Bovingdon AFB

Crashed on landing for unknown reason. There were no casualties but the aircraft was written off.

The crew was performing a training sortie from RAF Bovingdon. Enroute, the pilot encountered poor visibility due to foggy conditions and was unable to locate the destination airfield. Eventually, he ordered his crew to bail out and attempted to make a solo approach to RAF Bovingdon. Due to fog, he decided to reduce his altitude in an attempt to establish a visual contact with the ground when the airplane hit tree tops and crashed in Garston, east of the airfield. The pilot was killed while all five other crew members were later rescued.

While flying at an altitude of some 2,000 feet over the Peak District National Park on a flight from Prestwick to Bovingdon, the crew encountered poor weather conditions and low visibility due to heavy snow falls. The twin engine aircraft hit the top of the Black Combe Hill and crash landed in deep snow. Both crew were slightly injured and walked away for few hours to find help. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair and abandoned on site.
Crew:
Cpt William J. Daner, pilot,
1st Lt Arthur Garner, copilot.

The aircraft left Naples-Capodichino Airport at 0054LT bound for RAF Bovingdon with an overflight of Bastia, Istres, Lyon and Paris. As the aircraft failed to arrive at destination, SAR operations were conducted but eventually suspended 18 days later as no trace of the aircraft nor the crew was found. On July 25, 1947, mountaineers of the 99th French Alpine Infantry Battalion found the wreckage on the slope of the Aiguille des Glaciers (3,750 meters high), about 8 km southwest of the Mont-Blanc.
Crew:
Col Ford L. Fair, pilot,
Col Hudson H. Upham, pilot,
Maj Lawrence L. Cobb, copilot,
2nd Lt Alfred D. Ramirez, navigator,
Sgt John E. Gilbert, flight engineer,
S/Sgt William A. Hilton, assistant to flight engineer,
S/Sgt Zoltan J. Dobovich, radio operator,
T/Sgt William S. Cassell, assistant to radio operator.

Crashed near RAF Bovingdon following unknown technical problems. There were no casualties while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

At least one crew member was killed when the aircraft crashed in unknown circumstances near the RAF Bovingdon.

The crew was flying on autopilot under the cloud layer when the weather conditions worsened. The captain decided to gain height and increased engine power to do so. Shortly later, while climbing in clouds, the aircraft hit the slope of a hill and crashed in a dense wooded area. All four crew members and 22 passengers were killed while four others were seriously injured.

The aircraft was on a local CFR flight circling the field at approximately 800 feet altitude with gear down. At a point in the traffic pattern 2 miles south of the field, and while turning downward, the B-17 collided with a C-47 (registered 43-48506) which had just taken off on local flight. The B-17 was slightly higher and behind the C-47 as it approached the C-47 from the port quarter astern. The B-17 was seen to make a sudden maneuver to avoid collision but too late to avoid the C-47. The C-47 was hit by the number 4 engine of the B-17 just forward of the tail fairing on the top of the fuselage resulting in complete loss of the tail empennage of the C-47. The C-47 then went into an uncontrolled spin and crashed about 2,5 miles south of the field, resulting in death of the two occupants. The tail unit came down in the same vicinity in a comparatively intact condition with vertical and horizontal control surfaces still in place. The left wing of the C-47 was severely crumpled by the impact. The B-17 was seen to make a violent maneuver to avoid collision but too late to avoid hitting the C-47. The B-17 then evidently stalled cut due to loss of flying speed resulting either from the maneuver to avoid collision or as a result of the impact, or a combination of both. The B-17 was seen to lower the left wing and then plunge straight down without spinning. It crashed into the ground at an estimated angle of 80° from horizontal. The collision occurred at an estimated height of 800 feet above the ground.
Crew in B-17:
Cpt Walter P. Hottenstein,
2nd Lt Joseph Cotterman,
Pvt James C. Shelton,
Pfc Eron J. Windham.

The C-47 had just taken off on local flight when it collided at a height of approximately 800 feet altitude with a USAF B-17 registered 42-37850 with a crew of four on board. At a point in the traffic pattern 2 miles south of the field, and while turning downward, the B-17 collided with a C-47. The B-17 was slightly higher and behind the C-47 as it approached the C-47 from the port quarter astern. The B-17 was seen to make a sudden maneuver to avoid collision but too late to avoid the C-47. The C-47 was hit by the number 4 engine of the B-17 just forward of the tail fairing on the top of the fuselage resulting in complete loss of the tail empennage of the C-47. The C-47 then went into an uncontrolled spin and crashed about 2,5 miles south of the field, resulting in death of the two occupants. The tail unit came down in the same vicinity in a comparatively intact condition with vertical and horizontal control surfaces still in place. The left wing of the C-47 was severely crumpled by the impact. The B-17 was seen to make a violent maneuver to avoid collision but too late to avoid hitting the C-47. The B-17 then evidently stalled cut due to loss of flying speed resulting either from the maneuver to avoid collision or as a result of the impact, or a combination of both. The B-17 was seen to lower the left wing and then plunge straight down without spinning. It crashed into the ground at an estimated angle of 80° from horizontal. The collision occurred at an estimated height of 800 feet above the ground.
Crew:
2nd Lt Joseph L. Cotterman,
1st Lt Maurice F. Thornburg.

The take off run was too long and the aircraft took off late. After rotation, it hit tree tops located at the end of the runway, stalled and crashed in a huge explosion in a wooded area. All ten crew members were killed.
Crew:
2nd Lt Otto H. Ahlers
M/Sgt John P. Buchanan,
S/Sgt Bernard Cohen,
T/Sgt Peter W. Costello,
Cpl Matthew Ekes,
Sgt Ralph W. Harding,
2nd Lt William H. Holcomb,
F/Lt Howard Harry John Leigh-Clare,
W/Cdr Jack Herbert Osborne,
2nd Lt LaVerne P. Rissinger.