Date & Time:
Oct 29, 1942 at 0700 LT
Type of aircraft:
Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress
Operator:
Registration:
41-9235
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Bombing
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
Schedule:
Mareeba - Mareeba
MSN:
2707
YOM:
1941
Country:
Australia
Region:
Oceania
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
0
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
0
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The airplane departed Mareeba Airfield at 2000LT on October 28 on an operation to Tonolei harbor in Papua New Guinea. On October 29, at 0100LT, as the crew failed to find the target, it was decided to return to Marreba. Because the navigator's watch was broken, he was unable to perform celestial navigation. Flying westward but lost, the radio operator had little success communicating with Port Moresby or Mareeba but finally established communication with Townsville. On October 29 at 0700LT, low on fuel, the pilot ditched the airplane on the Great Barrier Reef about 30 km off Cape York Peninsula near Cooktown. The airplane sank within minutes but all five crew members took refuge in two dinghies and were rescued two days later.
Crew (19th BG):
Maj Allen Lindbergh, pilot,
1st Lt Joshua A. Barnes, copilot,
2nd Lt Joseph D. Howard, bombardier,
1st Lt Jack A. Ryan, navigator,
Sgt Hilario L. Hernandez, air gunner.
Crew (19th BG):
Maj Allen Lindbergh, pilot,
1st Lt Joshua A. Barnes, copilot,
2nd Lt Joseph D. Howard, bombardier,
1st Lt Jack A. Ryan, navigator,
Sgt Hilario L. Hernandez, air gunner.
Probable cause:
Fuel exhaustion.
