Date & Time:
Sep 5, 1942
Type of aircraft:
Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress
Operator:
Registration:
41-24463
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Military
Survivors:
No
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
Schedule:
Gander - Thurleigh
MSN:
3148
YOM:
1942
Country:
World
Region:
World
Crew on board:
10
Crew fatalities:
10
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
0
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
10
Circumstances:
The airplane departed Gander Airport on a transatlantic flight to RAF Thurleigh, carrying a crew of 10. About an hour into the flight, while en route between Canada and Greenland, the airplane exploded in midair and crashed into the Atlantic Ocean. All 10 occupants were killed.
Crew:
T/Sgt William Blakesley,
S/Sgt Charles H. Carlton,
2nd Lt Andrew J. Hoyt,
2nd Lt Robert R. Landry,
1st Lt John Thomas Leahy,
S/Sgt Roland L. Oikle,
S/Sgt Leslie R. Pettyjohn,
Cpt Rush Poulan,
2nd Lt Frank L. Shannon Jr.,
Pvt James A. Wiley.
Crew:
T/Sgt William Blakesley,
S/Sgt Charles H. Carlton,
2nd Lt Andrew J. Hoyt,
2nd Lt Robert R. Landry,
1st Lt John Thomas Leahy,
S/Sgt Roland L. Oikle,
S/Sgt Leslie R. Pettyjohn,
Cpt Rush Poulan,
2nd Lt Frank L. Shannon Jr.,
Pvt James A. Wiley.
Probable cause:
The exact cause of the accident could not be determined but the explosion coincided with the time that the bomb bay overload fuel tank was due to be switched on and may have been caused by an electrical fault.
