Date & Time:
Mar 5, 1943 at 0858 LT
Type of aircraft:
Consolidated B-24 Liberator
Operator:
Registration:
42-40242
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Training
Survivors:
No
Site:
Mountains
Schedule:
March - March
MSN:
1319
YOM:
1943
Country:
United States of America
Region:
North America
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
5
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
0
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
5
Circumstances:
The airplane departed March AFB on a routine training exercise. En route, it suffered a catastrophe structural failure, lost its tail section and crashed in a mountainous area located near Lytle Creek. All five crew members were killed.
Crew:
Cpt Marvin J. Frum, pilot,
2nd Lt Marshall E. Oberg, copilot,
T/Sgt Merle F. Draper, flight engineer,
S/Sgt Fred Bedford, radio operator,
S/Sgt Russell P. Boyd, air gunner.
Crew:
Cpt Marvin J. Frum, pilot,
2nd Lt Marshall E. Oberg, copilot,
T/Sgt Merle F. Draper, flight engineer,
S/Sgt Fred Bedford, radio operator,
S/Sgt Russell P. Boyd, air gunner.
Probable cause:
Catastrophic structural failure in flight. Investigators speculated that the pilots may have put the aircraft through maneuvers that exceeded the structural limitations of the airframe, causing the tail section to separate and then the port wing to fail between the n°1 and n°2 engines.
