United States Army Air Forces - USAAF (1941-1947) | Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives

The pilot started the descent by night and poor weather conditions. On final approach, the four engine aircraft was too low and hit the roof of a house before crashing onto houses, short of runway. All 20 occupants were killed and five people on the ground as well. Due to low visibility, the crew did not realize his altitude was insufficient.
On board the aircraft:
G. Golden,
B. S. Oglesby,
D. McGrew,
L. Bigotto,
A. Gorski,
A. Scott,
Eugene R. Venabe,
Norman A. Loeb,
Madison C. Schepps,
John E. Fissel Jr.,
Vivanna Cronin,
Thomas W. Kirk,
Braxton G. Flemming,
Horace J. Fortenberry,
Ernest E. Jesch,
William C. Farley,
Glenn K. Erickson,
Burt D. Hogsett,
John B. Krusi,
Harry Berman,
Civilians killed on the ground:
Thomas George Maitland,
Robert A. Handyside,
William K. Snowden,
Thomas Kinnear,
Irene Haswell.

Crash of a Curtiss C-46A-35-CU Commando near Kunming

Date & Time: Aug 25, 1944 at 1200 LT

Type of aircraft:

Curtiss C-46 Commando

Operator:

Registration:

42-3609

Flight Type:

Military

MSN:

26742

YOM:

1943

Location:

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Circumstances:

Crashed in unknown circumstances. Crew fate unknown as well.

Crash of a Curtiss C-46A-30-CU Commando in Cheng Kung

Date & Time: Aug 25, 1944 at 1200 LT

Type of aircraft:

Curtiss C-46 Commando

Operator:

Registration:

42-3566

Flight Type:

Military

MSN:

26699

YOM:

1943

Location:

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Circumstances:

Crashed in unknown circumstances. Crew fate unknown as well.

Crash of a Noorduyn UC-64A Norseman in Stanton Harcourt

Date & Time: Aug 24, 1944 at 1200 LT

Type of aircraft:

Noorduyn Norseman

Operator:

Registration:

43-35371

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

MSN:

445

YOM:

1944

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Circumstances:

En route, the engine failed, forcing the pilot to attempt an emergency landing. On final, the aircraft went out of control and crashed in a field located in Stanton Harcourt, west of Oxford. While the pilot was injured, the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.
Crew:
Harvey T. Bonser, pilot.

Probable cause:

Engine failure caused by a fuel exhaustion. A fuel gauge stuck indicating ¼ tank when the tank was actually empty.

Crash of a Curtiss C-46A-35-CU Commando near Kwanhlar

Date & Time: Aug 24, 1944 at 1200 LT

Type of aircraft:

Curtiss C-46 Commando

Operator:

Registration:

42-3632

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Supply

Site:

Plain, Valley

MSN:

26765

YOM:

1943

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Crashed following an engine failure 8 km southeast of the Ye-panga railroad located near Kwanhlar. The crew fate remains unknown.

Probable cause:

Engine failure.

Crash of a Douglas C-47A-90-DL in Colleville-sur-Mer: 4 killed

Date & Time: Aug 24, 1944

Type of aircraft:

Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)

Operator:

Registration:

43-15655

Flight Type:

Supply

Survivors:

Site:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

MSN:

20121

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Crashed in unknown circumstances near the aerodrome of Colleville-sur-Mer while on a supply mission. All four occupants were killed.
Crew:
Marshall H. Pittman 3.

Crash of a Consolidated B-24H-20-CF Liberator in Freckleton: 61 killed

Date & Time: Aug 23, 1944 at 1047 LT

Type of aircraft:

Consolidated B-24 Liberator

Operator:

Registration:

42-50291

Flight Phase:

Landing (descent or approach)

Flight Type:

Test

Survivors:

Site:

City

Schedule:

Warton - Warton

MSN:

722

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Circumstances:

The crew was performing a circular test flight at RAF Warton after the plane had been refurbished. Following an uneventful flight, the crew started the approach to runway 08 and received the authorization to land. At that time, weather conditions deteriorated with low clouds down to 120 meters above ground, heavy rain falls and winds gusting up to 25 knots. From a height of dozen feet, the aircraft went out of control, banked left and came with wings near vertical before crashing in a huge explosion in the center of the village of Freckleton. The aircraft hit several houses, a school and a cafe as well. All three crew members were killed and 58 others on the ground: 38 children and two teachers in the school, and 18 people in the cafe: seven US officers, four British officers and seven civilians. To date, this was considered as the worst air disaster in the world.
Crew:
1st Lt John A. Bloemendal, pilot,
T/Sgt James M. Parr, copilot,
Sgt Gordon W. Kinney, flight engineer.
More info on http://laituk.org/B-24 42-50291.htm

Probable cause:

The official report stated that the exact cause of the crash could not be determined. However, it was concluded that the pilot had not fully realized the danger the storm posed until underway in his final approach, by which time he had insufficient altitude and speed to maneuver, given the probable strength of wind and downdrafts that must have prevailed. A structural failure of the aircraft in the extreme conditions was not ruled out, although the complete destruction of the airframe had precluded any meaningful investigation. Noting that many of the pilots coming to the UK commonly believed that British storms were little more than showers, the report recommended that all US trained pilots should be emphatically warned of the dangers of British thunderstorms.

Crash of a Douglas B-18A Bolo in Watkins: 9 killed

Date & Time: Aug 22, 1944 at 2000 LT

Type of aircraft:

Douglas B-18 Bolo

Operator:

Registration:

39-22

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Military

Survivors:

Site:

Mountains

MSN:

2670

YOM:

1939

Location:

Watkins

Colorado

Country:

United States of America

Region:

North America

Crew on board:

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Circumstances:

En route from Lowry AFB, the crew encountered poor weather conditions with thunderstorm activity, hail and turbulences. The airplane entered an uncontrolled descent and crashed in hilly terrain near Watkins, east of Denver. All nine occupants were killed.

Crash of a Douglas C-47A-80-DL into the Atlantic Ocean: 8 killed

Date & Time: Aug 21, 1944

Type of aircraft:

Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)

Operator:

Registration:

43-15162

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Military

Survivors:

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

Schedule:

Gibraltar - St Mawgan

MSN:

19628

YOM:

1944

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Circumstances:

The crew left Gibraltar bound for RAF Newquay-St Mawgan, Cornwall. En route, the aircraft encountered poor weather conditions and likely crashed into the Atlantic Ocean. No trace of the aircraft nor the eight occupants was ever found.