Maine

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Presque Isle - Gander

MSN:

82-5684

YOM:

1941

Location:

North Wade

Country:

Region:

North American B-25 Mitchell

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The airplane departed Presque Isle Airport on a flight to Gander with a crew of seven on board. Few minutes later, it suffered a structural failure in flight and crashed in North Wade, some 19 km northwest of Presque Isle Airport. All seven crew members were killed.
Crew:
S/Sgt Eugene Joseph Crozier,
S/Sgt John S. Delano,
S/Sgt James Anton Kviz,
S/Sgt Richard K. Riddle,
2nd Lt John W. Rives Jr.,
Sgt Frederick W. Rowbottom,
2nd Lt John F. Watson.

Probable cause:

Structural failure in flight. An act of sabotage was not ruled out.

Crash of a North American B-25C-1 Mitchell in Fort Fairfield: 7 killed

Date & Time: Sep 22, 1942

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

41-13098

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Training

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Presque Isle - Presque Isle

MSN:

82-5733

YOM:

1941

Location:

Fort Fairfield

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The airplane departed Presque Isle on a local training flight. While cruising in the vicinity of the airfield, it suffered a structural failure and crashed in Fort Fairfield, some 18 km northeast of the airport. All seven crew members were killed.
Crew:
2nd Lt James Q. Crocker,
2nd Lt Ralph L. Drogula,
Sgt William H. Finch,
S/Sgt Billy John Hill,
S/Sgt Joseph Martino,
S/Sgt Lawrence A. Robinson,
S/Sgt George E. Simmons.

Probable cause:

Structural failure in flight.

Crash of a Lockheed PBO-1 Hudson into the Gulf of Maine: 4 killed

Date & Time: Aug 30, 1942

Type of aircraft:

Lockheed L-414 Hudson

Operator:

Registration:

03859

Flight Phase:

Survey / Patrol / Reconnaissance

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

Schedule:

Quonset Point - Quonset Point

MSN:

414-6005

YOM:

1941

Location:

Gulf of Maine

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The crew was engaged in a maritime patrol flight over the Gulf of Maine to localize German U-Boats cruising off the US coast. The crew plan was to make five radio checks during the mission. The first four were received on schedule, but not the final one. The airplane failed to return to Quonset Point NAS and is believed to have crashed into the ocean. No trace of the aircraft nor the crew was ever found.
Crew:
James Edward Browning +3.

Crash of an Avro 652A Anson II in Crater Pond: 3 killed

Date & Time: Aug 14, 1942 at 1430 LT

Type of aircraft:

Avro 652 Anson

Operator:

Registration:

JS173

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Moncton - Montreal

Location:

Crater Pond

Country:

Region:

Martin B-10 (Model 139 & 166)

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The twin engine airplane departed Moncton on a ferry flight to Montreal with a crew of four on board. While cruising over Maine, weather conditions deteriorated. Two other similar airplane diverted to Millinocket, Maine, while the pilot of JS173 decided to continue to Montreal. Nevertheless, the visibility was poor and the pilot descended into instrument conditions when, at an altitude of 2,690 feet, the airplane impacted hilly terrain in the Saddleback Mountain. Three crew members were killed and the sole survivor walked away for few hours before finding help. According to the survivor, the altimeter read 4,000 feet.
Crew:
Sgt Edward H. Hollenbach, pilot, †
Lac Arthur C. Duffield, †
A2c Paul Paterson, †
A2c Earl Machan.

Probable cause:

Controlled flight into terrain following the decision of the pilot to descend under instrument conditions in bad weather conditions. Pilot should have known that height of land on course ranged from 500 to 5,000 feet and should not have been flying at 4,000 feet in such weather conditions.

Final Report:

Crash of a Martin B-10B in Presque Isle

Date & Time: Jul 10, 1942

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

36-348

Flight Phase:

Landing (descent or approach)

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Location:

Presque Isle

Country:

Region:

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

Crashed upon landing at Presque Isle Airport. There were no casualties.

Crash of a Boeing B-17E Flying Fortress in Presque Isle

Date & Time: Jun 28, 1942

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

41-2588

Flight Phase:

Landing (descent or approach)

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Schedule:

Houlton - Presque Isle

MSN:

2399

YOM:

1941

Location:

Presque Isle

Country:

Region:

Lockheed 12 Electra Junior

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The airplane was dispatched to accompany four Lockheed P-38 Lightnings from Houlton Field to Presque Isle, Maine, en route to England. After landing, the bomber ground looped, coming to rest into a ditch. There were no casualties.

Probable cause:

Loss of control after landing when the brakes failed due to a mechanical failure.

Crash of a Lockheed C-40D Electra Junior on Mt Howe Brook: 6 killed

Date & Time: May 24, 1942 at 1135 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

42-22249

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Mountains

Schedule:

Bolling Field – Montreal – Presque Isle – Houlton – Montreal – Bolling Field

MSN:

1273

YOM:

1942

Location:

Mt Howe Brook

Country:

Region:

Landing (descent or approach)

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The airplane departed Bolling Field AFB (Washington DC) on May 23 bound for Houlton, Maine, with intermediate stops in Montreal and Presque Isle. The crew departed Montreal at 0934LT on May 24 with a crew of two and four passengers, among them Lt Col Louis Gimbel. While cruising at an altitude of 5,000 feet, the crew requested to climb to 7,000 feet and confirmed an ETA at 1134LT. In poor weather conditions, the crew was unable to locate the airports of Presque Isle and Houlton. Flying too low in low visibility, the airplane collided with trees and crashed in a dense wooded area located in the Howe Brook Mountain Range, between Presque Isle and Houlton. The airplane was totally destroyed and all six occupants were killed.
Crew:
1st Lt Clarence Allen Wright, pilot,
S/Sgt Frederick J. Taylor, flight engineer.
Passengers:
Lt Col Louis Stanley Gimbel Jr.,
Cpt John D. Franciscus,
Cpt Gilbert M. Herback,
2nd Lt Earl R. Wilkinson.
Sources & photos: http://www.mewreckchasers.com/C40.html

Probable cause:

The board of inquiry was unable to determine a cause, but listed weather and pilot inexperience under instrument conditions as factors. Controlled flight into terrain.

Crash of a Lockheed A-29 Hudson at Dow AFB

Date & Time: Apr 29, 1942

Type of aircraft:

Lockheed L-414 Hudson

Operator:

Registration:

41-23408

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

MSN:

414-6225

YOM:

1941

Location:

Dow AFB

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

Crashed for unknown reasons upon landing at Dow AFB. There were no casualties.

Crash of a Lockheed L-414 Hudson in Bangor

Date & Time: Dec 30, 1941

Type of aircraft:

Lockheed L-414 Hudson

Operator:

Registration:

41-23302

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Delivery

Site:

MSN:

414-6119

YOM:

1941

Location:

Bangor

Country:

Region: