Military

Operator:

Registration:

43-15384

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Schedule:

Chichiang - Guangzhou

MSN:

19850

YOM:

1944

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

En route, the crew encountered poor weather conditions and decided to return to Chichiang Airport. Due to the deterioration of the weather, the crew was unable to return and decided to divert to Chanyi Airport, Yunnan. After the crew jettisoned the cargo, the captain ordered his crew to bail out. The aircraft crashed but was not recovered. Three crew members were rescued while the fourth occupant, S/Sgt Robert C. Bunger, was killed.

Crash of a Curtiss C-46D-10-CU Commando in Port Lyautey

Date & Time: Jan 22, 1945

Type of aircraft:

Curtiss C-46 Commando

Operator:

Registration:

44-77570

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress

MSN:

32966

YOM:

1944

Location:

Port Lyautey

Gharb-Chrarda-Béni Hssen

Country:

Morocco

Region:

Africa

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

Crashed on takeoff. There were no casualties.

Crash of a Boeing B-17E Flying Fortress in Gosport

Date & Time: Jan 22, 1945

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

FL462

Flight Phase:

Landing (descent or approach)

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress

MSN:

2711

YOM:

1941

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

Overshot and crashed on landing. No casualties.

Crash of a Boeing B-17G-40-VE Flying Fortress in Villafans: 1 killed

Date & Time: Jan 21, 1945

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

42-97998

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

MSN:

7363

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

During a bombing mission over Mannheim, the aircraft was hit by enemy fire but the crew was able to leave the zone and to fly over France. Eventually, the captain was forced to make an emergency landing and attempted to land in a field located in Villafans. But the aircraft crash landed and came to rest in flames. Three crew members were injured while the copilot was killed. Five other crew were unhurt. The aircraft was destroyed by fire.
Crew (486th BG):
F/O Robert F. Jarvis, pilot, †
2nd Lt Willis V. King,
Sgt Clayton M. Walker,
Sgt John W. Schmidt,
2nd Lt David D. Hill,
Sgt Gerald J. Christ,
Sgt Charles R. Forrest,
Sgt William O. Roselle,
Sgt Leo V. Davis.

Crash of a Douglas DC-3 Dakota IV in Comilla

Date & Time: Jan 20, 1945

Type of aircraft:

Douglas DC-3

Operator:

Registration:

KJ948

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

MSN:

26240/14795

YOM:

1944

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

Shortly after take off from Comilla Airport, while in initial climb, an engine failed. The pilot retracted the gear and attempted an emergency belly landing in a paddy field. While there were no casualties, the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Probable cause:

Engine failure.

Crash of a Douglas C-47B-5-DK in Le Plessis-Gassot: 18 killed

Date & Time: Jan 18, 1945 at 0930 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

43-48611

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Paris-Le Bourget - Biggin Hill

MSN:

25872/14427

YOM:

1944

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

At 0923LT, the airplane departed Paris-Le Bourget Airport on a flight to Biggin Hill. Seven minutes later, it went out of control and crashed in a field located in Le Plessis-Gassot, about 8 km north of the airport. Four passengers were seriously injured while 18 other occupants were killed.
Crew (37th ATG):
2nd Lt Roy J. Shilling, pilot, †
2nd Lt George A. Wood, copilot, †
Cpl Alphonse V. Cogozzo, radio operator, †
Cpl Harold W. Grubb, flight engineer. †
Passengers:
Cpt Roy Greene, †
Cpt John C. Gregg, †
S/Sgt Edward Shufflebotham, †
T/Sgt Ralph E. Hersbergen,
T/Sgt William H. Patterson, †
S/Sgt Frank Schlucker, †
S/Sgt Henry J. Coon, †
S7Sgt Francis T. Cionek,
S/Sgt Matthew J. Hirech, †
S/Sgt Moses J. Hirsch,
S/Sgt Anthony Zalewski, †
S/Sgt Walter D. Domress,
T/Sgt Robert J. Simon, †
T/Sgt Angelo J. Lavenia, †
Pvt Fred W. Bonness, †
M/Sgt Eugene L. Borengasser, †
M/Sgt Roamy Eugene Dandridge. †

Crash of a Douglas C-47A-20-DK in Brownfield: 4 killed

Date & Time: Jan 16, 1945 at 1100 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

42-93191

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Malden – Harrisburg

MSN:

13075

YOM:

1944

Location:

Brownfield

Illinois

Country:

United States of America

Region:

North America

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The crew departed Malden AAF, Missouri, on a flight to Harrisburg Regional Airport, south Illinois. While cruising at low height, the airplane hit a house and crashed 3 km west of Brownfield. All four crew members were killed.
Crew:
2nd Lt Emerson L. Weller,
2nd Lt Floyd E. Williams,
Pvt Frank C. Lee,
Pvt Saul Z. Silver.

Crash of a Douglas R4D-5 in Tacloban: 21 killed

Date & Time: Jan 15, 1945

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

17234

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site: