20th Century

1945 — Jan 21, USN Avenger bombs explode upon landing on USS Hancock, So. China Sea–62

Compiled by Wayne Blanchard for: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/  Last edit 12-14-2023.

—  62  Baugher.  US Navy…Marine Corps BuNos Third Series (21192 to 30146). 8-27-2011.

—  62  NavSource Online: Aircraft Carrier Photo Archive.  “USS Hancock (CV-19).” 11-8-2011.

—  62  USSHancockcv19.com. “World War Two Gallery.”

Narrative Information

 

Baugher: “23539 (VT-124) exploded after landing on USS Hancock Jan 21, 1945. The aircraft made a normal landing and taxied forward, but the landing on the flight deck must have dislodged two of its 500-lb bombs. The two bombs exploded on the flight deck, killing 62 sailors and injuring numerous others.” (Baugher. US Navy…Marine Corps BuNos Third Series (21192 to 30146). 8-27-2011.)

 

Mighty Ninety: “At 1328 Task Group 38.2 finally fell victim to the conflagration, albeit from a different source. USS HANCOCK was recovering strike aircraft when a TBM Avenger landed with a live bomb that had failed to release from its ordnance bay. The bomb detonated on the carrier deck, immediately killing the Avenger’s crew and many surrounding flight deck personnel. The explosion punched through to the gallery and hangar decks causing multiple fires that were not brought under control for almost an hour.” (Mighty Ninety. “Chapter 11: Operation Gratitude. Task Force 38 raids Japanese shipping in the South China Sea.”)

 

NavSource Online: “January 21, 1945.  1328: VT 124, Bu #23539 [a General Motors TBM-3 Avenger], pilot, LT(JG) C.R. Dean, 298954, and crewmen F.J. Blake, ARM3c, and D.E. Zima, AOM2c, made a normal landing and taxied forward. As the plane reached a point abreast the island a violent explosion occurred, believed to have been caused by the detonation of two (2) 500 lb. bombs adrift in the plane’s bomb bay. The immediate results of the explosion were: casualties: killed – 62; critically injured – 46; seriously injured – 25; slightly injured – 20. A 10×16 foot hole in the flight deck, gallery deck area in the vicinity demolished, inboard side signal bridge wrecked. Three airplanes demolished. Numerous shrapnel holes throughout the island structure. Fires broke out on the flight, gallery, and hangar decks. Hauled clear of the formation and commenced maneuvering at various courses and speeds in an attempt to control the winds over the deck, and with high speed turns, to wash flooding water out of the hangar deck.” (NavSource Online: Aircraft Carrier Photo Archive. “USS Hancock (CV-19).” 11-8-2011 update.)

 

USSHancockcv19.com: “The Deck of the Hancock [photo not shown here] shortly after a VT-7 TBF Avenger was trapped aboard and while taxiing with a 500-pound bomb in its bomb bay – the pilot, not knowing that he had an armed bomb hung up in his Bomb bay.. opened his Bomb bay doors; the bomb falling to the deck and exploded.”  (USSHancockcv19.com.  “World War Two Gallery.”)

Sources

 

Baugher, Joseph F.  US Navy and US Marine Corps BuNos Third Series (21192 to 30146). Aug 27, 2011 revision. Accessed at: http://www.joebaugher.com/navy_serials/thirdseries3.html

 

Mighty Ninety. “Chapter 11: Operation Gratitude. Task Force 38 raids Japanese shipping in the South China Sea.” Accessed 11-28-2011 at: http://www.mighty90.com/Operation_GRATITUDE.html

 

NavSource Online: Aircraft Carrier Photo Archive. “USS Hancock (CV-19).” 11-8-2011 update.  Accessed 11-28-2011 at: http://www.navsource.org/archives/02/19.htm

 

USSHancockcv19.com. “World War Two Gallery.” Accessed 11-28-2011 at:  http://usshancockcv19.com/gallery.htm

 

 

 

 

 

 

1945 – Jan 20, USAAF B-24J landing approach crash, 2½M SE of Muroc Army Air Field, CA-10

Compiled by Wayne Blanchard for: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/  Last edit 12-14-2023.

–10  Mireles 2006. Fatal Army AF Aviation Accidents…US…, V3, Aug 1944-Dec 1945, 1026.

Narrative Information

 

Baugher: “….North American B-24J-1-NT Liberator….78621 crashed near Muroc AAB, CA Jan 20, 1945.”

 

Mireles: “At 0115, a Con­solidated B-24J crashed two and a half miles south­east of Muroc Army Air Field, Muroc, California, killing ten fliers. The airplane took off from Muroc Army Air Field on a bombing training mission. The crew completed the bombing mission on the AAF range east of Muroc and returned to the area of the field for a landing. The airplane entered the traffic pattern and encountered instrument conditions while flying on the downwind leg for Runway 24. The airplane failed to land at Muroc and the pilot of another B-24 in the pat­tern observed a fire on the ground southeast of the field. Investigation revealed that the airplane flew into the ground on the base leg for Runway 24. The airplane struck the ground at a flat angle in a left-wing low po­sition and burst into flames as it smashed itself to pieces. Wreckage was scattered over an area of 1,000 feet. In­vestigation revealed that the weather in the area of the field had deteriorated at about 0100. Lowering ceil­ings and light snow flurries had moved into the area, hampering visibility. Other pilots attempting landings at the field reported that they had encountered instru­ment conditions and snow while flying in the traffic pattern….”  (Mireles 2006, p. 1026.)

 

Stowe and Robbins:

“Date       Pilot                         Type   ACSN      Station                 Location                  Remarks

“450129  Frederick J. Vieson B-24J  42-78621  Muroc AAF, CA  Muroc AAF 5M SE lost control

 

(Stowe, M. T. and G. C. Robbins. USAAF Aircraft Accidents and Missing Air Crew Reports January 20-22,1945. accident-report.com.)

 

Sources

 

Baugher, Joseph F. 1942 USAAF Serial Numbers (42-70686 to 42-91973), 7-7-2023 revision. Accessed 12-14-2023 at: http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1942_4.html

 

Mireles, Anthony J.  Fatal Army Air Forces Aviation Accidents in the United States, 1941-1945 (Volume 3:  August 1944 – December 1945). Jefferson, NC: McFarland and Co., 2006.

 

Stowe, M. T. and G. C. Robbins. USAAF Aircraft Accidents and Missing Air Crew Reports January 20-22,1945. accident-report.com. Accessed 12-14-2023 at:

http://accident-report.com/Yearly/1945/4501/4501g.html

 

 

 

1945 – Jan 17, USAAF B-17F engine fire and crash, near Bay Minette, AL                  –all 11

Compiled by Wayne Blanchard for: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/  Last edit 12-14-2023.

–11  Daily Herald, Biloxi, MS. “11 Crewmen Killed in Fortress Crash near Bay Minette.” 1-19-45, 1.

–11  Mireles 2006. Fatal Army AF Aviation Accidents…US…, V3, Aug 1944-Dec 1945, 1022.

Narrative Information

 

Mireles: “At 2145 CWT, a Boeing B-17F suffering an in-flight fire crashed out of control six miles northwest of Bay Minette, Al­abama, killing eleven crewmembers. The airplane took off from Gulfport Army Air Field, Gulfport, Missis­sippi, on a 1,000-mile cross-country flight to Savannah, Georgia, and return. The airplane transmitted a routine position report at 2133, reporting 40 miles east of Mobile, Alabama. At 2136 the crew reported that the aircraft was on fire. The airplane crashed into a swamp a short time later, exploding violently into flames upon impact. Pieces of the airplane’s engine ring cowl and accessory section were found strewn over a mile from the point of impact. Investigation revealed that the number-one engine had caught fire due to a failed cylinder.”  (Mireles 2006, p. 1022.)

 

Newspaper

 

Jan 19: “The commanding officer of Gulfport Army Air Field Thursday night released the names of eleven crew members killed when a Flying Fortress crashed near Bay Minette, Ala., during a combat training flight Wednesday night. The dead: [We break paragraph into separate lines.]

 

First Lt. Sydney Abramson, Dorchester, Mass.;

Second Lt. Ivan P. Richey, Braymer, Mo.;

Second Lt. Douglas W. Mallory, Baytown, Tex.;

Second Lt. Randall A. Weaver, Nashville, Tenn.;

Pfc. Clayton E. Plopper, Yakema, Wash.;

Cpl. James B. Fleming, Shade Gap, Pa.;

Pfc. George H. Smith, Porterville, Cal.;

Cpl. Thomas M. Rutledge, Nashville;

Pfc. James C. White, Wichita Falls, Tex., and

Pfc. John R. Maffei, San Francisco, Cal.

 

“The Army bomber crashed and burned near the Alabama town about 20 miles northeast of Mobile. An investigation is being made in an effort to determine the cause of the crash.” (The Daily Herald, Biloxi, MS. “11 Crewmen Killed in Fortress Crash near Bay Minette.” 1-19-1945, p. 1.)

Sources

 

Mireles, Anthony J.  Fatal Army Air Forces Aviation Accidents in the United States, 1941-1945 (Volume 3:  August 1944 – December 1945). Jefferson, NC: McFarland and Co., 2006.

 

The Daily Herald, Biloxi, MS. “11 Crewmen Killed in Fortress Crash near Bay Minette.” 1-19-1945, p. 1. Accessed 12-14-2023 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/biloxi-daily-herald-jan-19-1945-p-1/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1945 — Feb 17, fire from welding torch in candy co., Maefair Apartments, Tacoma, WA–19

Compiled by Wayne Blanchard for: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/  Last edit 12-12-2023.

–19  NFPA. “Photographs of Recent Fires.” Quarterly of the NFPA, 38/4, April 1945, p. 239.

–19  Seattle Times. “Worst Fires,” April 29, 1998.

–19  UP. “Tacoma Fire Toll Rises to 19 Dead.” Wisconsin State Journal, Madison, 2-20-1945, p3.

            [The number reported as known dead is 17 with 2 others “known” to have been in the

building, but bodies not found.]

–18  UP. “Says Delayed Alarm Causes Fire Deaths.” Telegraph-Herald, Dubuque, IA, 2-22-1945, p.6.

Narrative Information

 

National Fire Protection Association: “Nineteen lives were lost in this Tacoma, Washington apartment building fire on February 17, 1945. Less than half of the 85 occupants escaped injury. The fire started in the basement about 2 a.m., supposedly from welding operations in the premises of a candy company [Hamilton Candy Co., (tacomalibrary.org)] There were neither automatic sprinklers nor any barrier to the upward spread of fire, and the flames shot up the open stairway and involved the entire 4-story, brick veneer building before the sleeping occupants could escape.” (NFPA. “Photographs of Recent Fires.” Quarterly of the NFPA, 38/4, April 1945, p. 239.)

 

Seattle Times, 1998: “…fire caused by sparks from a welding torch.”  (Seattle Times. “Worst Fires,” April 29, 1998.)

 

Newspapers

 

Feb 17, (AP): “Tacoma, Wash., Feb. 17. (AP) – Fire Chief C. J. Eisenbacher said today he anticipated ‘a minimum of 10 persons’ lost their lives early today when a fire of undetermined origin destroyed an apartment building in the business district housing between 75 and 85 persons. With one known dead and one known missing, and 13 treated for burns and injuries from leaping from windows and the roof of the flaming structure, Chief Eisenbacher told interviewers he believed the blaze would prove itself Tacoma’s worst when firemen would be able to enter the wreckage and search for bodies. An unidentified young woman died in Pierce County hospital of burns.

 

“Firemen rescued many of the occupants with ladders and life nets. Still others jumped from windows or made their way down fire escapes.

 

“The building was the four-story Maefair, a masonry-covered frame building, whose 43 apartments were crowded with war workers’ families, and the wives and children of service men.

 

“Flames were seen to burst from the windows and race skyward through an inside light well about 2 a.m., Fire Chief C. J. Eisenbacher said witnesses told him. The fire was under control four hours later.

 

“Mrs. Martha Rolland, who lived alone in a rear apartment, was missing.” (Associated Press. “Blazing Apartment Takes Unknown Toll.” Wichita Daily Times, TX. 2-17-1945, p. 1.)

 

Feb 18, UP: “Tacoma, Wash. (UP). Firemen Saturday night removed 12 charred bodies from the smouldering ruins of the flame-swept Maefair apartment house, and…more were believed trapped in upper floors when fire destroyed the building early Saturday. Sixteen others, suffering from severe burns, were rushed to hospitals.

 

“Firemen working desperately to rescue tenants of the four-story building watched entire families fall into the flames as the floors collapsed.

 

“Thirty-one of the 73 known tenants of the building still were missing. Authorities believed some of them had gone to the homes of relatives or friends.

 

“Cause of the blaze, which followed an explosion like ‘an earthquake,’ remained undetermined, but some said the blast came from a candy factory in the basement.” (United Press. “Tacoma fire too mounting.” Sunday Journal and Star, Lincoln, NE. 2-18-1945, p. 1.)

 

Feb 19, AP: “Tacoma, Wash. (AP) – The death toll in the tragic Maefair apartments fire now stands at 16, six of whom remain unidentified. Five more bodies were recovered late yesterday from the buildings. The Red Cross has a list of nine reported missing, leading to an estimate of at least three more bodies concealed in the rubble.” (Associated Press. “Blaze Kills 16.” Pocatello Tribune, ID, 2-29-1945, p. 1.)

 

Feb 20, UP: “Tacoma, Wash. – (U.P.) – The number of known dead in the disastrous Maefair apartment house fire rose to 19 today as fire officials announced that two persons whose bodies have not yet been found were known to have been in the building. Of 17 bodies discovered, 12 now are identified.

 

“Incomplete lists of tenants and visitors in the building Saturday night when the fire broke out indicated that two or three more persons may have been trapped. The fire started in a candy shop in the basement of the building. It was believed it may have been caused by sparks from welding torches used by workmen in the shop Friday night.” (United Press. “Tacoma Fire Toll Rises to 19 Dead.” Wisconsin State Journal, Madison, 2-20-1945, p. 3.)

 

Feb 22, UP: “Tacoma, Wash. – (U.P.) – Fire Chief Charles J. Eisenbacher said Thursday that the heavy death toll from last Saturday’s Mayfair apartment fire might have been avoided if an alarm had been turned in earlier. Eisenbacher told a committee investigating the worst blaze in Tacoma’s history, which caused 18 deaths, that the first alarm was not recorded until 2:12 a.m. Survivors reported the interior of the four-story building was ‘blazing furiously’ at 1:55 a.m, he said.

 

“Meanwhile, the bodies of three women and two men remained unidentified, while another body was identified late Wednesday as Miss Margaret Mabe, Bristo, Tenn. ….” (United Press. “Says Delayed Alarm Causes Fire Deaths.” Telegraph-Herald, Dubuque, IA, 2-22-1945, p. 6.)

 

Feb 25: “….Forest L. Kammerer is listed as missing after an apartment fire in Tacoma. He was a Nonpareil pressman for many years….” (Council Bluffs Nonpareil, IA. “….And Here At Home.” 2-25-1945, p. 6.)

 

Sources

 

Associated Press. “Blaze Kills 16.” Pocatello Tribune, ID, 2-29-1945, p. 1. Accessed 12-12-2023 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/the-pocatello-tribune-feb-19-1945-p-1/

 

Associated Press. “Blazing Apartment Takes Unknown Toll.” Wichita Daily Times, TX. 2-17-1945, p. 1. Accessed 12-12-2023 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/wichita-daily-times-feb-17-1945-p-1/

 

Council Bluffs Nonpareil, IA. “….And Here At Home.” 2-25-1945, p. 6. Accessed 12-12-2023 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/council-bluffs-iowa-nonpareil-feb-25-1945-p-6/

 

National Fire Protection Association. “Photographs of Recent Fires.” Quarterly of the National Fire Protection Association, Vol. 38, No. 4, April 1945, pp. 232-248.

 

Seattle Times, WA “Worst Fires,” 4-29-1998. Accessed 7-1-2017 at:  http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19980429&slug=2747905

 

TacomaLibrary. “Maefair Apartment Fire.” 2-27-2017. Accessed 12-12-2023 at: https://www.tacomalibrary.org/blogs/post/maefair-apartment-fire/

 

United Press. “Says Delayed Alarm Causes Fire Deaths.” Telegraph-Herald, Dubuque, IA, 2-22-1945, p. 6. Accessed 12-12-2023 at:

https://newspaperarchive.com/dubuque-telegraph-herald-feb-22-1945-p-6/

 

United Press. “Tacoma fire toll mounting.” Sunday Journal and Star, Lincoln, NE. 2-18-1945, p. 1. Accessed 12-12-2023: https://newspaperarchive.com/lincoln-nebraska-state-journal-feb-18-1945-p-1/

 

United Press. “Tacoma Fire Toll Rises to 19 Dead.” Wisconsin State Journal, Madison, 2-20-1945, p. 3. Accessed 12-12-2023 at:

https://newspaperarchive.com/madison-wisconsin-state-journal-feb-20-1945-p-3/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1945 — Jan 16, Fire, General Clark Hotel/Boarding House, Clark St., Chicago, IL     —     14

Compiled by Wayne Blanchard for: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/  Last edit 12-14-2023.

— 14  Carbondale Free Press, IL. “Fourteen People Die in Chicago Hotel Fire…” 1-16-1945, 1.

— 14  Daily Journal-Gazette, Mattoon, IL. “14 Perish in Chicago Hotel Fire.” 1-16-1945, p. 1.

— 14  Daily Journal-Gazette, Mattoon, IL. “Jury Hearing Hotel Fire Evidence.” 1-18-1945, p. 2.

— 14  Daily Register, Harrisburg, IL. “Chicago Hotel Fire Kills 14 Persons…” 1-16-1945, p. 1.

— 14  Dixon Evening Telegraph, IL. “Chicago Hotel Blaze Termed ‘Accidental’.” 1-24-1945, 6.

— 14  Lima News, OH. “7 Fire Victims Unidentified.” 1-17-1945, p. 13.

— 14  National Fire Protection Assoc. “General Clark Hotel Fire.” Quarterly, 38/4, Apr 1945, 231.

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

Narrative Information

 

National Fire Protection Association: “The fire in the General Clark Hotel, Chicago, January 16, 1945 (see photograph on opposite page [which notes 14 deaths]) is another tragic illustration of the results of disregard for the fundamentals of life safety from fire. This old building, said to have ben the site of a similar fire in which 50 lives were lost in 1910, was of combustible interior construction, with open stairways serving as flues for the upward spread of fire, had no automatic sprinklers and no alarm system.

 

“The building was liberally equipped with outside fire escapes (on sides not shown in this picture [which we do not reproduce]), but these did not save the lives of sleeping persons not aroused in time to reach the fire escapes before they were cut off by smoke and flame.

 

“The well equipped Chicago Fire Department rescued twenty-three, but with no one on duty in the hotel the alarm was not sounded until the fire was discovered by a passer-by, too late to save more lives. The fire was reportedly of incendiary origin, but the results would presumably have been the same irrespective of the cause of the fire starting in a basement storeroom. Every one of the factors responsible for the loss of life in this fire is amply covered in the Building Exits Code, the N.F.P.A. standard prepared by the Committee of Safety to Life.

 

“<odern building codes generally require fire-safe construction for new hotel buildings, but little is done to safeguard old buildings, on the theory that a building which was in accordance with all existing standards at the time of its erection should not be penalized by being required to make costly changes to comply with subsequent laws.” (National Fire Protection Assoc. “General Clark Hotel Fire.” Quarterly, 38/4, Apr 1945, 231.)

 

Newspapers

 

Jan 16, Associated Press: “Chicago, Jan. 16. – (AP) – A fast moving, spectacular, fire early today attacked the seven story General Clark Hotel in North Clark Street, on the edge of the loop, killing at least 14 persons and injuring five others.  Six hours after the conflagration was discovered firemen continued o search the ruins for bodies of additional persons possibly trapped in the 40 year old stone and frame building.

 

“Fire Commissioner Michael J. Corrigan said 13 bodies were found in the wrecked hostelry and one woman was fatally injured when she missed a fireman’s net in a jump from a third floor window.  One of the 14 victims, all of whom were removed to the Cook County Morgue was identified.  He was Joseph Feilen [unclear], about 61. 

 

“Scores of persons in the hotel, which contained 75 rooms, were rescued ore fled to the streets on fire escapes.  Several leaped to firemen’s nets while others were carried down ladders by firemen. 

 

“Flames and billowing smoke visible for miles attracted thousands of spectators and 33 pieces of equipment responded to extra alarm calls sounded.  The fire was discovered about midnight and was not brought under control until after 3 A.M.  Its origin was not determined immediately but an investigation was underway.

 

“Two servicemen, passing the hotel when the fire broke out hauled down the lower leaf of a fire escape and helped seven persons on upper floors to descend….” (Carbondale Free Press, IL.  “Fourteen People Die in Chicago Hotel Fire Today.” 1-16-1945, p. 1.)

 

Jan 16, International News Service: “Chicago — (INS) — Fourteen persons perished early today when fire swept the ancient five-story Hotel General Clark near the heart of Chicago’s business district.  Fire Commissioner Michael J. Corrigan, who called the fire one of the worst in the last 25 years, said a complete search of the building would be made later in the day to determine if there were other victims in the debris.  Of those who died, nine were fatally burned, four suffocated, and one, the only woman victim, died in a leap from her third floor front window to the pavement.

Hotel Widely Patronized.

 

“The moderately-priced hotel was widely patronized by service men and it was feared a number of them were among the victims.

 

“Coroner A. L. Brodie, who opened an immediate investigation into the cause of the laze, said he was told so many stories that it appeared the whole structure had burst into flames at practically the same time.

 

“Mayor Edward J. Kelly, one of the thousands of spectators at the fire, ordered city building inspectors and the fire attorney’s office to aid in learning how the fire spread so rapidly.

 

“First firemen on the scene said the building was such an inferno that they were unable to enter.  Their first efforts were to raise ladders and spread life nets to assist the 76 terrified occupants.  By this time many were in the windows screaming for help.  The firemen saw an unidentified woman standing on the window ledge ready to leap and tried to dissuade her until they could spread a net or raise a ladder, but she jumped to her death.

 

“One engine company dissuaded Louis Caplan, 71, who was in a fourth floor window, only by turning hose lines on the walls near him and so spraying him with water.  He eventually was carried down a ladder, but it was found he had suffered severe burns as well as exposure.

 

“Harry Rosenberg, 57, the night manager, told Coroner Brodie he first noticed the fire when he smelled smoke coming from a store room just to the rear of the registration desk.  He said:  ‘The flames came out so fast, sweeping over the switchboard, that it was impossible for me to notify the guests’.”  (Daily Journal-Gazette, Mattoon, IL. “14 Perish in Chicago Hotel Fire.” 1-16-1945, p. 1.)

 

Jan 16, United Press: “Chicago, Jan. 16 – (UP) – Fourteen persons died early today and eight others were injured when fire swept through the six-story General Clark hotel on the northern edge of the Loop.  Thirteen of the victims were men and the other was an unidentified woman who died of injuries received when she jumped from a three-story window to escape the flames. All of the dead had been permanent guests of the hotel.

 

“All of the bodies of victims were found in the upper stories of the building. Some of them were

trapped in hallways by the rapidly spreading flames and others were found in their rooms.

 

“Nearly all the guests in the building were forced to flee in their nightclothes.  Mrs. Frances Willis, 45, a waitress, one of the first to discover the fire, ran down the fire escape in her pajamas

and turned in the alarm.  A passing soldier loaned her his coat.

 

“The fire, which swept through the four upper stories of the structure, was discovered about midnight and spread so rapidly that three alarms were turned in within 17 minutes.  Firemen battled for two hours to bring the blaze under control.

 

“Thousands of persons, attracted by screaming fire sirens, watched as guests trapped in the upper

stories leaped into nets or ran down fire escapes to safety.”  (Daily Register, Harrisburg, IL. “Chicago Hotel Fire Kills 14 Persons, 8 are Injured.” 1-16-1945, p. 1.)

 

Jan 17, UP:  “Chicago Jan. 17 – (UP) — Seven of the 14 victims of a fire which swept thru the General Clark hotel early yesterday remained unidentified today as a coroner’s jury began an investigation of the Loop’s worst disaster in 25 years.  An investigation by Michael J. Corrigan, fire commissioner, and John L. Fenn, chief of the fire prevention bureau, indicated that the fire started in the rear of a cigar store on the first floor….All of the victims were permanent residents of the hotel.”  (Lima News, OH. “7 Fire Victims Unidentified.” 1-17-1945, p. 13.)

 

Jan 18. INS: “Chicago – (INS) – Testimony began Wednesday before a coroner’s jury in an effort to determine the cause of the disastrous General Clark Hotel fire in which 14 persons, one a woman, lost their lives early yesterday.  The woman…was identified as Miss Mary Ann Walsh, 21, of River Forest.  The identification was made at the Cook county morgue by relatives and her employer, Bernard Rex, owner of a food shop in the suburb.  Rex said he had requested River Forest police to search for Miss Walsh when she failed to return home after visiting an aunt Sunday.

 

“Coroner A. L. Brodie, who impaneled a hand-picked jury of experts yesterday, told them:  “You men have a free hand in this investigation. I am expecting you to go into everything thoroughly and perhaps be ready with recommendations which will prevent any similar tragedy in the future.” (Daily Journal-Gazette, Mattoon, IL. “Jury Hearing Hotel Fire Evidence.” 1-18-1945,  p. 2.)

 

Jan 24, AP: “Chicago, Jan 24 – (AP) – A coroner’s jury returned a verdict of accidental death yesterday in its investigation of a fire in the General Clark hotel which cost the lives of 14 persons Jan. 16.  Failure of the present municipal fire code to include recommended restrictions of fire hazards was the principal cause of loss of life in the hotel tragedy, the jury asserted.”  (Dixon Evening Telegraph, IL. “Chicago Hotel Blaze Termed ‘Accidental’.” 1-24-1945, p. 6.)

 

Jan 25:  “The revelations of inadequacy in the fire prevention service of Chicago brought out by the investigation of the Hotel General Clark disaster raised the question whether wartime shortages of trained firemen had caused any similar relaxation of prevention standards in the village [Oak Park, IL].  (Oak Leaves, Oak Park, IL. “Inspections of Public Buildings Continues Here.” 1-25-1945, p. 17.)

Sources

 

Carbondale Free Press, IL. “Fourteen People Die in Chicago Hotel Fire Today.” 1-16-1945, 1. Accessed at : http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=97500006&sterm=general

 

Daily Journal-Gazette, Mattoon, IL. “14 Perish in Chicago Hotel Fire.” 1-16-1945, p. 1. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=117528727&sterm=general

 

Daily Journal-Gazette, Mattoon, IL. “Jury Hearing Hotel Fire Evidence.” 1-18-1945, p. 2. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=114689823&sterm=general

 

Daily Register, Harrisburg, IL. “Chicago Hotel Fire Kills 14 Persons, 8 are Injured.” 1-16-1945, p. 1. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=9400740&sterm

 

Dixon Evening Telegraph, IL. “Chicago Hotel Blaze Termed ‘Accidental’.” 1-24-1945, p. 6. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=3485591&sterm=general

 

Lima News, OH. “7 Fire Victims Unidentified.” 1-17-1945, p. 13. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=18954639&sterm=general+clark

 

National Fire Protection Assoc. “General Clark Hotel Fire.” The Quarterly, Vol. 38, No. 4, Apr 1945, p. 231.

 

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.)

 

Oak Leaves, Oak Park, IL. “Inspections of Public Buildings Continues Here.” 1-25-1945, p. 17. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=183981436&sterm=general

 

 

1945 — Jan 16, Fire, General Clark Hotel/Boarding House, Clark St., Chicago, IL     —     14

Compiled by Wayne Blanchard for: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/  Last edit 12-14-2023.

— 14  Carbondale Free Press, IL. “Fourteen People Die in Chicago Hotel Fire…” 1-16-1945, 1.

— 14  Daily Journal-Gazette, Mattoon, IL. “14 Perish in Chicago Hotel Fire.” 1-16-1945, p. 1.

— 14  Daily Journal-Gazette, Mattoon, IL. “Jury Hearing Hotel Fire Evidence.” 1-18-1945, p. 2.

— 14  Daily Register, Harrisburg, IL. “Chicago Hotel Fire Kills 14 Persons…” 1-16-1945, p. 1.

— 14  Dixon Evening Telegraph, IL. “Chicago Hotel Blaze Termed ‘Accidental’.” 1-24-1945, 6.

— 14  Lima News, OH. “7 Fire Victims Unidentified.” 1-17-1945, p. 13.

— 14  National Fire Protection Assoc. “General Clark Hotel Fire.” Quarterly, 38/4, Apr 1945, 231.

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

Narrative Information

 

National Fire Protection Association: “The fire in the General Clark Hotel, Chicago, January 16, 1945 (see photograph on opposite page [which notes 14 deaths]) is another tragic illustration of the results of disregard for the fundamentals of life safety from fire. This old building, said to have ben the site of a similar fire in which 50 lives were lost in 1910, was of combustible interior construction, with open stairways serving as flues for the upward spread of fire, had no automatic sprinklers and no alarm system.

 

“The building was liberally equipped with outside fire escapes (on sides not shown in this picture [which we do not reproduce]), but these did not save the lives of sleeping persons not aroused in time to reach the fire escapes before they were cut off by smoke and flame.

 

“The well equipped Chicago Fire Department rescued twenty-three, but with no one on duty in the hotel the alarm was not sounded until the fire was discovered by a passer-by, too late to save more lives. The fire was reportedly of incendiary origin, but the results would presumably have been the same irrespective of the cause of the fire starting in a basement storeroom. Every one of the factors responsible for the loss of life in this fire is amply covered in the Building Exits Code, the N.F.P.A. standard prepared by the Committee of Safety to Life.

 

“<odern building codes generally require fire-safe construction for new hotel buildings, but little is done to safeguard old buildings, on the theory that a building which was in accordance with all existing standards at the time of its erection should not be penalized by being required to make costly changes to comply with subsequent laws.” (National Fire Protection Assoc. “General Clark Hotel Fire.” Quarterly, 38/4, Apr 1945, 231.)

 

Newspapers

 

Jan 16, Associated Press: “Chicago, Jan. 16. – (AP) – A fast moving, spectacular, fire early today attacked the seven story General Clark Hotel in North Clark Street, on the edge of the loop, killing at least 14 persons and injuring five others.  Six hours after the conflagration was discovered firemen continued o search the ruins for bodies of additional persons possibly trapped in the 40 year old stone and frame building.

 

“Fire Commissioner Michael J. Corrigan said 13 bodies were found in the wrecked hostelry and one woman was fatally injured when she missed a fireman’s net in a jump from a third floor window.  One of the 14 victims, all of whom were removed to the Cook County Morgue was identified.  He was Joseph Feilen [unclear], about 61. 

 

“Scores of persons in the hotel, which contained 75 rooms, were rescued ore fled to the streets on fire escapes.  Several leaped to firemen’s nets while others were carried down ladders by firemen. 

 

“Flames and billowing smoke visible for miles attracted thousands of spectators and 33 pieces of equipment responded to extra alarm calls sounded.  The fire was discovered about midnight and was not brought under control until after 3 A.M.  Its origin was not determined immediately but an investigation was underway.

 

“Two servicemen, passing the hotel when the fire broke out hauled down the lower leaf of a fire escape and helped seven persons on upper floors to descend….” (Carbondale Free Press, IL.  “Fourteen People Die in Chicago Hotel Fire Today.” 1-16-1945, p. 1.)

 

Jan 16, International News Service: “Chicago — (INS) — Fourteen persons perished early today when fire swept the ancient five-story Hotel General Clark near the heart of Chicago’s business district.  Fire Commissioner Michael J. Corrigan, who called the fire one of the worst in the last 25 years, said a complete search of the building would be made later in the day to determine if there were other victims in the debris.  Of those who died, nine were fatally burned, four suffocated, and one, the only woman victim, died in a leap from her third floor front window to the pavement.

Hotel Widely Patronized.

 

“The moderately-priced hotel was widely patronized by service men and it was feared a number of them were among the victims.

 

“Coroner A. L. Brodie, who opened an immediate investigation into the cause of the laze, said he was told so many stories that it appeared the whole structure had burst into flames at practically the same time.

 

“Mayor Edward J. Kelly, one of the thousands of spectators at the fire, ordered city building inspectors and the fire attorney’s office to aid in learning how the fire spread so rapidly.

 

“First firemen on the scene said the building was such an inferno that they were unable to enter.  Their first efforts were to raise ladders and spread life nets to assist the 76 terrified occupants.  By this time many were in the windows screaming for help.  The firemen saw an unidentified woman standing on the window ledge ready to leap and tried to dissuade her until they could spread a net or raise a ladder, but she jumped to her death.

 

“One engine company dissuaded Louis Caplan, 71, who was in a fourth floor window, only by turning hose lines on the walls near him and so spraying him with water.  He eventually was carried down a ladder, but it was found he had suffered severe burns as well as exposure.

 

“Harry Rosenberg, 57, the night manager, told Coroner Brodie he first noticed the fire when he smelled smoke coming from a store room just to the rear of the registration desk.  He said:  ‘The flames came out so fast, sweeping over the switchboard, that it was impossible for me to notify the guests’.”  (Daily Journal-Gazette, Mattoon, IL. “14 Perish in Chicago Hotel Fire.” 1-16-1945, p. 1.)

 

Jan 16, United Press: “Chicago, Jan. 16 – (UP) – Fourteen persons died early today and eight others were injured when fire swept through the six-story General Clark hotel on the northern edge of the Loop.  Thirteen of the victims were men and the other was an unidentified woman who died of injuries received when she jumped from a three-story window to escape the flames. All of the dead had been permanent guests of the hotel.

 

“All of the bodies of victims were found in the upper stories of the building. Some of them were

trapped in hallways by the rapidly spreading flames and others were found in their rooms.

 

“Nearly all the guests in the building were forced to flee in their nightclothes.  Mrs. Frances Willis, 45, a waitress, one of the first to discover the fire, ran down the fire escape in her pajamas

and turned in the alarm.  A passing soldier loaned her his coat.

 

“The fire, which swept through the four upper stories of the structure, was discovered about midnight and spread so rapidly that three alarms were turned in within 17 minutes.  Firemen battled for two hours to bring the blaze under control.

 

“Thousands of persons, attracted by screaming fire sirens, watched as guests trapped in the upper

stories leaped into nets or ran down fire escapes to safety.”  (Daily Register, Harrisburg, IL. “Chicago Hotel Fire Kills 14 Persons, 8 are Injured.” 1-16-1945, p. 1.)

 

Jan 17, UP:  “Chicago Jan. 17 – (UP) — Seven of the 14 victims of a fire which swept thru the General Clark hotel early yesterday remained unidentified today as a coroner’s jury began an investigation of the Loop’s worst disaster in 25 years.  An investigation by Michael J. Corrigan, fire commissioner, and John L. Fenn, chief of the fire prevention bureau, indicated that the fire started in the rear of a cigar store on the first floor….All of the victims were permanent residents of the hotel.”  (Lima News, OH. “7 Fire Victims Unidentified.” 1-17-1945, p. 13.)

 

Jan 18. INS: “Chicago – (INS) – Testimony began Wednesday before a coroner’s jury in an effort to determine the cause of the disastrous General Clark Hotel fire in which 14 persons, one a woman, lost their lives early yesterday.  The woman…was identified as Miss Mary Ann Walsh, 21, of River Forest.  The identification was made at the Cook county morgue by relatives and her employer, Bernard Rex, owner of a food shop in the suburb.  Rex said he had requested River Forest police to search for Miss Walsh when she failed to return home after visiting an aunt Sunday.

 

“Coroner A. L. Brodie, who impaneled a hand-picked jury of experts yesterday, told them:  “You men have a free hand in this investigation. I am expecting you to go into everything thoroughly and perhaps be ready with recommendations which will prevent any similar tragedy in the future.” (Daily Journal-Gazette, Mattoon, IL. “Jury Hearing Hotel Fire Evidence.” 1-18-1945,  p. 2.)

 

Jan 24, AP: “Chicago, Jan 24 – (AP) – A coroner’s jury returned a verdict of accidental death yesterday in its investigation of a fire in the General Clark hotel which cost the lives of 14 persons Jan. 16.  Failure of the present municipal fire code to include recommended restrictions of fire hazards was the principal cause of loss of life in the hotel tragedy, the jury asserted.”  (Dixon Evening Telegraph, IL. “Chicago Hotel Blaze Termed ‘Accidental’.” 1-24-1945, p. 6.)

 

Jan 25:  “The revelations of inadequacy in the fire prevention service of Chicago brought out by the investigation of the Hotel General Clark disaster raised the question whether wartime shortages of trained firemen had caused any similar relaxation of prevention standards in the village [Oak Park, IL].  (Oak Leaves, Oak Park, IL. “Inspections of Public Buildings Continues Here.” 1-25-1945, p. 17.)

Sources

 

Carbondale Free Press, IL. “Fourteen People Die in Chicago Hotel Fire Today.” 1-16-1945, 1. Accessed at : http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=97500006&sterm=general

 

Daily Journal-Gazette, Mattoon, IL. “14 Perish in Chicago Hotel Fire.” 1-16-1945, p. 1. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=117528727&sterm=general

 

Daily Journal-Gazette, Mattoon, IL. “Jury Hearing Hotel Fire Evidence.” 1-18-1945, p. 2. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=114689823&sterm=general

 

Daily Register, Harrisburg, IL. “Chicago Hotel Fire Kills 14 Persons, 8 are Injured.” 1-16-1945, p. 1. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=9400740&sterm

 

Dixon Evening Telegraph, IL. “Chicago Hotel Blaze Termed ‘Accidental’.” 1-24-1945, p. 6. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=3485591&sterm=general

 

Lima News, OH. “7 Fire Victims Unidentified.” 1-17-1945, p. 13. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=18954639&sterm=general+clark

 

National Fire Protection Assoc. “General Clark Hotel Fire.” The Quarterly, Vol. 38, No. 4, Apr 1945, p. 231.

 

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.)

 

Oak Leaves, Oak Park, IL. “Inspections of Public Buildings Continues Here.” 1-25-1945, p. 17. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=183981436&sterm=general

 

 

 

1945 – Jan 15, USN R4D-5 & USAAF Stinson collide on runway, Tacloban AP, Philippines–21

Compiled by Wayne Blanchard for: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/  Last edit 12-16-2023.

 –21  ASN. USN R4D-5 crash after collision with USAAF Stinson off end of runway, Philippines, 1-15-1945.

–21  Baugher. US Navy and US Marine Corps BuNos Third Series (10317 to 21191). 7-9-2023 rev.

Narrative Information

 

Aviation Safety Network (ASN), Flight Safety Foundation, Database, 1945:

“Date:                          Monday 15 January 1945

“Type:                         Douglas R4D-5 (DC-3)

“Operator:                   United States Navy

“Registration:              17234

“MSN:                         13596

“First flight:                 1944

“Crew:                         Fatalities:   5 / Occupants:   5

“Passengers:                Fatalities: 16 / Occupants: 16

“Total:                         Fatalities: 21 / Occupants: 21

….

“Location:                   Tacloban Airport (TAC) (Philippines) [Philippines was liberated 10-20-1944.]

“Phase:                        Takeoff

“Nature:                       Military

“Departure airport:      Tacloban Airport…Philippines

“Destination airport:    ?

“Narrative:

 

“Crashed following midair collision with USAAF Stinson L-5 (42-99165) off end of the runway. The R4D-5 operated on a flight to evacuate wounded men, high priority passengers, cargo and mail.

 

“Those lost were:

“Crew:

Lt. Bridwell J. McKnight (pilot)
Lt. Donald W. Huegel (co-pilot)
Lt. George A. Danner (navigator)
Sp(V)3c James R. Reynolds (orderly)
ARM1c Hugh G. Ballantyne (radio man)

 

Passengers:

Lt Com. C.H. Mattson
Lt. Com. G.W. Pease
Lt. E.J. Detmer
Lt. Winfield V. Scott, Jr S(A)
Ens. M.L. Naylor
Ens. N.J. Roccaforte
RhM1c G.M. Pangalos
SK1c F. Hold
PhM2c A.D. Nonsley
PhM2c O.F. Blizzard
PhM2c J.B. Hayden
PhM3c H.E. Dickinson
PhM3c J.C. Raines
PhM3c W.E. Seeling
PhM3c S.D. Stroul
ARM3c M.M. King.”

 

Baugher: “….Douglas R4D-5….17234 (MSSN 13596 ex USAAF 42-93660. To US Navy 15Jun44. NATS 23Jun44. VR-13 Aug 44. (VR-13 in midair collision with USAAF L-5 off end of runway of Tacloban Airstrip, Leyte, Philippines Jan 15, 1945. 21 killed.” (Baugher, Joseph F. US Navy and US Marine Corps BuNos Third Series (10317 to 21191). 7-9-2023 revision.)

 

Sources

 

Aviation Safety Network. Flight Safety Foundation, Database, 1945. USN R4D-5 crash after collision with USAAF Stinson off end of runway, Philippines, 1-15-1945. Accessed 12-16-2023 at: https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19450115-3

 

Baugher, Joseph F. US Navy and US Marine Corps BuNos Third Series (10317 to 21191). 7-9-2023 revision. Accessed 12-16-2023 at: http://www.joebaugher.com/navy_serials/thirdseries2.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1945 – Jan 26, USN PB4Y-1 Liberator Landing Crash, ~NAAS Jacksonville, FL        —     11

Compiled by Wayne Blanchard for: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/  Last edit 12-14-2023.

—  11  Baugher. US Navy…Marine Corps BuNos Third Series (30147 to 39998). 10-11-2009 rev.

—  11  Times Recorder, Zanesville, OH.  “Eleven Killed in Crash of Navy Plane.” 1-27-1945, 1.

Narrative Information

 

Aviation Archaeology Investigation & Research: “32113. PB4Y-1….Wrecked….FL, NAAS Jax Muni….Navigation flight, spun-in during emergency landing, 2.5/8mi. due East of Naa.”[1]  (“PB4Y USN Aircraft Airframe History List.”)

 

Baugher: “Consolidated PB4Y-1 Liberator….32113 (ex USAAF B-24D 42-40908, VB-4) spun in on landing near Jacksonville, FL 1/26/1945.  11 killed.” (Baugher. US Navy…Marine Corps BuNos Third Series (30147 to 39998). 10-11-2009 revision.)

 

Newspaper

 

Jan 26, Associated Press: “Jacksonville, Fla. Jan 26 – (AP) – Eleven crew members were killed today when their navy Liberator plane crashed near the naval auxiliary air station here Cmdr. Carl F. Nieberle announced.  The plane attached to the station was returning from a night flight Nieberle said….” (Times Recorder, Zanesville, OH.  “Eleven Killed in Crash of Navy Plane.” 1-27-1945, p. 1.)

 

Jan 28, AP: “Jacksonville, Fla. – (AP) – Naval authorities today released names of the 11 officers and air crewmen killed in the crash of a navy Liberator patrol plane near the naval auxiliary air station here Friday. Casualties and next of kin included: Ensign Darle Aubrey Dunbar, 22; father, Harold J. Dunbar, Duncombe, Ia.” (Associated Press. “Iowan Among 11 Air Crash Victims.” Waterloo Sunday Courier, IA. 1-28-1945, p. 5.)

 

Sources

 

Associated Press. “Iowan Among 11 Air Crash Victims.” Waterloo Sunday Courier, IA. 1-28-1945, p. 5. Accessed 12-14-2023 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/waterloo-daily-courier-jan-28-1945-p-5/

 

Baugher, Joseph F. US Navy and US Marine Corps BuNos Third Series (30147 to 39998). 8-6-2012 revision. Accessed at: http://www.joebaugher.com/navy_serials/thirdseries4.html

 

Aviation Archaeology Investigation & Research. “PB4Y USN Aircraft Airframe History List.” Accessed 11-29-2011 at: http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/USN/PB4Y.htm

 

Times Recorder, Zanesville, OH. “Eleven Killed in Crash of Navy Plane.” 1-27-1945, p. 1. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=7492092

 

 

 

 

[1] I believe this is a reference to the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans high-powered, low frequency transmitter which the U.S. Navy had established on the U.S. East Coast in the 1940s. (See: “Very Low Frequency Radio Transmission, Sudden Ionospheric Disturbances” page at: http://moondog.astro.louisville.edu/naa/circuit/info.html

1945 — Jan 10, American 6001 missed approach crash in fog, Verdugo Mts. ~Burbank AP, CA–24

Compiled by Wayne Blanchard for: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/  Last edit 12-15-2023.

 — 24  Aviation Safety Network, Accident Description, American Flight 6001, January 10, 1945

— 24  Civil Aeronautics Board. AIR, American Airlines-Burbank-January 10, 1945.

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

— 24  Port Arthur News, TX, “Pilot’s Error Is Blamed For Plane’s Crash,” January 11, 1945, p. 8

Narrative Information

 

Civil Aeronautics Board, Accident Investigation Report, File No. 119-45:

 

“Summary

 

“Following a night instrument approach to the Burbank Airport American Airlines’ Flight 6001 crashed against the nearby Verdugo Hills. All of the 21 passengers and the three crew members were killed and the Douglas DC3 was destroyed by impact and fire.

 

“After making the standard instrument letdown approach to the Burbank Airport the airplane was observed to cross the airport at the ragged base of the clouds and was seen to start a left turn as if circling for a landing. Soon after making the turn the captain radioed the control tower that he
could not maintain visual contact with the ground and as proceeding to his alternate, Palmdale. The United States Weather Bureau observations disclosed that below minimum weather conditions existed at Burbank at the time. The pilot had not been properly advised of the latest weather reports. The plane was not heard from or seen again until after daylight at which time the wreckage was sighted in the nearby foothills approximately 2-3/4 miles northeast of the airport.

 

“It is evident that after making this left turn the pilot decided to execute the standard ‘missed-approach’ procedure but in so doing failed to modify the procedure in keeping with his position and heading. As a result he made a climbing turn toward the nearby foothills instead of away from them as would have been the case had the standard ‘missed-approach’ procedure been executed from the normal position.

 

“The possibility of an accident became a potentiality when the company ground personnel failed to obtain and transmit important weather information to the pilot. Failure to obtain and transmit this information to the pilot constitutes negligence on the part of the company. This, however, did not relive the pilot of his responsibility to conduct a safe flight although at did place him in a disadvantageous position. Had lie properly executed the “missed-approach” procedure it is unlikely that the accident would have occurred. The Board, therefore, determines that the probable cause of this accident was the pilot’s attempt to use the standard ‘missed-approach’ procedure after having followed another course up to a point where it was impossible to apply this procedure safely’.”  (CAB. AIR, American Airlines-Burbank-January 10, 1945)

 

Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation, Database, 1945:

“Date:                          Wednesday 10 January 1945

“Time:                         04:10 [a.m.]

“Type:                         Douglas DC-3 277B

“Operator:                   American Airlines

“Registration:              NC25684

“MSN:                         2215

“First flight:                1940

“Total airframe hours: 14888

“Crew:                         Fatalities:   3 / Occupants:   3

“Passengers:                Fatalities: 21 / Occupants: 21

“Total:                         Fatalities: 24 / Occupants: 24

….

“Location:                   near Burbank-Hollywood, CA (USA)

“Phase:                        En route (ENR)

“Nature:                      Domestic Scheduled Passenger

“Departure airport:      Phoenix-Sky Harbor International Airport, AZ…USA

“Destination airport:   Hollywood-Lockheed Air Terminal, CA…USA

“Flight number:           6001

“Narrative

 

“After making the standard instrument let-down approach to the Burbank Airport the airplane was observed to cross the airport at the ragged base of the clouds and was seen to start a left turn as if circling for a landing. Soon after making the turn the captain radioed the control tower that he could not maintain visual contact with the ground and as proceeding to his alternate, Palmdale. The U.S. Weather Bureau observations disclosed that below minimum weather conditions existed at Burbank at the time. The pilot had not been properly advised of the latest weather reports.  The plane was not heard from or seen again until after daylight at which time the wreckage was sighted in the nearby foothills approximately 2 ¾ miles northeast of the airport.”  (ASN, American Flight 6001, January 10, 1945.)

 

Notable California Aviation Disasters:

“Date / Time: Wednesday, January 10, 1945 / 4:10 a.m.

“Operator / Flight No.: American Airlines / Flight 6-001

“Location: McClure Canyon, near Burbank, Calif.

 

“Details and Probable Cause: “Flagship Douglas,” an American Airlines twin-engine Douglas DC-3 (NC25684), departed New York City on the morning of Tuesday, January 9, on a cross-country flight designated “The Sun Country Special” and bound for the Lockheed Air Terminal at Burbank, with stops along the way at Washington D.C.; Cincinnati, Ohio; Memphis, Tennessee; Dallas and El Paso, Texas; and Phoenix, Arizona.

 

“While the plane was en route, company ground personnel neglected to obtain and transmit regular weather updates to the pilot, which would have alerted him to the fact that conditions at Burbank were varying between “marginal” and “below minimums” due to the dense fog and poor visibility present at the Lockheed Air Terminal.

 

“Upon arrival over Burbank at 4:06 a.m. on the morning of January 10, the cockpit crew attempted an instrument approach to the airport that was unsuccessful due to the foggy conditions. The ‘missed approach’ procedure for the runway the DC-3 was attempting to land on calls for an immediate, climbing right turn over the departure end of the runway and, upon reaching 3,500 feet, radioing a request for further instructions from the company ground station.

 

“However, upon its missed approach, the plane overflew the runway, made a left turn, and vanished into the fog. The pilot in command then radioed controllers that he could not maintain visual ground contact and would be diverting to an alternate airfield to the north at Palmdale, where weather conditions were improved.

 

“It was at this point in time that the captain apparently began the standard ‘missed approach’ procedure — but only after the plane had already made a left turn.  By deviating from the prescribed standard ‘missed approach’ procedure — making a left turn first — the subsequent right, climbing turn that the plane performed now put it directly on a course into the Verdugo Mountains that rise beyond Burbank.

 

“Two minutes later, while flying blindly through the thick fog, the DC-3 crashed, exploded and burned on a ridge of McClure Canyon of the Verdugos, approximately 2-3/4 miles northeast of the Lockheed Air Terminal.   All 21 passengers — 17 U.S. Army members and four U.S. Navy personnel — were killed, as was the aircraft’s crew of three: the pilot, first officer and stewardess.

 

“The plane remained overdue at Palmdale and missing until around 9:30 a.m. when the fog lifted and personnel with binoculars in the Burbank control tower sighted the wreckage on the distant mountain ridge approximately 1,034 feet above the elevation of the airport.

 

“The Civil Aeronautics Board’s report on the accident noted that “the possibility of an accident became a potentiality” when American Airlines ground personnel failed to obtain and transmit important weather information to the pilot — a situation that the board believed “constitutes negligence on the part of the company.”

 

“But the board also felt that this factor did not relieve the pilot from his responsibility of conducting a safe flight even though it did place him in a disadvantageous position. In its final conclusion, the CAB found the probable cause of the accident to be ‘the pilot’s attempt to use the standard ‘missed approach’ procedure after having followed another course up to a point where it was impossible to apply this procedure safely.’

 

Actress Donna Reed, 23, narrowly avoided the same fate as those aboard the doomed plane. Reed, who had traveled to Juarez, Mexico, on January 8 to obtain a divorce from her husband, Hollywood makeup artist William Tuttle, was returning to California on the night of January 9 and had boarded the airliner when it made its scheduled stop across the border at El Paso, Texas. However, the actress was bumped from the flight just prior to takeoff to make room for a military officer holding a wartime-travel ‘priority’ pass. “Fatalities: 24.”  (Notable California Aviation Disasters.  “The 1940s.”)

Newspaper

 

Jan 11: “A Civil Aeronautics inspector said the pilot, given permission to proceed to a desert emergency field at Palmdale when he hound the Lockheed air terminal fogbound, turned to the left instead of making the usual swing to the right. A turn to the right would have carried the airliner out over the San Fernando valley and given it space in which to gain altitude to clear the mountains to the north. The turn to the left headed it toward destruction in the Verdugo range. Approximately two minutes after the big plane passed over the air terminal field it crashed and was torn to bits on a mountainside five miles away, about 300 feet from the crest. The ship struck with throttle open and at this high speed all aboard were killed instantly. Victims of the tragedy were 17 Army men, four Navy men and the crew of three.” (Port Arthur News, TX, “Pilot’s Error Is Blamed For Plane’s Crash,” January 11, 1945, p. 8)

 

Sources

 

Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation, Database, 1945, p. 9. American Airlines Douglas DC-3-277B Flight 6001 crash near Burbank-Hollywood, CA, 10 January 1945. Accessed 12-15-2023 at: https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19450110-0

 

Civil Aeronautics Board. Accident Investigation Report. American Airlines – Burbank – January 10, 1945 (File No. 119-45).  Washington, DC:  CAB, September 24, 1945. Accessed 12-15-2023 at: http://dotlibrary1.specialcollection.net/scripts/ws.dll?websearch&site=dot_aircraftacc

 

Notable California Aviation Disasters. “The 1940s.” Sep 25, 2009 update. Accessed 10/17/2009 at:  http://www.jaydeebee1.com/crash40s.html

 

Port Arthur News, TX. “Pilot’s Error Is Blamed For Plane’s Crash,” 1-11-1945, p. 8.  Accessed at:  http://www.newspaperarchive.com/freepdfviewer.aspx?img=44005440

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1945 – Jan 9, USAAF B-24J structural failure, crash, ~Chatham Field, Savannah GA–    11

Compiled by Wayne Blanchard for: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/  Last edit 12-15-2023.

–11  Mireles 2006. Fatal Army AF Aviation Accidents…US…, V3, Aug 1944-Dec 1945, p.1015.

–11  Thomasville Times-Enterprise, GA. “11 Members of…B-24…Die in Crash at Savannah.” 1-10-1945, p1.

Narrative Information

 

Mireles: “At 1711 EWT, Consolidated B-24J suffered a catastrophic structural failure and crashed seven miles south of Chatham Field, Savannah, Georgia, killing 11 crewmembers. Gunner Cpl. Joseph S. Lanzi parachuted to safety and was un­injured. Investigators stated,

 

“B-24J AAF #42-50524 departed Chatham Field, Georgia, at 1507 EWT on a high-altitude formation gunnery mission. After taking off three routine radio position reports were received by the ground radio station. None of these reports gave any report of malfunctioning of the airplane. Cpl. Joseph S. Lanzi, the ball turret gunner, stated that his airplane joined the formation but the position of his plane in the formation and how long plane #524 stayed in the formation he did not know.

 

Plane #524 was in the number-three position of the lead flight. After start­ing to load the turret guns, the left waist gunner in­formed Cpl. Lanzi that the pilot was going down to 500 feet for splash gunnery. Cpl. Lanzi did not know why the mission was being changed. While letting down, Cpl. Lanzi stated that he did not know whether a cloud coverage was beneath them and did not know whether the plane let down through cloud coverage.  After letting down for some time, Cpl. Lanzi stated the airplane made a violent steep left turn or a violent ma­neuver of a nature [that] resulted in the three men in the tail to be thrown about in the plane. This violent maneuvering continued, resulting in equipment and the men in the waist being thrown about in this sec­tion of the plane. Cpl. Lanzi stated that he attempted to get his parachute but it was tossed away by the vi­olent maneuvering and finally after reaching a para­chute bailed out through the right waist window in which the glass had broken during the maneuvering. After the parachute opened, Cpl. Lanzi stated that he was below the cloud level and could see the ground.

 

Witnesses near the crash stated that a very unusually loud roar was first noticed but none could see the air­plane at the time due to the airplane being above the clouds. After breaking through the overcast, which was estimated to have been 2,000 feet by pilots’ reports, the airplane was diving almost vertically with part of the tail section off and falling free of the airplane. During the dive, witnesses also stated that a section of one of the wings ripped or broke off and the airplane immediately started into a spin to the left then crashing. The airplane appeared to have crashed nose first then to have fallen over on the back of the fuselage. All witnesses stated that parts and pieces of the airplane were falling while the air­plane was spinning and continued to fall after the plane had crashed. The right wing broke off approximately 12 feet from the wing tip and was found approximately one and one-half miles from the crash proper. The right aileron and part of the tail section were found three- quarters of a mile from the crash proper. Pieces of metal were found over an area on one and one-quarter miles from the crash proper. Upon crashing the airplane ex­ploded and burned completely.”  (Mireles 2006, p. 1015.)

 

Newspaper

 

Jan 10, AP: “Savannah, Ga., Jan. 10 – (AP) – Eleven members of the crew of a B-24 bomber were killed Tuesday afternoon when their ship crashed and burned eight miles south of Chatham Field, the plane’s home base. One airman parachuted to safety. The army has not released the names of the victims.” (Thomasville Times-Enterprise, GA. “11 Members of Crew of B-24 Bomber Die in Crash at Savannah.” 1-10-1945, p.1.)

Sources

 

Mireles, Anthony J.  Fatal Army Air Forces Aviation Accidents in the United States, 1941-1945 (Volume 3:  August 1944 – December 1945). Jefferson, NC: McFarland and Co., 2006.

 

Thomasville Times-Enterprise, GA. “11 Members of Crew of B-24 Bomber Die in Crash at Savannah.” 1-10-1945, p.1. Accessed 12-15-2023 at:

https://newspaperarchive.com/thomasville-times-enterprise-jan-10-1945-p-2/

 

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