ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 275845
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| Date: | Saturday 2 December 1944 |
| Time: | 10:18 |
| Type: |  Consolidated B-24D Liberator |
| Owner/operator: | United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) |
| Registration: | 42-41190 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 6 / Occupants: 9 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Tonopah Army Airfield, 16 miles NE, Nevada -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Initial climb |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | Tonopah Army Airfield, NV |
| return to same |
Crashed. B-24D Liberator #42-41190, with the 422nd Base Unit, Combat Crew Training Squadron at Tonopah Army Airfield, Nevada. Approx. 15 minutes after takeoff and while making a banking turn at about 1,600 feet elevation (AGL), the № 2 engine caught fire. After a few moments, the crew felt a jolt, and believed there was an explosion. The pilot ordered a bailout. But there was chaos in the process of exiting the plane. The navigator got his parachute hung up in the passageway to the bomb bay, where they would jump from. A corporal helped him, then made is exit from the plane. The bomber had gone into a flat spin by this point. The navigator was able to bail out, but by the time his parachute opened, he was too close to the ground. Three crewmembers survived their jump, but five were killed when they failed to exit the aircraft.
The crew members killed were:
2nd Lt. Wayne C. Hurst, O-778819, CA, Pilot
2nd Lt. Edward M. Piwowarski, O-834879, Co-Pilot
2nd Lt. Myron E. Smith, O2068782, OH, Navigator
2nd Lt. Lloyd E. Warner, O-785226, OH, Bombardier
PFC John F. Devlin, 16195766, IL, Assistant Engineer
PFC Charles W. Lantz, 33847903, PA, Radio Operator
Sources:
https://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/AFrptsMO.htm
Fatal Army Air Forces Aviation Accidents in the United States, 1941-1945, Anthony J. Mireles
http://usaafdata.com/?q=search&page=1606&order=field..
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/139922949/lloyd-e-warner
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 24-Feb-2022 07:21 | Gumby778 | Added |
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