Date & Time:
Sep 10, 1942 at 0430 LT
Type of aircraft:
Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress
Operator:
Registration:
41-24627
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Training
Survivors:
No
Site:
Mountains
Schedule:
Spokane - Spokane
MSN:
3312
YOM:
1942
Country:
United States of America
Region:
North America
Crew on board:
7
Crew fatalities:
7
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
0
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
7
Circumstances:
The airplane departed Spokane-Geiger Field on a night training exercise, carrying a crew of seven. While cruising in limited visibility due to misty rain, the airplane collided with a 100-foot tall tree and crashed on mountainous terrain, bursting into flames. The wreckage was found four days later some 40 km southeast of Enterprise. All seven crew members were killed.
Crew:
1st Lt Richard E. Pinneo, pilot,
2nd Lt Anthony Di Menno, pilot,
Pvt George L. Schaffer, flight engineer,
Cpl Robert C. Raschka, radio operator,
2nd Lt Rene A. Fournier, navigator,
2nd Lt Peter Knudsen Jr., student,
2nd Lt John W. Zurich, student.
Crew:
1st Lt Richard E. Pinneo, pilot,
2nd Lt Anthony Di Menno, pilot,
Pvt George L. Schaffer, flight engineer,
Cpl Robert C. Raschka, radio operator,
2nd Lt Rene A. Fournier, navigator,
2nd Lt Peter Knudsen Jr., student,
2nd Lt John W. Zurich, student.
Probable cause:
Controlled flight into terrain. It was determined that the airplane was flying southbound at normal power, based on the throttle positions. The crew were probably unaware of their exact position related to terrain.
