Crash of a Douglas C-47A-75-DL near Oblong: 4 killed

Date & Time: Feb 14, 1945 at 2250 LT
Type of aircraft:
Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)
Operator:
Registration:
42-100996
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Training
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Lawrenceville-George - Lawrenceville-George
MSN:
19459
YOM:
1944
Location:
Oblong
Illinois
Country:
United States of America
Region:
North America
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
1
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
4
Circumstances:
The crew left Lawrenceville-George AAF in the evening on a night training mission with paratroopers. In flight, the crew encountered engine problems, left the formation (was taking part to an exercise with 20 other USAAF C-47) and eventually lost control of the aircraft that crashed in a field located 4 miles east of Oblong. Four crew members were killed. It is believed that the crew misinterpreted the engine problem as a runaway propeller.
Crew:
2nd Lt Alexander Cairney,
2nd Lt Monte R. Hamilton,
Pfc Clarence C. Orr 1.

Crash of a Douglas R4D-6 off Oakland NAS: 24 killed

Date & Time: Feb 13, 1945 at 0630 LT
Type of aircraft:
Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)
Operator:
Registration:
50765
Flight Phase:
Takeoff (climb)
Flight Type:
Military
Survivors:
No
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
MSN:
14848/26293
YOM:
1944
Location:
Oakland
California
Country:
United States of America
Region:
North America
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
21
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
24
Circumstances:
Shortly after takeoff from runway 27, while in initial climb by night and in marginal weather conditions, the pilot made a turn to the right when the right wing tip hit the water surface. The aircraft crashed into the Bay of San Francisco and none of the 24 occupants survived. The cloud ceiling was down to 500 feet at the time of the accident with a good visibility under the cloud layer.
Probable cause:
The crew was unaware of his real position after takeoff due to the malfunction of a gyro. Because the aircraft was flying over the Bay of San Francisco and due to lack of visibility and the absence of ground visual references, the crew lost his bearings during initial climb.

Crash of a Curtiss C-46A-45-CU Commando near Chanyi: 3 killed

Date & Time: Feb 13, 1945
Type of aircraft:
Curtiss C-46 Commando
Operator:
Registration:
42-96746
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Cargo
Survivors:
No
Site:
Plain, Valley
MSN:
30408
YOM:
1944
Location:
Chanyi
Yunnan
Country:
China
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
3
Circumstances:
Crashed following an engine failure 10 miles northwest of Chanyi, killing all three crew members.
Crew:
2nd Lt Charles R. Brumagim,
1st Lt Ray B. Delamater Jr.,
Cpl Francis J. Rourke.
Probable cause:
Engine failure.

Crash of a Curtiss C-46A-45-CU Commando near Yunlong

Date & Time: Feb 13, 1945
Type of aircraft:
Curtiss C-46 Commando
Operator:
Registration:
42-96637
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Military
Site:
Mountains
MSN:
30299
YOM:
1944
Location:
Yunlong
Yunnan
Country:
China
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
0
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
Crashed in unknown circumstances in a mountainous area located 30 miles northeast of Yunlong. Crew fate unknown.

Crash of a Boeing B-29-50-BW Superfortress into the Pacific Ocean: 12 killed

Date & Time: Feb 12, 1945
Type of aircraft:
Boeing B-29 Superfortress
Operator:
Registration:
42-24842
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Survey / Patrol / Reconnaissance
Survivors:
No
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
Schedule:
North Field - North Field
MSN:
4503
YOM:
1942
Location:
Pacific Ocean
World
Country:
World
Region:
World
Crew on board:
12
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
12
Circumstances:
Forty-five minutes after its departure from North Field AFB (Tinian Island), while cruising, the engine number four caught fire. The aircraft dove into the sea and exploded as it struck the water surface. Only few debris were found on site and all 12 crew members were killed.
Crew (39th Squadron):
Sgt Robert J. Beller, radio operator,
Cpl Harold M. Brown, air gunner,
1st Lt Bernard A. Casaurang, pilot,
Cpl Ralph R. Cima, radar officer,
Cpl Flavio M. Duca, air gunner,
Cpl Charles N. Gentry,
2nd Lt Edward A. Josephson, pilot,
F/O Louis T. Kestner Jr., navigator,
Cpl Joseph J. Kuebler, air gunner,
Cpl Richard V. Leland,
T/Sgt Fred B. Robbins, flight engineer,
2nd Lt Richard J. Scarisbrick, bombardier.
Probable cause:
Engine # 4 caught fire in flight.

Crash of a Short S.25 Sunderland III near Irvinestown: 9 killed

Date & Time: Feb 11, 1945
Type of aircraft:
Short S.25 Sunderland
Operator:
Registration:
NJ183
Flight Phase:
Takeoff (climb)
Flight Type:
Survey / Patrol / Reconnaissance
Survivors:
No
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Castle Archdale - Castle Archdale
Location:
Irvinestown
Fermanagh
Country:
United Kingdom
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
9
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
9
Circumstances:
Few minutes after takeoff from RAF Castle Archdale, while climbing, an engine caught fire. The pilot lost control of the aircraft that crashed in a pasture located three miles east of Irvinestown. All 9 crew members were killed. They were engaged in a patrol mission.
Crew (423rd Squadron):
F/O James Robert Seeger, pilot,
F/O Terence Ramsay Hailstone, copilot,
F/Lt John David Ross, navigator,
F/O John Alexander McLennan, pilot,
F/O Charles Edward Cruickshank, flight engineer,
Sgt Philip Woollatt, wireless operator and air gunner,
Sgt Edward Frederick Knibbs, wireless operator and air gunner,
Sgt Morley Wilbee, air gunner,
Sgt Jack Gingrich, air gunner.
Probable cause:
Engine fire.

Crash of a Canadian Vickers PBV-1A Canso A off Tofino

Date & Time: Feb 8, 1945
Type of aircraft:
Canadian Vickers PBV-1 Canso (OA-10 Canso)
Operator:
Registration:
11007
Flight Phase:
Takeoff (climb)
Flight Type:
Military
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
Schedule:
Tofino – Vancouver
MSN:
CV-285
Location:
Tofino
British Columbia
Country:
Canada
Region:
North America
Crew on board:
12
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
Shortly after takeoff from Tofino, the seaplane lost height and crashed 5 km east of Tofino. All 12 crew members were rescued while the aircraft was lost.
Probable cause:
Loss of control caused by an engine failure.

Crash of an Avro 685 York C.1 in Mauripur

Date & Time: Feb 8, 1945
Type of aircraft:
Avro 685 York
Operator:
Registration:
MW118
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Military
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
MSN:
MW118
YOM:
1944
Location:
Mauripur AFB (Karachi)
Sindh (سنڌ سندھ)
Country:
Pakistan
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
0
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
A tyre burst in flight, forcing the crew to complete a belly landing in Mauripur Airport, Karachi. While there were no casualties, the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Crash of a Douglas C-47B-20-DK near Hechi: 37 killed

Date & Time: Feb 7, 1945 at 1915 LT
Type of aircraft:
Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)
Operator:
Registration:
43-49657
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Military
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Xi’an – Kunming
MSN:
26918/15473
YOM:
1944
Location:
Hechi
Guangxi
Country:
China
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
35
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
37
Circumstances:
The aircraft left Xi'an (Hsian) Airport at 1500LT bound for Kunming with 35 passengers and a crew of four. While cruising at an altitude of 23,000 feet over the cloud layer, the left engine caught fire. The captain ordered the radio operator and the flight engineer to bail out. Shortly later, the aircraft went out of control, dove into the ground and crashed 123 km west of Hechi, killing all 37 occupants. Both crew that bailed out survived. The pilot, Major Carrol D. Gregory, and the copilot 2nd Lt Ralph R. Young were killed.

Probable cause:
Engine fire.

Crash of a Consolidated B-24H-15-CF Liberator in Bron: 8 killed

Date & Time: Feb 6, 1945 at 0247 LT
Type of aircraft:
Consolidated B-24 Liberator
Operator:
Registration:
41-29505
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Training
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
City
Schedule:
Harrington - Harrington
Location:
Lyon
Rhône
Country:
France
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
9
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
8
Circumstances:
The crew was performing a night training exercise when approaching Lyons, an engine failed, forcing the captain to divert to Lyons-Bron Airport to attempt an emergency landing. Due to low visibility, the crew completed several circuits over Lyons when the aircraft went out of control, dove into the ground and crashed in the district of Terraillon, near Bron. A crew member was injured while eight others were killed.
Crew (857th Squadron):
Sgt Mose C. Boren Jr., air gunner,
2nd Lt Merrill Burt, copilot,
2nd Lt Charles H. Edwards, pilot,
F/O Edwin London, bomber,
Sgt James D. Matthews, flight engineer,
Sgt James O. Melotte, radio operator,
2nd Lt Gerard L. Roy, navigator,
Sgt John L. Strickey, air gunner,
Sgt Russell G. Wolfersberger Jr, air gunner.
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