ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 98654
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| Date: | Thursday 12 July 1945 |
| Time: | |
| Type: |  Boeing B-29B Superfortress |
| Owner/operator: | 16th BSqn /16th BGp USAAF |
| Registration: | 42-63603 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 7 / Occupants: 10 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Pacific Ocean, off Guam -
 Guam
|
| Phase: | Combat |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | Northwest Field AAF, Guam |
Bell-Atlanta B-29B-30-BA Superfortress 42-63603: Built under licence by Bell Aircraft Company, Marietta, Atlanta, Georgia. Delivered to USAAF 8 February 1945. Assigned to 16th Bomb Squadron, 16th Bomb Group, 315th Bomb Wing.
Lost in Pacific Ocean Jul 12, 1945 while on mission to attack an oil refinery at Kawasaki, Japan. The aircraft was suffering from three runaway propellers on #1, 3 & 4 engines. After takeoff and in the cruise, the #1 engine would not reduce RPM and was feathered but ran wild. The bomb load was jettisoned and the aircraft headed towards Guam. The #3 then ran away and the aircraft commander prepared the aircraft for ditching.
Shortly after, the #4 engine ran away and the crew instructed to bail out. The aircraft commander, tail gunner and right scanner did not exit the aircraft and were killed; the remainder bailed out with three crew members surviving to be rescued. According to the following published source (see link #3)
"Mission to Petroleum Center at Kawasaki on 12-13 July.
Crew 28: Bailed out because of three runaway propellers shortly after take-off
Crew Missing or killed:
First Lieutenant Milford A. Berry, Airplane Commander
First Lieutenant K. Warren Rollins, Navigator
Second Lieutenant Irving W. Ameringer, Radar
Operator; Sergeant Morton Finklestein, Flight Engineer
Sergeant Robert E. Lynch, Radio Operator
Staff Sergeant Harold I. Schaeffer, Right Scanner.
Confirmed Killed:
Sgt Phikop G. Tripp, Tail Gunner.
The body of the tail gunner, Sgt. Philip G. Tripp, was recovered the next morning. As his parachute was unopened and he was burned about the hands and face, it was assumed that he had been unable to leave the aircraft.
The three rescued crew members were:
Second Lieutenant James Trivette, Pilot
First Lieutenant Rex E. Werring Jr., Bombardier
Sergeant Clarence N. Nelson, Left Scanner
Sources:
1. http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1942_3a.html
2. http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/AARmonthly/Jul1945O.htm
3. http://www.315bw.org/16bg_07_45.html .
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 03-Jul-2017 00:08 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Phase, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 13-Jul-2017 14:23 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Country, Source] |
| 13-Mar-2020 10:21 | DB | Updated [Operator, Departure airport, Operator] |
| 06-Apr-2020 09:03 | Reno Raines | Updated [Operator, Operator] |
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