Coclé

The twin engine airplane departed Río Hato Airport at 1044LT and landed at Penonomé at 1055LT. Following a stop of 45 minutes, the airplane took off bound to the north to Coclecito. While cruising at an altitude of 3,400 feet in poor weather conditions, the airplane struck the slope of a mountain and crashed. All seven occupants were killed, among them General Omar Efraín Torrijos, President of the Republic of Panama.

The four engine airplane was descending to Panama City Airport when it struck the slope of Mt Cerro Gaital located 75 km southwest of Panama City. The aircraft was destroyed and all 10 crew members were killed.

After aborting a radar search mission on July 15, 1943, because n°1 engine of an LB-30 piloted by 2nd Lt Clement Telep was not producing power, Lt Telep returned the aircraft to Rio Hato Air Base. When the problem could not be duplicated on a ground check of the aircraft, Lt Telep, his co-pilot 2nd Lt Theodore B. Small, and four other members of the crew re-boarded the old bomber for a test hop in anticipation of returning to base for the rest of the crew if the hop proved the plane was okay. The test showed the balky engine still was not developing proper power, and as Lt Telep headed the LB-30 on downwind leg of the landing pattern, the engine began to burn. Fire extinguishers only caused the blaze to falter momentarily before blistering back to life. The electric prop would not feather. Lt Telep climbed the LB-30 to afford the aircrew an altitude of about 900 feet from which to bail out. Lt Telep ordered Lt. Small, whose parachute got soaked with water, rendering it unusable, to go back to the waist of the Liberator and jump with one of the spare chutes left by the other crew members still waiting on the ground. Lt Small, along with three other crew members, all bailed out from the waist of the aircraft. Lt Small and two of the three crew members who parachuted from the burning aircraft survived. M/Sgt William L. Armstrong, the third crew member, died because his parachute burned. When the burning Liberator crashed, Lt Telep and S/Sgt Earl Stopher his radio operator were still in their seats, and died in the crash. Lt Telep was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross by General Orders Number 56, Headquarters, Sixth Air Force, August 4, 1943, for remaining at the controls of his burning aircraft until it exploded, thereby enabling three of his fellow crew members to parachute to safety, at the forfeiture of his own life.
Crew:
2nd Lt Clement Telep, pilot, †
2nd Lt Theodore B. Small, copilot,
M/Sgt William L. Armstrong, †
S/Sgt Earl Stopher, radio operator +2. †
Source: http://www.aviationarchaeology.com

Crashed on takeoff and destroyed. There were no fatalities.

Crashed in unknown circumstances. There were no fatalities.

The airplane ground looped on takeoff from Río Hato Airport and was damaged beyond repair. There were no casualties.

The airplane crashed in unknown circumstances 15 km northeast of Penonomé. At least one crew was killed.
Crew:
George C. Denter.

The airplane suffered an engine failure upon takeoff from Río Hato Airfield and crashed. At least one crew member was killed.
Crew:
Merrill F. Patrick.

While on a flight from Albrook Airport, the twin engine airplane crashed in unknown circumstances 10 km northeast of El Valle. Four crew members were killed and three others were injured.

An engine failed in flight, forcing the pilot Thomas C. Darcy to attempt an emergency landing. The float plane crashed near Río Hato and was damaged beyond repair. There were no casualties.