Date & Time: Apr 22, 1942 at 2030 LT
Type of aircraft:
Consolidated B-24 Liberator
Operator:
Registration:
41-1133
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Training
Survivors:
No
Site:
Mountains
Schedule:
Kirtland - Kansas City
MSN:
73
YOM:
1941
Location:
Cimarron
New Mexico
Country:
United States of America
Region:
North America
Crew on board:
7
Crew fatalities:
7
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
0
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
7
Circumstances:
The crew departed Kirtland AFB (Albuquerque) on a training mission to Kansas City. En route, while approaching a mountainous area, the crew encountered poor weather conditions with strong winds and turbulence. The heavy bomber went out of control, lost height and crashed on the wooded slope of Trail Peak, in the Philmont National Reserve, some 20 miles southwest of Cimarron. All seven occupants were killed, among them three crew members from Trans World Airlines (TWA).
Crew:
Cpt Robert O. Redding, pilot (TWA),
2nd Lt Roland L. Jeffries, pilot,
2nd Lt Charles O. Reynard, pilot,
Jonas G. Ruff, copilot (TWA),
George E. Van Hoozer, flight engineer (TWA),
Cpl Philip E. Macomber, flight engineer,
Cpl Duane M. Peterson, radio operator,
Probable cause:
The exact cause of the accident was not clearly determined but it is suspected that the loss of control was caused by microburst in altitude.