Positioning

The crew was completing a transatlantic flight when approaching Belfast, he encountered low visibility with fog. When the captain started the approach to Belfast-Nutt's Corner Airport, he lost his bearings and did not realize his altitude was insufficient. The four engine bomber hit the slope of Mt Cavehill located some 12 km short of runway and was destroyed. All ten occupants were killed.
Crew:
F/O Lester B. Brooks, pilot,
F/O Jeremiah C. Murphy, pilot,
2nd Lt Joseph V. Nobilione, navigator,
F/O Leighton B. McKenzie, bomber,
S/Sgt Lawrence E. Dundon, radio operator,
S/Sgt Wilbur D. Brewer, air gunner,
Sgt Robert L. Graves, air gunner,
S/Sgt Edward E. McGill, air gunner,
Sgt Howard A. Hibbler, air gunner,
Cpl Lawrence R. McCrane, air gunner.

The crew was performing a positioning flight from Moscow-Vnukovo to Moscow-Khodynka. Shortly after takeoff, the crew voluntarily shot down an engine for training purposes. As he was unable to restart the engine, the captain decided to return to Vnukovo. On final, probably due to a wrong approach configuration, the aircraft landed long and after touchdown, the captain decided to go around. But the aircraft went out of control, veered off runway, collided with a parked Bell P-39Q Airacobra before coming to rest in flames 85 meters further on. All five crew members were unhurt while both aircraft were destroyed by fire.

En route, the crew encountered poor weather conditions and the seaplane hit a mountain located near Blyn. All four crew members were killed.
Crew:
L/Cdr Frederick L. Westbrook,
Lt Jg C. R. Heussy,
Cpt E. H. Muyskens,
RM1 T. E. Kesner.

Crashed on take off from Billings Airport, killing both crew members who were on a delivery flight to the US Army Engineer Corps.

The crew was in charge to ferry the aircraft from NAS Norfolk to Natal. While approaching its destination, the seaplane went through a thunderstorm area and encountered a squall. Out of control, the aircraft dove into the ocean and crashed 5 miles off Natal. All 10 crew members were killed.

The crew was performing a positioning flight from Rome-Ciampino to the Guidonia Airbase. The aircraft crashed on landing for unknown reason. The aircraft was wrecked and all four crew members were injured, among them Lt Col Amadeo Paradisi, pilot.

Shortly after takeoff from Cairns Airport, while climbing, the twin engine airplane went out of control and crashed in a mangrove. Both crew members were killed. They were performing a positioning flight to Wau to evacuate refugees.

The pilot was performing a positioning flight from RAF Sherburn-in-Elmet to RAF Kirkbride. While cruising at low altitude in poor weather conditions, the twin engine airplane impacted the slope of Mt Buckles Heath located near South Stainmore. The pilot, sole on board, was killed.
Crew (ATS):
F/O William Johnston Elliott, pilot.

The bomber departed Fort Douglas with five crew and four passengers on 31Oct41. The destination of the flight was the Sacramento Air Depot, McClellan Field, California where the No.3 engine with over 420 hours on it was to be replaced. After a two day stopover in Reno, NV, because of bad weather to the west, they departed late on the morning on an instrument flight to their destination 2Nov41. There was no Command Set installed on this aircraft so the flight crew relied on their Compass Set radio to navigate to the airfield in Sacramento. After passing Lake Tahoe, the plane entered into the overcast sky. Then, after several minutes, the radio begun to static, and communications were down to the point where they were unable to check it at Donner Summit. Attributing the loss of radio functions to a temporary static condition, the pilot continued on to Sacramento via a more southerly route. Then, at that moment, the No.1 supercharger began to have problems maintaining pressure. With the aircraft in a climb towards 14,000ft, the co-pilot attempted to manipulate the supercharger controls to add additional pressure to it. Being partially successfully, the pressure continued to change, but not lost entirely, the flight continued onward. Then, after 45 minutes of flight, the flight indicators all ceased working. With the vacuum pumps having problems, and the pitot tube heat being turned on, no clear cause could be determined for this difficulty. The pilot and co-pilot decided to head back to Reno. Throttling up the engines to climb to 18,000ft, the aircraft pulled to the right. The flight crew, trying to hold the B-17 in a straight line of flight, cut the engine power to try again. After a more successfully attempt, the pilot and co-pilot realized they were having serious troubles controlling the airplane, the pilot ordered the crew to don parachutes as a precaution, and be ready to bail out of the aircraft. With their bank-and-turn instrument being the only functioning guide, the aircraft seemed to be handling fine. Then, the nose rose slightly, the pilot compensated by pushed the controls downward. The pilot, attempting to level off the aircraft's descent, realized that flight controls had been lost. He attempted to pull the controls back to regain attitude, but the aircraft then rolled over onto its back, righted itself for a brief moment, and then plummeted into a spin. As the aircraft began to break apart, six of the crew were able escape by jumping out. Two were thrown from the plane. All eight of these airmen parachuted to safety, leaving the pilot trapped in the cockpit as the bomber plummeted down to earth; he did not make it out. The aircraft crashed on Tells Peak, southwest of Lake Tahoe. The crew killed was 1st Lt Leo M. H. Walker.

Source: http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1940.html

For unknown reason, the single engine airplane belly landed at Pine Bluffs Airport and slid for several yards before coming to rest, bursting into flames. The pilot, sole aboard, was uninjured, and the airplane was destroyed by fire.