ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 105058
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| Date: | Monday 24 January 1944 |
| Time: | |
| Type: |  Douglas A-20G Havoc |
| Owner/operator: | 14th Ferry Sqn / 6th Ferry Gp USAAF |
| Registration: | 43-9821 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | in Ivanpah Mountains near Mountain Pass, California -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Ferry/positioning |
| Departure airport: | Daggett Army Airfield |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information verified through data from accident investigation authorities |
On 24 January 1944 four A-20G aircraft departed Daggett Army Airfield for Las Vegas on a cross country ferry flight. Just east of Silver Lake radio range, they encountered an unpredicted snow storm. Three of the pilots turned around and headed back to Daggett AAF while the fourth, Capt Bogdan Alan "Bud" Smilanich, of 14th Ferry Sqn, 6th Ferry Group, flying the A-20G 43-9821, continued. He did not arrive and was posted missing.
So much snow had fallen during the storm that the A-20 was not found until February 6th. According to one source the Army Air Corp gave up the search for the plane but Smilanich‘s brothers Milton and Dennis continued on their personal search and found their brother‘s plane and body.
The Havoc had crashed into a ridge, approximately 30 feet from the top, in the Ivanpah Mountains near Mountain Pass, California. The aircraft had hit so hard that some parts were propelled over a half-mile. Because of the condition of the crash, investigators could make no reasonable determination why the plane crashed. They were able to determine that both engines were delivering power at the time of impact. It is unknown why Lt Smilanich did not turn around, but crash investigators believe he tried to fly contact under the very low cloud ceiling until he came into the mountain passes, where visibility dropped to zero.
Smilanich had just returned 6 weeks earlier from a 14 month tour in North Africa.
Sources:
http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/AARmonthly/Jan1944S.htm
https://pacaeropress.websitetoolbox.com/post?id=2678256&trail=
https://www.findagrave.com/page=gr&GRid=93636273
http://web.archive.org/web/20120506180548/http://www.aircraftarchaeology.com/douglas_a-20_havoc.htm (no more online)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountain_Pass,_California
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 21-Jun-2014 10:27 | Uli Elch | Updated [Operator, Total fatalities, Location, Phase, Source, Narrative] |
| 25-Jan-2017 07:05 | Laurent Rizzotti | Updated [Operator, Total occupants, Location, Nature, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 21-Feb-2019 16:48 | stehlík49 | Updated [Operator] |
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