ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 100137
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| Date: | Sunday 24 January 1943 |
| Time: | 20:05 |
| Type: |  Consolidated B-24D Liberator |
| Owner/operator: | United States Army Air Force (USAAF) |
| Registration: | 41-24038 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 10 / Occupants: 12 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | 40 Mi N Alamogardo, NM -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | Topeka Army Air Base, Kansas |
| Alamogordo AAF, New Mexico |
Crashed. B-24D Liberator #41-24038 was part of an eight-ship formation on a navigational training flight from Topeka, Kansas to Alamogordo, New Mexico. Flying in mostly clear weather, the bomber entered clouds at about 12,500 feet elevation over the vicinity of the Sacramento Mountains, and as the pilot began to descend to 9,500 feet, as he believed he was nearing his destination, the aircraft began to accumulate large amounts of ice. As the ship became more loaded with ice, the pilot began to lose control and ordered a bailout. But only two crew members were able to successfully parachute out before the B-24 plummeted out of the sky and crashed and exploded onto the Mescalero Indian Reservation, about 40 miles north of the Army airbase at Alamogordo, New Mexico. (469th Bomb Squadron, 333rd Bomb Group).
Ten crew members were killed:
2nd Lt. Merle C. Brock, O-410901, KS, Pilot
Flt. Off. Thomas N. Padon, T-000121, TX, Co-Pilot
2nd Lt. Reed J. Berrett, O-730065, UT, Pilot-rated passenger
2nd Lt. Walter C. Henning, O-729970, CA, Bombardier
2nd Lt. David R. Fedder, O-730718, NY, Bombardier-rated passenger
Flt. Off. Robert D. Long, T-000109, KS, Pilot-rated passenger
S/Sgt. Guy L. Archambeau, 38001319, AZ, Radio Operator-rated passenger
Sgt. Vernal O. Christensen, 39682310, ID, Flt. Engineer-rated passenger
S/Sgt. Louis C. Fuller, 15114178, OH, Radio Operator
S/Sgt. Harry W. Ostrom, 16053361, IL, Flight Engineer
Sources:
http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/db.asp
http://usaafdata.com/?q=search&page=1606&order=field..
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/156566307/louis-c-fuller
Fatal Army Air Forces Aviation Accidents in the United States, 1941-1945, Anthony J. Mireles
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 25-Jul-2022 19:55 | Gumby778 | Updated [Time, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Category] |
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