Date & Time:
Feb 2, 1943 at 1720 LT
Type of aircraft:
Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress
Operator:
Registration:
42-5105
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Military
Survivors:
No
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Casper - Tinker
MSN:
3644
YOM:
1942
Country:
United States of America
Region:
North America
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
6
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
0
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
6
Circumstances:
En route from Casper to Tinker AFB and while passing over Kansas, the crew encountered marginal weather conditions. The airplane was seen flying out the cloud layer then entered an uncontrolled descent and crashed in a huge explosion in an open field near Bogue. All six occupants were killed.
Crew:
1st Lt Paul M. Capaccio, pilot,
F/O Latteimer Stewart, copilot,
1st Lt Jacob M. Madsen Jr., navigator,
T/Sgt. Thaddeus I. Donlavage, flight engineer,
S/Sgt Frank Culver, radio operator.
M/Sgt H. M. Bloch.
Crew:
1st Lt Paul M. Capaccio, pilot,
F/O Latteimer Stewart, copilot,
1st Lt Jacob M. Madsen Jr., navigator,
T/Sgt. Thaddeus I. Donlavage, flight engineer,
S/Sgt Frank Culver, radio operator.
M/Sgt H. M. Bloch.
Probable cause:
The airplane was observed about 1720 CWT, traveling northwest. It descended from a low overcast, ascended again into overcast, and briefly thereafter came out in a steep dive. Apparently there was some attempt at recovery, but airplane dived into the ground with sufficient impact to force the engines and nose three to five feet into the frozen earth. Airplane exploded on impact, with intense fire in impact area. Wreckage was scattered south of impact area in direction paralleling line of wings and to one side only, indicating that the airplane had a strong sideways movement at the time of impact. Airplane and bodies of personnel were extensively disintegrated. Controls and instruments were unrecognizable at time of inspection. There had been some thunderstorm activity in vicinity. Just prior to crash, the airplane was traveling in direction opposite to its proper course.
