Crash of a Boeing B-17F-45-BO Flying Fortress near Covelo: 6 killed
Date & Time:
May 30, 1943 at 1423 LT
Operator:
Registration:
42-5318
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Hamilton - Hamilton
MSN:
3857
YOM:
1942
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
6
Circumstances:
The crew left Hamilton AFB in the morning on a routine training sortie. En route, the pilot informed ground about his position and a little later, the aircraft hit tree tops and crashed on a hilly terrain located ten miles northeast of Covelo. All six crew members were killed.
Photos on http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/b17tday.htm
Photos on http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/b17tday.htm
Probable cause:
The exact cause of the accident could not be determined. Nevertheless, it is believed that weather conditions deteriorated in flight and the crew encountered poor visibility and marginal weather conditions between 1,500 and 5,000 feet with fog and turbulence. It is possible that the crew lost his orientation. The PIC was young with a total experience of 204 flying hours.
