Rapid City | Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives

Crashed on takeoff and destroyed by fire. Six crew members were killed.
Crew:
2nd Lt Richard R. Billman,
S/Sgt Samuel Compton,
S/Sgt James L. Piccolo,
S/Sgt William E. Playford,
Sgt Charles Williams,
Cpl Howard Estep.

Crash of a Boeing B-17E Flying Fortress on Mt Sierra Grande: 11 killed

Date & Time: Oct 17, 1942 at 0615 LT

Type of aircraft:

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress

Operator:

Registration:

41-9055

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Military

Survivors:

Site:

Mountains

Schedule:

Rapid City - Kelly AFB

MSN:

2527

YOM:

1941

Location:

Mt Sierra Grande

New Mexico

Country:

United States of America

Region:

North America

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The airplane departed Rapid City AAF in the early morning on a flight to Kelly AFB, San Antonio, TX. There were 11 crew members on board. While cruising at an altitude of 8,000 feet in limited visibility, the airplane impacted the north slope of Mt Sierra Grande (2,661 metres high) located 7 km southwest of Des Moines, NM. The airplane disintegrated on impact and all 11 occupants were killed.
Crew:
1st Lt Paul D. Cunningham Jr., pilot,
2nd Lt Charles W. Mann, copilot,
S/Sgt Joseph C. Lynch, flight engineer,
S/Sgt Ward Murie, assistant flight engineer,
2nd Lt Robert S. Connor Jr., navigator,
S/Sgt Emery F. Herzog, radio operator,
Sgt Milton Lakin, assistant radio operator,
2nd Lt Lawrence W. Hunter, bombardier,
Avc Edward W. Larson, student bombardier.
Sgt Jerome A. Krzmarzick, air gunner,
S/Sgt William R. Patton.

Probable cause:

Controlled flight into terrain after the airplane deviated from the prescribed route due to an unfavorable wind component. The crew sent a position report, indicating that they were 15 miles southwest of Garden City, Kansas. But Garden City did not receive the radio report. In fact, the message was heard by the station at La Junta, Colorado, which did not reply, as they thought the message was intended for the other station. Unaware of their actual position, the crew were off course and flying 175 miles further to the west than intended. The accident was due to a navigational error, caused by a failure of the crew to compensate the strong easterly wind component, resulting in a controlled flight into terrain. The lack of visibility was considered as a contributing factor.

Crash of a Boeing B-17E Flying Fortress near Rapid City: 3 killed

Date & Time: Oct 9, 1942