ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 48680
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| Date: | Friday 1 June 1945 |
| Time: | 09:40 |
| Type: |  Consolidated B-24J Liberator |
| Owner/operator: | Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) |
| Registration: | KK241 |
| MSN: | 1607 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 11 / Occupants: 11 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Mount Welch, British Columbia -
 Canada
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RCAF Station Abbotsford, BC (IYXX) |
| RCAF Station Abbotsford, BC (IYXX) |
On June 1, 1945, Liberator B.VI, serial KK241 VY of 5 OTU, RCAF, with an all Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve crew, took off at 0906 hours on a cross-country navigation exercise. Just over a half-hour after takeoff, the aircraft failed to report at the first turning point.
Following the failure of the aircraft to return from its mission, a large air search was initiated. Unfortunately, the weather remained unfavorable for two weeks, so a large ground search was organized. At the same time, the Commanding Officer of 5 OTU initiated his own search in a single engine Noordyn Noresman and flew into valleys impossible for the large B-24s. Late on June 16, the clouds lifted above the peaks of the Cheam Range and he found the wreckage on the rocky slope of Mount Welch, British Columbia. The aircraft had impacted the 7730 foot mountain 100 feet below its peak.
The exact cause of the crash was not determined, but possible causes included the failure of the pilot to climb at a rate which would assure adequate clearance over the mountains, and/or the inability of the pilot to climb over the mountain due to some mechanical failure in the aircraft which could not be determined. It should be noted that this was the first time the crew had flown a fully loaded Liberator and they may not have been briefed to allow for a sufficient safety margin on track through clouds over the mountains.
The aircraft had disintegrated on impact with only part of the tail section remaining at the point of impact. The explosion loosened tons of rock and snow which came down the mountainside with considerable wreckage from the plane. No attempts were made to recover the wreckage.
The remains of the crew were buried on site in a rock grave erected in the saddle between mount Welch and Mount sill, west of Chilliwack BC.
*The accident Date as reported in the original ASN Accident description was 05-JUN-1945. The RCAF Accident Classification Report 1300-KK241-1 lists the accident date as 01-JUN-1945.
Sources:
Air Enthusiast 50
Joe Baugher: USAAF 44-44312, RAF KK241, RCAF KK241
http://www.bansteadhistory.com/Memorial/2_H.html
http://www.bansteadhistory.com/Memorial/2_H_KK241%20Liberator%20Crew.html
http://forums.clubtread.com/28-lodge/18411-1947-mt-cheam-plane-crash-2.html
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 10-Dec-2008 08:33 | ASN archive | Added |
| 11-Jun-2009 11:59 | bansteadman | Updated |
| 10-Dec-2012 11:35 | Nepa | Updated [Operator, Source, Narrative] |
| 14-Apr-2015 07:20 | Yukonjack | Updated [Cn, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 02-Aug-2015 15:22 | yukonjack | Updated [Date, Time, Operator, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 22-Jul-2016 19:57 | yukonjack | Updated [Operator, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport] |
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