Date & Time:
Jan 18, 1943
Type of aircraft:
Consolidated B-24 Liberator
Operator:
Registration:
41-11887
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Military
Survivors:
No
Site:
Mountains
MSN:
383
YOM:
1941
Country:
United States of America
Region:
North America
Crew on board:
11
Crew fatalities:
11
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
0
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
11
Circumstances:
En route, the four-engine aircraft went out of control, dove into the ground and crashed on the slope of a mountain located south of Tucson. SAR operations were conducted but suspended after few days as no trace of the aircraft nor the crew was found. Eventually, the wreckage was found two months later on a mountainous and isolated area located south of Tucson. All 11 crew members were killed.
Probable cause:
The official cause of the accident was attributed to a pilot error, although the accident report indicated that the tail section was not found in the wreckage. The tail was found many years later several miles away. Thus, speculation is that in flight structural failure may have caused the crash.
