville, Tennessee, and El Paso, Texas. The flight from New York to El Paso was completed without incident.

“While at El Paso Flight 6-103 obtained an instrument flight clearance from Airway Traffic Control to cruise to San Diego at 8,000 feet with Long Beach, California, designated as alternate airport and with a stop scheduled at Tucson, Arizona. The flight departed El Paso at 032g and arrived at Tucson at 0537. At 0559 the aircraft departed Tucson and routine position reports were subsequently received from the flight over Casa Grande, Gila Bend, and Yuma, Arizona. At 0754 the American Airlines radio operator at San Diego transmitted the 0750 weath4r report for San Diego: Indefinite ceiling 1,200 feet, broken clouds; visibility 8 miles. Receipt of this information was acknowledged by Flight 6-103 and immediately thereafter the flight reported that it had been over El Centro, California, at 0753 at 3,000 feet.

“Los Angeles Airway Traffic Control delivered a clearance for Flight 6-103 to American Airlines radio station at San Diego clearing the flight to San Diego to cruise at 8,000 feet and to cross San Diego at an altitude of at least 500 feet above the overcast. The company station, in turn, attempted to relay the Airway Traffic Control clearance to the flight at 0812, however, after several attempts at establishing contact with the flight, Airway Traffic Control was advised that the clearance was not delivered. All further attempts to contact the flight were unsuccessful.

“Routine search procedures were initiated immediately and at 1305 aircraft of the Naval Air Control Center at San Diego reported sighting the wreckage of Flight 6-103 on the east slope of Thing Mountain, approximately 50 miles east of San Diego.

“Investigation

“The wreckage was located on the east slope of Thing Mountain at an elevation 4,870 feet above sea level and at a point 10 miles ESE of Pine Valley, California. The point of impact was on the north edge of the east leg of San Diego radio range. It was apparent that the aircraft had struck Thing Mountain in an attitude of flight which was laterally horizontal but at a slight ascent. The left wing tip made first contact with the ground causing the aircraft to whip to the left. The right wing failed along the angle and was thrown forward of the wreckage. After coming to rest the entire forward portion of the fuselage was consumed by fire.

“Further investigation of the wreckage disclosed no indication of failure of any part of the aircraft or malfunctioning of the power plants. It was apparent that both engines were operating at approximately cruising manifold pressure and rpm at the time of impact….

“Discussion

….

“Inasmuch as no flight analyzer or barograph was carried on board it was not possible to determine the actual path of the aircraft in its descent from El Centro to Thing Mountain. Requirements for flight analyzers had been deleted from the Civil Air Regulations during the war because of the unavailability of parts required in maintenance….

“The reason for descent from 8,000 feet at El Centro to 4,370 feet at the scene of the accident has not been determined. In the light of the weather conditions which existed in the vicinity of the Laguna Range, an intentional descent cannot be justified. However, in view of the fact that the pilot had not obtained a clearance to San Diego from Los Angeles Airway Traffic Control and in view of the fact that contact conditions existed east of the ridge, it appears that the pilot or co-pilot was attempting to descend from El Centro while en mute to San Diego in accordance with Contact Flight Rules. The terrain in the vicinity of Thing Mountain rises very steeply and the ceilings at the time of the accident were lowering rapidly. It is probable that the weather conditions at the scene of the accident were zero-zero at the time the aircraft reached that vicinity. In view of the lowering terrain toward the south and east, it is likely that, had the pilot encountered difficulty with either equipment or downdrafts as he approached Tuning Mountain, he would have turned to the south or to the east toward more favorable terrain and weather conditions, However, no indications of equipment malfunctioning were disclosed and no evidence was found to indicate that the pilot vas attempting to avoid that area. It can be concluded, therefore, that the descent was accomplished either by the pilot or with his approval.

“Probable Cause

“On the basis of the investigation, the Board determines that that the probable cause of this accident was the action of the pilot in descending or permitting a descent to be made, into instrument conditions to an altitude below that required to maintain clearance over Thing Mountain. The reason for the descent has not been determined.” (Civil Aeronautics Board. Accident Investigation Report. American Airline – Thing Mountain, California – March 3, 1946.)

Notable California Aviation Disasters:

“Date / Time: Sunday, March 3, 1946 / 8:12 a.m.

“Operator / Flight No.: American Airlines / Flight 6-103

“Location: Near Live Oak Springs, Calif.

“Details and Probable Cause: American Airlines Flight 6-103, a twin-engine Douglas DC-3-227B (NC21799) bound for San Diego, originated at New York and made scheduled stops at Nashville, Tennessee; El Paso, Texas; and Tucson, Arizona. It departed Tucson at 5:59 a.m., having been cleared at El Paso by Airway Traffic Control to cruise to San Diego at 8,000 feet.

“With a crew of three and 22 passengers aboard, the airliner radioed routine position reports while flying over Casa Grande, Gila Bend and Yuma, Arizona. After the DC-3 reported passing over El Centro, California, at 7:53 a.m., the company station at San Diego attempted to radio the aircraft at 8:12 a.m. with clearance information that instructed it to proceed to San Diego at 8,000 feet and cross over the city at an altitude of at least 500 feet above the overcast. However, this message was not acknowledged by Flight 6-103’s crew and further attempts to contact the plane were unsuccessful.

“Search-and-rescue procedures were immediately initiated and, at 1:05 p.m. in the afternoon, aircraft dispatched from the Naval Air Control Center at San Diego reported sighting the wreckage of the American DC-3 on the eastern slope of Thing Mountain, approximately 10 miles east-southeast of Pine Valley, 39 miles west of El Centro and 50 miles east of San Diego.

“It gradually became apparent that the aircraft had encountered adverse weather conditions in the vicinity of Thing Mountain; at Mount Laguna, seven miles to the northwest, ceiling and visibility were reported as “zero.”

“Investigators determined that the DC-3 was in a slight descent when it crashed into the mountainous terrain at an altitude of 4,870 feet above sea level. The plane’s left wing tip had struck the rising slope, wrenching the aircraft to the left. Its right wing was then torn off and thrown forward of the wreckage and, upon coming to a rest, the entire forward portion of the fuselage was consumed by fire. All 25 persons on board were killed in the crash.

“In their report, Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) investigators concluded that, in view of the fact that the flight had not responded to the 8:12 clearance instructing them to remain at 8,000 feet — sent at about the same time the crash occurred — the flight crew never received it.

“Since prevailing weather conditions were clear east of Thing Mountain, the crew apparently began a routine descent as prescribed by visual flight rules (VFR) without first notifying controllers. It was during this descent that the aircraft encountered IFR (instrument flight rules) conditions at approximately 7,600 feet, as were reported by other pilots flying in the vicinity of Thing Mountain….

“Fatalities: 25 — 22 passengers and a crew of 3.” (Notable California Aviation Disasters. “The 1940s.”)

Sources

Aviation Safety Network. Accident Description. American Airlines Flight 6-193, March 3, 1946. Accessed 12/25/2008 at: http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19460303-0

Baugher, Joseph F. 1942 USAAF Serial Numbers (42-57213 to 42-70685). Sep 6, 2011 revision. Accessed 12-15-2011 at: http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1942_3a.html

Civil Aeronautics Board. Accident Investigation Report. American Airlines – Thing Mountain, California – March 3, 1946 (File No. 323-46). Washington, DC: CAB, January 30, 1947. Accessed 11-8-2023 at: https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwiOnNHA4bWCAxXOEGIAHWcEB6sQFnoECDAQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Frosap.ntl.bts.gov%2Fview%2Fdot%2F33266%2Fdot_33266_DS1.pdf&usg=AOvVaw21A3oOBewXdDzVHi3K5Gu9&opi=89978449

Notable California Aviation Disasters. “The 1940s.” Sep 25, 2009 update. Accessed 10/17/2009 at: http://www.jaydeebee1.com/crash40s.html (Site no longer active.)

20th Century

1946 — Feb 19, Natural Gas Explosion and Fire, apartment building, New Orleans, LA– 7

lornajarrettblanchard February 19, 1946

Latest edit 11-8-2023 by Wayne Blanchard for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/

–7 NFPA. “Gas Explosions.” Quarterly, Vol. 43, No. 4, April 1950, pp. 294-295.

Narrative Information

National Fire Protection Association: “Apartments, New Orleans, La., Feb. 19, 1946

“Seven persons were killed and thirty-eight injured when a natural gas explosion blew out the lower floor walls of a three-story brick negro housing project. The cause has been laid to a leakage of gas caused by the corrosion of an underground pipe. A local ordinance requiring that these pipes be encased in cement (because of peculiar soil conditions) was partially complied with, but a short length was not so protected. Gas filled an open area under the building and entered one of the ground floor apartments through a pipe hole. When one of the tenants started to prepare breakfast at 6:50 a.m., the blast occurred. Cement columns held the building upright, but the falling walls and concrete flooring crushed seven of the occupants. Only sporadic fires in combustible furniture followed the explosion.” (National Fire Protection Association. “Gas Explosions.” Quarterly of the National Fire Protection Association, Vol. 43, No. 4, April 1950, pp. 294-295.)

Newspapers

Feb 19: “New Orleans, Feb. 19 (AP) A terrific explosion, followed by fire, leveled a three-story apartment building in the downtown residential area here today, killing an undetermined number of persons and injuring a score of others. Fire Chief Frank Rivard and police estimated that a score or more persons, all negroes, lost their lives in the blast or fire, while a score of others were injured. They said the building housed 53 residents, most of whom were trapped inside when the blast occurred at 6:35 a.m. while the occupants were getting breakfast or preparing to go to work. Those rescued were taken to Charity Hospital suffering from burns. Witnesses said it was believed a number of persons had either been burned to death or were trapped in the wreckage. Some bodies could be seen among the ruins.

“Army and Navy ambulances were called into service to augment city ambulances in rescue work. Service men from the Port of Embarkation and the Navy also aided police and firemen.

“The building is a unit of a federal housing project located at St. Bernard Avenue and Milton Street in the Downtown area.

“The cause of the explosion was undetermined but Chief Frank Rivard said it possibly resulted from an accumulation of gas. One person who escaped declared that ‘we smelled gas in the house and somebody struck a match.’ Another witness said the explosion made a thunderous noise and then the building burst into flames.

“The explosion was heard for miles around and attracted thousands of spectators. Windows were

shattered and furnishings were upset over a considerable area. State Fire Marshal Campbell Palfrey said an investigation would be made of the blast.

“The interior of the structure was a mass of flames when firemen arrived and Fire Chief Frank Rivarde would not permit firemen to enter the wreckage. The first floor gave way and the second and third floors collapsed.

“Every available ambulance in the city was rushed to the scene to carry on rescue work.

“The building contained six one-bedroom apartments on the first floor and eight two-bedroom apartments on the second and third floors. The building was of brick construction. One witness, Wilson Sterling, who lives in another unit of the housing project described the explosion as ‘something that sounded like a blast of thunder.’ ‘I went to the window of my apartment and as I looked out I saw one end of the housing unit collapse, and then the flames shot into the sky, Sterling said. He said that from his point of view he saw only two persons leave the building.” (Daily Herald, Biloxi & Gulfport, MS. “Many Die in Blast. Explosion, Fire…” 2-19-1946, p. 1.)

Feb 20: “New Orleans, Feb. 20 (AP) The list of known dead reached five today from an explosion that demolished a 14-apartment dwelling in the St. Bernard negro housing project here yesterday. Thirty-eight other occupants were recovering from injuries suffered in the blast and fire, while three additional occupants of the three-story brick building were still unaccounted for. Rescuers had removed one body by mid-day. It was that of a 17-year-old youth identified by police reports as Willie Lee Johnson.” (Daily Herald, Biloxi & Gulfport, MS. “Five Known Dead in New Orleans Apartment Blast.” 2-20-1946, p. 1.)

Sources

Daily Herald, Biloxi & Gulfport, MS. “Five Known Dead in New Orleans Apartment Blast.” 2-20-1946, p. 1. http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=184418639&sterm=

Daily Herald, Biloxi & Gulfport, MS. “Many Die in Blast. Explosion, Fire…” 2-19-1946, p. 1.

Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=184418629&sterm

National Fire Protection Association. “Gas Explosions.” Quarterly of the National Fire Protection Association, Vol. 43, No. 4, April 1950, pp. 287-309.

20th Century

1946 – Feb 5, USAAF C-47 crash, heavy rain, mountains, Negros Island, Philippines–20-24

lornajarrettblanchard February 5, 1946

Compiled 11-8-2023 by Wayne Blanchard for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/

–24 Aviation Safety Network. USAAF C-47 flies into mountainside, Negros Island, Philippines.

–24 Bureau of Aviation Accident Archives. “Crash of a Douglas C-47A-30-DL near Bacolod: 24.”

–20 Gero. Military Aviation Disasters: Significant Losses Since 1908. 1999, p. 39.

Narrative Information

Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation, Database, 1946, p. 4:

“Date: Tuesday 5 February 1946

“Type: Douglas C-47A-30-DL (DC-3)

“Operator: United States Army Air Force – USAAF

“Registration: 42-23619

“MSN: 0481

….

“Crew: Fatalities: 4 / Occupants: 4

“Passengers: Fatalities: 20 / Occupants: 20

“Total: Fatalities: 24 / Occupants: 24

…Location: Negros Island (Philippines)

“Phase: En route (ENR)

“Nature: Military

“Departure airport: Iloilo-Mandurriao Airport…Philippines

“Destination airport: Cebu-Lahug Airport, Philippines

“Narrative: Flew into the side of a mountain.

Bureau of Aviation Accident Archives:

“Date & Time: Feb 5, 1946

“Type of aircraft: Douglas V-47 Skytrain (DC-3)

“Operator: USAAF

“Registration: 42-23619

“Flight Phase: Flight

“Flight Type: Military

“Survivors: No

“Site: Mountains

“Schedule: Cebu City – Iloilo City

“MSN: 9481

“YOM: 1943

“Location: Bacolod, Negros Occidental

“Country: Philippines

….

“Crew on board: 4

….

Pax on board: 20

….

“Total fatalities: 24

“Circumstances: Radio communications with the crew were lost while the aircraft was flying

in heavy rain falls vertical to Negros Island. As it failed to arrive in Iloilo, SAR operations were conducted but eventually suspended few days later as no trace of the aircraft nor the 24 occupant was found. The wreckage was spotted by walkers seven months later in a mountainous and wooded area located east of Bacolod.

“Probable cause: Controlled flight into terrain.

Gero:

“Date: 5 February 1946 (time unknown)

“Location: The Philippines

“Operator: US Army Air Forces

“Aircraft type: Douglas C-47

“The twin-engine transport vanished in adverse weather conditions during an inter-island flight to Cebu from Iloilo, located on Panay. The wreckage was found in mountainous terrain on Negros more than seven months later. All 20 persons aboard the aircraft had apparently been killed in the crash. The passengers included nine American civilian entertainers; the rest of the victims being military personnel, including the crew of four. No information was made available regarding possible causative factors.”

Sources

Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation, Database, 1946, p. 4. USAAF C-47 flies into mountainside, Negros Island, Philippines, 2-5-1946. Accessed 110-9-2023 at:

https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19460205-1

Bureau of Aviation Accident Archives. “Crash of a Douglas C-47A-30-DL near Bacolod: 24.” Accessed 11-9-2023 at: https://www.baaa-acro.com/zone/negros-occidental

Gero, David. Military Aviation Disasters: Significant Losses Since 1908. UK and Newbury Park, CA: Patrick Stephens Limited, an imprint of Hayes Publishing, 1999.

20th Century

1946 — Feb 4, storm, steamship Yukon hits rocks, Johnstone Bay, SE of Seward, AK– 11

lornajarrettblanchard February 4, 1946

–11 AK Bur. Ocean Energy Mgmt., Reg., Enforce. Alaska’s Worst All Time Shipping Losses.

–11 Gottehrer. The Associated Press Stylebook for Alaska (Revised 2^nd edition). 2000, p. 93.

–11 Morning Avalanche, Lubbock, TX. “To Fix Responsibility.” Feb 16, 1946, p. 11.)

Narrative Information

Alaska Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement: “Feb 4, 1946. Alaska Steamship passenger steamer. Yukon. Struck rocks. Off Johnstone Bay, 40 mi SE of Seward. 11 lost, 484 rescued.” (AK BOEMRE. Alaska’s Worst…Losses.)

Gottehrer: “The steamer Yukon, which had left Seward for Seattle, piled up at Cape Fairfield on the western side of Johnstone Bay, southeast of Seward. The ship carried 496, including a crew of 124 and many military and civilian passengers from Fort Richardson. All but 11 aboard were saved.” (Gottehrer. The Associated Press Stylebook for Alaska (Revised 2^nd Ed.). 2000, p. 93.)

Newspapers

Feb 5, Associated Press: “Ketchikan, Alaska, Feb. 5 – (AP) – The Coast Guard cutter Onondaga arrived at Seward today with 47 women and children taken off the steamship Yukon after it smashed on the rocks in Johnstone Bay, southeast of Seward, during a heavy storm. It was bound from Seward to Seattle with approximately 500 men, women and children. Three men, landed earlier by the Army tug FS-241 after they were washed off the broken steamship, were hospitalized at Seward.

“The Coast Guard tender Cedar and the Navy salvage ship Curb began rescue work after the Onondaga steamed away with its survivors, and the freighter North Haven and Army transport Brig. Gen. M. G. Zalinski were standing by in Ellington Passage to take their turns at rescuing survivors. Seas were subsiding but there was a heavy snowstorm handicapping rescue work.

“Meantime the steamship Alaska, at Kodiak, was ordered to Seward to aid that little town in accommodating survivors and to bring them to Seattle.

20 UNACCOUNTED FOR

“The three men landed by the Army tug told interviewers at Seward that there were 20 men unaccounted for among the 496 passengers and crew aboard the Yukon. The Coast Guard and the Alaska Steamship Company, which operated the Yukon for the War Shipping Administration, had no word of casualties, and expressed doubts concerning the report.

“The three rescued from the 50-foot waves last midnight after they had been washed off the wreck and tossed against the rocks, were: Charles D. Scrivener, assistant purser of the Yukon… [unclear] Robert D. Bassette, storekeeper for the Yukon, Seattle, and Army Staff Sgt. Jack N. Reinhold, home address unlisted.

“Scrivener told an interviewer all aboard the Yukon might be safe, although a checkup after the ship broke in two indicated 20 to 30 possibly missing on the after part of the vessel, which floated free….Scrivener said 50-foot seas broke over the foundered Yukon but that passengers were calm.

“Later, it was reported here, some of the women and children became hysterical after they were taken aboard the Onondaga and it was decided to land them rather than stand by in view of the stricken ship and those still aboard.

“Several of the rescue ships had to spend the night at Latouche because of zero visibility, but sped to the scene at dawn.

“All B-17 Flying Fortresses equipped with power boats were ordered to assist in rescue efforts by Gen. Delos Emmons, commanding the Army’s Alaskan department….

“The 360-foot Yukon, built in Philadelphia in 1899, had been in the Alaska service for some 20 years. She went aground on the rocky shore 40 miles south of Seward, Alaska, early yesterday. As soon as her distress calls were heard – about 6 1.m. yesterday – all craft in the vicinity were ordered to her aid. The Onondaga reached her shortly before 3 p.m. Her captain is Chris P. Trondsen….” (Oakland Tribune. “87 Feared Lost…Storms Wreck Pacific Coast Ships.” 2.5.1946, p. 1.)

Feb 6: “Ketchikan, Alaska, Feb. 6. AP. The coast guard said tonight 31 persons were not accounted for when survivors of the wreck of the liner Yukon were landed at Seward. The report said rescue vessels had brought 465 people off the grounded and broken Yukon to Seward and that no more rescue craft were expected, but that a hope was held out that some small boats might arrive with some or all of those not yet accounted for. No bodies had been found, the coast guard said….

“Only a short time before, in Seattle, the army and the Alaska Steamship Co. reported the total number aboard was 497, including 191 civilian passengers, 186 military personnel and a crew of 120….” (AP. “31 Missing After Steamship Yukon Is Broken Up.” Galveston Daily News, TX. Feb 7, 1946, p. 1.)

Feb 15: “Seattle, Feb. 15. (AP) – Capt. Chris P. Trondsen of the steamship Yukon, which foundered on Cape Fairfield, with the loss of 11 lives during a severe storm February 4, testified today as a Coast Guard board started a closed hearing to fix responsibility for the wreck. Four hundred eighty five persons were saved.” (AP. “To Fix Responsibility.” Morning Avalanche, Lubbock, TX. 2-16-1946, p. 11.)

Sources

Alaska Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement. Alaska’s Worst All Time Shipping Losses. Accessed 7-18-2011 at: http://www.alaska.boemre.gov/ref/ships/

Associated Press. “31 Missing After Steamship Yukon Is Broken Up.” Galveston Daily News, TX. 2-7-1946, p. 1. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=46131125

Associated Press. “87 Feared Lost as Storms Wreck Pacific Coast Ships.” Oakland Tribune, CA. 2-5-1946, 1. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=32344609

Associated Press. “To Fix Responsibility” Morning Avalanche, Lubbock, TX. 2-16-1946, p. 11. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=107444560

Gottehrer, Dean M. The Associated Press Stylebook for Alaska (Revised and 2^nd edition). Fairbanks, Alaska: Epicenter Press, 2000. Partially digitized by Google at: http://books.google.com/books?id=O53zwdFYTGEC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

20th Century

1946 — Feb 2, Explosion and Fire, Jennings Hall Home for Aged, Garfield Heights, OH– 14

lornajarrettblanchard February 2, 1946

— 14 Babcock, C. I. “A Place for Old Folks to Live.” Quarterly [NFPA], V51/N1, July 1957, 37

— 14 Jennings Center for Older Adults. History Timeline: Jennings Center for Older Adults.

— 14 NFPA. “Fires Causing Large Loss of Life.” Handbook of Fire Protection. 1954, p. 35.

— 14 NFPA. “Premature Death by Fire. Home for…Aged…” Quarterly, 39/4, April 1946, 277.

— 14 National Fire Protection Assoc. Spreadsheet on Large Loss of Life Fires (as of Feb 2003).

— 13 Fresno Bee (CA). “Ohio Fire Killing 13 Stirs Three Inquires,” February 4, 1946, p. 5.

—>13 Sandusky Register Star-News, OH. “Fire Razes Home for Aged…” 2-4-1946, 1.

Narrative Information

Babcock: “…the fire in Garfield Heights, Ohio in 1946 that took 14 lives and the Largo, Florida fire of 1953 which killed 33 are ample justification for the sections of the Building Exits Code which require that walls and ceilings of corridors, passageways and stairways in existing buildings shall not have a flame spread of greater than 75 as determined by the tunnel test, and not greater than 20 in new buildings.” [p.37] ….

“Fourteen occupants of a nursing home lost their lives in a fire at Garfield Heights, Ohio in 1946….Looking at this building from the outside and noting that it was only one story high and had several wide exits, one might be excused for thinking that the occupants had nothing to fear from fire. Inside, however, the picture changed since the large undivided attic, the highly combustible interior finish and the absence of automatic protection suggested several ways in which fire could endanger the occupants. This tragic fire started in the attic and since there was no automatic means provided for discovering fire, it developed unbeknown to the occupants until it burst through the ceiling and flashed over the combustible interior.” [pp. 44-45] (Babcock, Chester I. “A Place for Old Folks to Live.” Quarterly of the National Fire Protection Association, Vol. 51, No. 1, July 1957, pp. 35-49.)

Jennings: “At approximately 2:00 p.m. an explosion and crackling of flames was heard, and the fire spread quickly due to the whipping February wind. While the heroism of the Sisters, bystanders and the firemen (from Garfield Heights, Cleveland, Maple Heights, Cuyahoga Heights and Bedford) saved 48 lives, we will not forget the 14 who died on that day. The building was a complete loss from the fire damage, and residents moved to temporary housing at the Sisters of the Holy Ghost convent, with family members, at Little Sisters of the Poor and at Saint Joseph Home.”[1] (Jennings Center for Older Adults. History Timeline: Jennings Center for Older Adults. “February 2, 1946: We will not forget: Jennings Hall destroyed by fire.”)

National Fire Protection Association: “Fourteen inmates of the Catholic Home for the Aged at Garfield Heights, Ohio, lost their lives when a fire flashed through the building shortly after 2:15 P.M. on February 2, 1946. The origin of the rapidly spreading fire is still the subject of a coroner’s jury investigation and its exact cause has not yet been determined.

“The structure was an unusual type with one-story, full-basement and an attic without draft stops, 13,200 sq. ft. in area. The first floor (approximately six feet above grade) was reinforced concrete, with laminated plywood panel exterior walls, ceilings, and partitions built above the first floor. Information regarding the grades of plywood used in the structure is not available.

“It is reported that the building exit facilities were sufficient for a building of ordinary combustibility of this size, though considering the extremely rapid spread of fire throughout the building’ and the physical condition of the occupants, they were tragically inadequate. Newspaper accounts state that many of the 62 residents were ill in bed, several were crippled, one man was blind, and that the fire spread so rapidly that many were unable to leave their rooms. Several of the residents in the home perished when they became hysterical and resisted rescue efforts.

“It is reported that the fire was preceded by an explosion. It is believed that an accumulation of hot gases in the attic space had passed unnoticed until the explosion occurred.

“The Garfield Heights Fire Department responded, and as the building was already badly involved, called for assistance from Cleveland, Cuyahoga Heights, Maple Heights, and Bedford Fire Departments. In addition, physicians and nurses, with Red Cross hospital supplies, were summoned to the scene by radio. The extremely rapid spread of fire forced the Garfield Heights Fire Department, upon arrival, to confine its efforts to rescue work. A 22 mile per hour wind and the lack of fire walls or fire doors which would confine the fire to any one part of the building contributed to the rapidity with which the fire spread throughout the structure. Attendants of the home had attempted to fight the fire with pails of water, and when this action failed, an alarm was transmitted to the fire department by telephone.

“In all, eight engine companies used fourteen hose streams in an effort to extinguish the fire. Their efforts in the face of heavy odds were unavoidably insufficient.

“The quick-burning characteristics of the structure above the first floor and the lack of automatic sprinkler protection to offset structural deficiencies, combined with a delayed alarm, are apparently responsible for the loss of life which occurred.

“An enclosed stairway to the fire-resistive basement prevented any downward spread of fire and is credited with permitting salvage of various materials from the basement area following the fire, indicating the advantages of fire-resistive construction for this type of occupancy.” (National Fire Protection Association. “Premature Death by Fire. Home for the Aged, Garfield Heights, Ohio.” Quarterly of the National Fire Protection Association, vol. 39, no. 4, April 1946, pp. 277-278.)

Newspapers:

Feb 2: “Cleveland, Feb. 2 (AP) – Twelve persons of the 62 occupants of Jennings Hall, Catholic home for the aged, died today in an explosion and ensuring fire which swept through the one-story frame structure….The flash fire quickly engulfed the tar paper and thin walls of the structure shortly after an explosion at 2:15 p.m. (EST)….Some of the aged residents in the home perished when they became hysterical and resisted rescue efforts, Sister Hyacinth reported. She gave this account of the fire, the century’s fourth major disaster in greater Cleveland.

I was in my office and the nuns were having prayer period in a neighboring building when I heard the explosion. I rushed into the hall (Jennings). The smoke was so dense I couldn’t see my hands in front of me. I rang a bell to alert the house and then tried to help get occupants out. In two minutes after the explosion, everything was on fire.

The sisters felt they would suffocate, but kept trying to pull the occupants out of their rooms. I didn’t see any flames because the smoke was so think, but the heat was intense.

In one room I saw a woman waiting calmly while firemen tried to free her from approaching flames. Just as firemen were about to reach her, her hair burst into flame and she perished.” (Big Spring Daily Herald (TX). “Twelve Persons Die In Cleveland Blaze,” February 3, 1946.)

Feb 2: “Cleveland, Feb. 2 – (AP) – Twelve of the 62 occupants of Jennings Hall, Catholic home for the aged, died today in explosion and ensuing fire which swept thru the one-story frame structure. Coroner Samuel R. Gerber reported all 62 occupants of the home had been accounted for and that a final check disclosed a death toll of 12. Previous estimates were that the toll might reach 40. Seven persons still remained in hospitals but the condition of one was listed as critical by the coroner. Five other occupants were given emergency treatment at local hospitals but later were sent to homes of relatives or friends.

“The flash fire quickly engulfed the tar paper and thin frame walls of the structure shortly after an explosion at 2:15 p. m. (EST).

“A ‘thorough investigation’ of the blaze will be made, Coroner Gerber said.

“Loss was reckoned by Elmer Cain, second assistant fire chief of Cleveland, at $30,000. The one-story structure was completed June 1, 1942, and named for Msgr. Gilbert P. Jennings, late pastor of St. Agnes Catholic church, who left the bulk of his estate for erection of the home.

“Some of the aged residents in the home perished when they became hysterical and resisted rescue efforts, Sister Hyacinth reported.[2] She gave this account of the fire, the century’s fourth major disaster in Greater Cleveland.

The sisters felt they would suffocate, but kept trying to pull the occupants out of their rooms. I didn’t see any flames because the smoke was so thick, but the heat was intense.

In one room I saw a woman waiting calmly while firemen tried to free her from approaching flames. Just as firemen were about to reach her, her hair burst into flame and she perished.

“Sister Mary Martha, who was baking in the basement of the hall, said the explosion sounded as if it were from above stairs. ‘It rocked the place so severely I was sure a bomb had dropped,’ she related. ‘When I rushed from the basement, the whole place was on fire.’

“The home’s chaplain, Father Augustine Bena, who rescued three persons, expressed the opinion the explosion occurred in the gas furnace with which the hall was heated, but fire department officials said the cause had not been determined.

“One of tho first witnesses to reach the scene was Councilman John Brachowski of Garfield Heights, and chief of the suburb’s safety commission. He observed fire at the west end of the structure, and added that he could not get across the street from his automobile before the building was wreathed in flames. Brachowski helped pull two injured from the hall.

“An unidentified bus driver from the Garfield Transit line helped rescue at least 10 other persons, then departed before his name could be learned. Among those he rescued was Mrs. Alice Haynes, 78, of Akron, O.

“Mrs. Eugenia Marie Lease, 80, a former Baltimore resident, said she was in her room at the eastern edge of the building when she heard Sister Hyacinth scream: “Fire. Fire!’’ ‘I opened my door and black smoke poured in,’ she continued. ‘I tried to lead Mrs. Mary Eihler, who is 86 and my roommate, out thru the hall. Mrs. Eihler is blind. The dense black smoke blinded me, and I lost contact with Mrs. Eihler. While I was groping in the darkness for her, Father Bena came along and led me and two other women thru the hall to safety. ‘We were fortunate to be living in the east end of the structure. That fact saved our lives. As we went thru the halls we could hear the horrible screams of those trapped in their rooms or in the halls.’ The tow other women led to safety by Father Bena were Mrs. Susie Zvololnck, 66, and Mrs. Mary Arenat, 84.

“Janitor Louis Zodec, 72, was cut in leaping to safety thru a window. He reported the ‘smoke and flames so bad that I just jumped right thru the glass.’….

“Neighbors helped frenziedly in rescue efforts until fire companies from the city of Cleveland, Maple Heights, Cuyahoga Heights and Bedford arrived to combat flames in the sub-freezing temperature. More than five hours after the explosion, firemen still searched thru the smoldering ruins for persons missing….” (Lima News, OH. “12 Dead in Cleveland Fire.” 2-3-1946, p. 1.)

Feb 2: “Cleveland, Feb. 2 – (AP) – Known dead in the Jennings Hall fire, announced by Coroner Samuel R. Gerber: (Home towns and ages unavailable immediately, but all between 62 and 92 years of age.)

Mrs. Mary Murphy.

Mrs. Mary Eihler.

Mrs. Mary Reilly.

Mrs. Carrie Krause.

Mrs. Margaret Donovan.

Mrs. Ellen Burke.

Mrs.____Kunzcla (first name unavailable.)

Miss Hannah Reich.

Casimer Uadovich.

Mrs. Mary Carleton.” (Lima News, OH. “Cleveland Fire Dead are Named.” 2-3-1946, 1.)

Feb 2: “Cleveland, Feb. 2 – (INS) – The charred front wall and brick foundations stood tonight on a windswept block in suburban Garfield Heights – the remains of ‘home’ for 62 aged people. Within the blackened and twisted ruins of Jennings Hall, Catholic home for the aged, the lives of at least 12 persons were snuffed out by wild flames this afternoon. Patrolman John Rawlin, of the suburb’s police department, told of watching 12 bodies carried from the T-shaped frame building, which burned like flax, according to one woman who escaped. Three bodies were found in one room in the front wing and others in adjoining and nearby rooms, according to the patrolman, who was one of the first persons to reach the tragedy scene.

“The discovery of the charred body of an aged guest found a scant 15 feet from the west wing exit told a dramatic story of a near-escape. The victim apparently managed to fight his way to that point before smoke and flames claimed his life.

“As the aged guests were rescued from the mass of flames and blanket of smoke, they were led by Sisters of the Holy Ghost, who are in charge of the home, to their convent….” (Lima News, OH. “Only Charred Walls Left of Home for Aged People.” 2-3-1946, p. 1.)

Feb 4: “Cleveland, Feb. 4 – (AP) – Investigations by at least three separate groups were under way today in the Saturday fire which took the lives of 13 inmates of Jennings Hall, Catholic home for the aged in suburban Garfield Heights. Cuyahoga County Coroner Samuel R. Gerber said his office is conducting an investigation and probes also are being made by the Garfield Heights fire department and state fire wardens. Death toll in the flash fire rose to 13 yesterday when…[an 84-year-old male] succumbed to burns. Seven persons remain in hospitals.” (Fresno Bee, 4 Feb 1946.)

Feb 4: “At least 13 persons were burned to death and more than 30 injured when a flash fire razed the Jennings Hall Home for the Aged in Garfield Heights, a Cleveland suburb. Of the 62 aged men and women housed in the one-story building, almost a score were unaccounted for immediately after the fire…” (Sandusky Register Star-News, OH. “Fire Razes Home for Aged Near Cleveland.” 2-4-1946, p. 1.)

Sources

Babcock, Chester I. “A Place for Old Folks to Live.” Quarterly of the National Fire Protection Association, Vol. 51, No. 1, July 1957, pp. 35-49.

Fresno Bee, CA. “Ohio Fire Killing 13 Stirs Three Inquires,” 2-4-1946, p. 5. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=39326244

Jennings Center for Older Adults. History Timeline: Jennings Center for Older Adults. “February 2, 1946: We will not forget: Jennings Hall destroyed by fire.” Accessed 5-12-2013 at: http://jenningscenter.org/who-we-are/history/

National Fire Protection Association. “Fires Causing Large Loss of Life.” Handbook of Fire Protection (11^th Ed.). Boston, MA: NFPA, 1954, pp. 33-36.

National Fire Protection Association. “Multiple-Death Fires in Nursing Homes & Homes for the Aged, 1921-1978 (list).” In: United States United States Congress, House of Representatives. Boarding Home Fires: The Tip of the Iceberg (Hearing before the Subcommittee on Health and Long Term Care, Select Committee on Aging, 96^th Congress, First Session, April 25, 1979). Washington, DC, U.S. Government Printing Office, 1979, pp. 312-314.

National Fire Protection Association. “Premature Death by Fire. Home for the Aged, Garfield Heights, Ohio.” Quarterly of the National Fire Protection Association, vol. 39, no. 4, April 1946, pp. 277-278.

National Fire Protection Association. Spreadsheet on Large Loss of Life Fires (as of Feb 2003). (Email attachment to B. W. Blanchard from Jacob Ratliff, NFPA Archivist/Taxonomy Librarian, 7-8-2013.)

Sandusky Register Star-News, OH. “Fire Razes Home for Aged Near Cleveland.” 2-4-1946, 1. At: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=150342207&sterm

[1] The next entry notes that a new Jennings Hall opens on May 6, 1949.

[2] A sidebar with Sister Hyacinth’s photo states that she “was in charge of the home” and was a “heroine of the fire” in that “Before firemen arrived, she rescued six of the residents from the roaring inferno before her own clothes caught fire and were torn off her.”

20th Century

1946 — Jan 31, United Air Lines #14 deviates from course, flies into Elk Mt., WY — all 21

lornajarrettblanchard January 31, 1946

Last edit 11-8-2023 by Wayne Blanchard for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/

–21 Aviation Safety Network. Accident Description, United Air Lines Flight 14, Jan 31, 1946.

–21 Big Spring Daily Herald, TX. “Air Crash Scene Finally Reached,” February 3, 1946.

–21 CAB, AIR, United Air Lines, Elk Mountain, Wyoming – January 31, 1946.

–21 Eckert “Fatal commercial air transport crashes, 1924-1981.” AJFM&P, 3/1, March 1982, p.53.

Narrative Information

Civil Aeronautics Board, Accident Investigation Report (Docket No. SA-113; File No. 257-46):

“The Accident

“United Air Lines Flight 14 [NC25675] en route from Boise, Idaho, to Denver, Colorado, crashed near the top of Elk Mountain, Wyoming, at 0247 [Mountain Standard Time], January 31, 1946. All 21 occupants of the aircraft were fatally injured and the Douglas DC-3 was demolished by impact and fire.

“History of the Flight

“Flight 14 departed Portland, Oregon, at 2020 January 30, 1946, with stops scheduled at Pendleton, Oregon, and Boise, Idaho. After being serviced at Boise, the aircraft departed at 0007 January 31, 1946, to cruise nonstop to Denver, Colorado. The original flight plan authorized prior to departure from Boise specified a cruising altitude of 9,000 feet between Boise and Malac City, Idaho, 11,000 feet between Malad City and Rock Springs, and 13,000 feet between Rock Springs and Denver. Until the aircraft River Rock Springs, the flight was conducted without any apparent difficulty. However, as the flight approached Rock Springs the captain requested and received a change of flight plan in order to remain at 11,000 feet.

“Approximately at the time Flight 14 reported over Rock Springs, United Air Lines’ Flight 44, en route from Oakland, California, to Cheyenne, Wyoming, transmitted a position report over that station at the same altitude. As the two aircraft approached Sinclair at 11,000 feet, the pilots of Flight 44 observed the lights of Flight 14 approximately one mile ahead and apparently on the left side of the airway. The two aircraft appeared to be on converting flight paths and, before reaching Sinclair, Flight 14 was directly ahead of Flight 44. The crew of the latter aircraft observed that Flight 14 appeared to pass over the range station at Sinclair, Wyoming, and to take up a heading directly toward Laramie, Wyoming. Flight 44, meanwhile, maintained a course close to the left hand side of the airway and the pilots continued to watch Flight 14 as it bore to the right in the direction of Elk Mountain, having [unclear word] encountered scattered-to-broken clouds at his cruising altitude in an area approximately 30 miles east of Sinclair, the captain of Flight 44 climbed to 11,300 feet where he was able to cruise above all clouds. From this point the lights of Flight 14 were intermittently visible to the co-pilot of Flight 44 through breaks in the clouds and the aircraft appeared to be approximately three miles to the right of the airway slightly below the cruising altitude of Flight 41.

“Shortly thereafter the co-pilot of Flight 44 observed a bright flash off to his right and a red fire which appeared to glow through the clouds. Fearing that an accident had occurred to Flight 14, the pilot of Flight 44 immediately attempted to establish contact with it without success. At approximately the time of the accident United Air Lines’ Flight 28 was proceeding westward from Laramie at an altitude of 12,000 feet and also observed the bright red glow from the vicinity of Elk Mountain. Subsequent attempts to contact Flight 14 by ground stations were unsuccessful and it became apparent that the flight had struck Elk Mountain.

“Investigation

“An after cast of the weather situation at the time and in the vicinity of the accident indicated that winds aloft were from 300 degrees to 310 degrees, between 50 and 55 miles per hour. A United Air Lines’ pilot operating over this portion of the airway testified that scattered-to-broken clouds existed at 11,000 feet. This observer also indicated that there was a definite overcast around the summit of Elk Mountain extending approximately five miles in all directions. Although the clouds were reported to have been 300 feet in thickness it was estimated that in the immediate vicinity of Elk Mountain clouds could have been between 500 and 1,000 feet in thickness.

“Adverse weather conditions prevailing seen after the accident delayed the arrival at the scene of investigators of the Safety Bureau of the Civil Aeronautics Board. Although several attempts were made to climb Elk Mountain the following day by personnel from local army stations, extremely low temperature and heavy snowdrifts made it impossible. Approximately seven days after the accident had occurred, a Board investigator was able to reach the scene of the accident and to accomplish a cursory inspection of the wreckage. Because of the impossibility of completing a satisfactory examination due to the heavy snow which covered the wreckage, arrangements were made to return to Elk Mountain during late June at which time most of the snow would have melted from the scene of the accident.

“On June 25, investigation of the wreckage was continued under more favorable conditions. With the exception of the left engine which had rolled over the crest of the hill and into a large snowbank, most of the debris was accessible for inspection. Examination of the seats and the broken seat belts indicated that both pilot and co-pilot were at their respective stations at the time of impact. Marks of impact on the ground indicated that the aircraft was in approximately level flight at the time of the accident. Distinct propeller marks had been cut in the face of the mountain and both wings were torn completely from the fuselage. The fuselage disintegrated as it slid up the mountain slope for a distance of approximately 200 yards. Some parts of the aircraft continued along the direction of flight over the top of the ridge rolling down the east side….

“The point of impact on the southwest corner of Elk Mountain at an elevation of approximately 10,822 feet is located on a direct line between the Sinclair and Laramie radio range stations. The flight path of the aircraft in the vicinity of the accident had deviated south of the airway a distance of approximately 4½ miles. Elk Mountain represents the highest terrain between Sinclair and Laramie within an area of 15 miles on either side of the direct course. The dog-legged airway was so designed in order to provide most effective clearance from the high terrain to the south.

“Discussion

“The elevation at the top of Elk Mountain is 11,162 feet. Flight 14 struck Elk Mountain at an elevation approximately 340 feet below that of the crest of the mountain and approximately 180 feet below the assigned cruising altitude….

“Although it has been determined that the aircraft was actually on a magnetic course of 80 degrees at impact, the point of impact was on a direct line from the Sinclair to the Laramie radio range stations the magnetic bearing of which is 98 degrees. It is unlikely that the same wind direction and velocity would have prevailed at the surface of Elk Mountain and the actual wind drift experience by Flight 14 immediately prior to impact is impossible to determine. It therefore appears that light 14 had deviated from the airway in order to maintain a direct course between these tow points. This conclusion is further confirmed by the fact that the aircraft ASF receiver was tuned to the frequency of the Laramie radio range station. Although the possibility may exist that the deviation from the airway had been a result of wind drift, it is apparent that the captain of the flight was aware of the winds aloft inasmuch as he had navigated without apparent difficulty to Sinclair from Portland, Oregon. It is extremely unlikely, therefore, that such wind drift was experienced without the knowledge of the captain….

“Findings

“On the basis of all available evidence, the Board finds that:

….

“5. The flight deviated from the prescribed route and followed the most direct course between Sinclair and Laramie. [i.e., “The crew made an unauthorized deviation from the airway, trying to reduce distance on a ‘dog-leg’ of the airway.” (ASN. United #14, Jan 31, 1946)]

“7. At o247, Flight 14 collided with Elk Mountain at an elevation approximately 180 feet below its assigned cruising altitude and 4½ miles south of Airway Green 3, and was demolished by impact and fire.

“Probable Cause

“On the bases of the foregoing the Board finds that the probable cause of this accident was the deviation from the prescribed route at an altitude insufficient to assure adequate clearance over Elk Mountain.”

….

“Recommendation No. 1:

“….During the investigation and subsequent hearing on the above-mentioned accident it was established that Captain Briggs had recently returned from three and a half years of military service and that he had complied with …regulation inasmuch as he had completed three round trips over the route on which the accident occurred. Irrespective of the number of trips, no one was made responsible for checking his qualifications along the route. In other words, although he made the necessary trips, no one could certify as to his familiarization with the route procedures or with the terrain along the route. It is therefore believed that the scope of those regulations should be enlarged and that before any pilot is qualified for route competency he should be certified by the company by whom he is employed and a statement made that he had complied with the regulations and that the company is convinced from actual check that the pilot is fully qualified. It is also believed that this policy should be adopted when issuing an original route competency.”

Recommendation No. 2: “The preparation of a flight plan includes the altitude of intended flight along the route between radio fixes. Usually those specified altitudes are not less than the minimum instrument altitudes. It is believed that to require on all flights dispatched by scheduled air carrier that a 1000-feet clearance of all obstacles within the airways or within 10 miles either side of the authorized route would not cause undue hardship. This should be required of all flights dispatched in accordance with instrument or contact flight rules and regardless of whether they are conducted day or night.” (Civil Aeronautics Board, AIR, United, Elk Mountain, Wyoming – Jan 31, 1946)

Newspaper

Feb 3, Associated Press in Big Spring Daily, TX: “Elk Mountain, Wyo., Feb 2 (AP) – The bodies of four of the 21 victims of a United Air Lines plane crash on 11,162-foot Elk Mountain were brought down by dog sled tonight. The men who made the grueling climb fell exhausted on the ground at the completion of the trip. Airlines officials planned to return after the other bodies tomorrow. Members of the party said all of the bodies had not been found but expressed the belief that they could be located tomorrow. The bodies were found frozen in grotesque positions over an area of a quarter-mile radius by 25 men who braved 30-below-zero weather and driving winds to recover them…” (Big Spring Daily Herald (TX). “Air Crash Scene Finally Reached,” 2-3-1946.)

Sources

Aviation Safety Network. Accident Description. United Air Lines Flight 14, January 31, 1946. Accessed 12-25-2008 at: http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19460131-0

Big Spring Daily Herald, TX. “Air Crash Scene Finally Reached.” 2-3-1946. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=86203831

Civil Aeronautics Board. Accident Investigation Report. United Air Lines, Elk Mountain, Wyoming – January 31, 1946 (File No. 257-46). Washington, DC: CAB, January 6, 1947. Accessed 11-9-2023 at: https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/33265

Eckert, William G. “Fatal commercial air transport crashes, 1924-1981.” American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology, Vol. 3, No. 1, March 1982, Table 1.

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