Date & Time:
Feb 11, 1943 at 1115 LT
Type of aircraft:
Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress
Operator:
Registration:
42-5367
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Training
Survivors:
No
Site:
Mountains
Schedule:
Walla Walla - Walla Walla
MSN:
3906
YOM:
1942
Country:
United States of America
Region:
North America
Crew on board:
10
Crew fatalities:
10
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
0
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
10
Circumstances:
The airplane departed Walla Walla Airport on a navigational training exercise. While cruising in IMC conditions at an altitude of 5,000 feet, the airplane impacted the slope of Mt Table Rock (1,904 metres high) located 27 km east of Walla Walla. The wreckage was found two days later in deep snow and all 10 occupants were killed.
Crew:
2nd Lt John T. Ray, pilot,
2nd Lt Richard H. Reed, copilot,
2nd Lt David I. Dunning, navigator,
T/Sgt Alexander R. Dec, flight engineer,
S/Sgt Lloyd L. Ball, assistant flight engineer,
S/Sgt Milton D. Johnson Jr., radio operator,
S/Sgt Claude W. Seifert Jr., radio operator,
2nd Lt Hans L. Lehne, bombardier,
S/Sgt Wilmer C. Fankhanel, air gunner,
S/Sgt Joseph F. Perkins, air gunner.
Crew:
2nd Lt John T. Ray, pilot,
2nd Lt Richard H. Reed, copilot,
2nd Lt David I. Dunning, navigator,
T/Sgt Alexander R. Dec, flight engineer,
S/Sgt Lloyd L. Ball, assistant flight engineer,
S/Sgt Milton D. Johnson Jr., radio operator,
S/Sgt Claude W. Seifert Jr., radio operator,
2nd Lt Hans L. Lehne, bombardier,
S/Sgt Wilmer C. Fankhanel, air gunner,
S/Sgt Joseph F. Perkins, air gunner.
Probable cause:
Controlled flight into terrain. A tailwind of 30 mph may have contributed to a miscalculation of the flight track.
