Savannah

The pilot reported he was on a missed approach and was returning to Charleston "heading 360°..." the aircraft crashed about 1/4 mi south and 100 feet short of the departure end of runway 27. The wreckage scatter pattern was oriented on a heading of 155°. Missed approach procedures specify a climbing right turn via a 325° heading. The left engine prop drive gear shaft had evidence of both bending and torsional failure loads. There was no evidence of machining or rotational smearing. Two of the three propeller blade tips were bent aft about the blade face. The left turbocharger had a tension failure of the turbine wheel shaft. No smear marks were noted on the fracture face. Single turbine blade impact marks were noted on the housing. The n°1 tach needle indicated 900 rpm and the n°2 tach needle indicated 1,900 rpm. All four occupants were killed.

While in cruise flight on Airway J79-121 en route to Orlando, Florida, from Teterboro, New Jersey, the flightcrew of N100TA, an IBEX Corporation Gates Learjet 23, was cleared by the Jacksonville Air Route Traffic Control Center to descend from its altitude of Flight Level 410 to Flight Level 390. The flightcrew acknowledged the clearance, and air traffic control observed the radar target descend. About 2 minutes later, the airplane crashed into the Atlantic Ocean, from a steep, high-speed descent about 12 miles from Savannah, Georgia. The air traffic controller made several unsuccessful attempts to contact the airplane. The pilots had reported no difficulties in any of their radio transmissions. The pilot, copilot, and the two passengers on board were killed. Beyond 1158:49, the program showed a gradual increase in indicated airspeed from 271 to 400 KIAS. The average rate of descent was 15,375 fpm based on the radar data using pressure altitude (mode C).

While in cruising altitude over Virginia by night, the crew encountered icing conditions and requested a higher altitude but this was denied. Few minutes later, the twin engine airplane entered a dive and crashed in a near vertical attitude in a field located in Wise. The aircraft was totally destroyed upon impact and all seven occupants were killed.

The crew departed Savannah-Intl Airport on a training flight. While in cruising altitude over South Carolina, the airplane went out of control and entered a dive. It completed a 360 turn then crashed in a marshy field. All three crew members were killed.

Shortly after a night takeoff from Iuka Airfield, the twin engine airplane banked left then crashed in a swampy area. The aircraft was destroyed and all four occupants were killed.

En route from Savannah to Lake Charles, while in cruising altitude, the pilot encountered very bad weather conditions with heavy rain falls and turbulences. In clouds, he lost control of the airplane that entered a dive and crashed in an open field. The airplane was destroyed and the pilot, sole on board, was killed.

Five minutes after its takeoff from Chatham AFB, the aircraft went out of control and crashed in a swampy area located along the Savannah River. All 11 crew members were killed.
Crew:
Cpt George V. Scaringen, pilot,
Cpt. Andrew G. Walker, pilot,
Lt Rogers Hornsby Jr.,
1st Lt Robert W. Beckman, bombardier,
Cpt Anthony C. Colandro, radar navigator,
1st Lt James W. Johnson Jr., flight engineer,
T/Sgt Leonard B. Hughes, flight engineer,
S/Sgt Fred W. Cunningham, radio operator and gunner,
S/Sgt Manson L. Gregg, gunner,
S/Sgt Garnell W. Myers, gunner,
S/Sgt Billy C. Bristol, gunner.

Flight 42 departed Miami for New York City at 2122LT, September 6, 1945, with routine stops at Jacksonville and Savannah. Having obtained an instrument clearance from Airway Traffic Control to cruise at 5,000 feet to Raleigh, the flight departed Savannah at 0041, September 7, with Washington and Baltimore listed as alternates. At 0150 the flight transmitted a position report to the company station at Washington indicating that it had passed over Florence at 0144 at 5,000 feet. The flight was advised that Raleigh, its next scheduled stop, was reporting a 300 foot overcast. Since the weather at Raleigh was below authorized minimums, Flight 42 requested permission from the company dispatcher to proceed past Raleigh without landing. The station at Washington advised the flight at 0155 that it had been re-cleared to Washington with Baltimore as an alternate, but no acknowledgement of the message was received. At 0205, a radio transmission from Flight 42 was intercepted in which it was indicated that the pilot intended to return to Florence and that he desired clearance to lend at Florence Field. Because of the unusually severe radio interference, the entire message was not readable and no reason was apparent at that time for the pilot's decision to return to Florence. Several subsequent attempts by company, CAA and army stations in the vicinity to contact the flight were unsuccessful. While attempting to return to Florence the aircraft crashed at 0213 in a swampy, wooded area 6 miles ENE of Florence Army Air Filed. The wreckage was located at approximately 1040, September 7.

The crew left Miami Airport bound for Savannah on behalf of the USAAF. After departure, the crew was allowed to climb to 3,000 feet along the east coast of Florida. In the same region was flying a USAAF Consolidated B-24D Liberator registered 41-11889 with a crew of four on board. The crew departed Homestead AFB in the morning for a training exercise. En route, both aircraft collided and crashed into the sea, less than one mile from each other. All eight occupants on board both aircraft were killed and the wreckage were found some 6 miles southeast of Lake Worth.

En route, while cruising in a stormy weather, the aircraft went out of control, dove into the ground and crashed in a field. All eight crew were killed. According to eye-witnesses, the accident occurred while the airplane was flying into adverse weather conditions with thunderstorm activity and turbulence.