Date & Time:
Dec 12, 1941
Type of aircraft:
Douglas B-18 Bolo
Operator:
Registration:
36-306
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Military
Survivors:
No
Site:
Mountains
Schedule:
Phoenix – San Rafael
MSN:
1694
YOM:
1936
Country:
United States of America
Region:
North America
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
3
Pax on board:
5
Pax fatalities:
5
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
8
Circumstances:
The airplane departed Phoenix on a flight to Hawaii with an intermediate stop in San Rafael, California. While cruising over the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range, weather conditions deteriorated and the crew encountered poor visibility due to heavy snow falls. The airplane impacted the slope of a mountain located about 10 miles west of Big Pine. As the airplane failed to arrive at destination, SAR operations were initiated but eventually abandoned as no trace was found. The wreckage was eventually found by walkers on July 5, 1942.
Crew:
Cpt James Gordon Leavitt,
S/Sgt Stephen W. Hoffman,
Pfc Samuel J. Van Hamm Jr.
Passengers:
Maj Gen Herbert Arthur Dargue,
Lt Col Charles W. Bundy,
Lt Col George W. Rickey,
Maj Hugh Francis McCaffery,
1st Lt Homer C. Burns.
Crew:
Cpt James Gordon Leavitt,
S/Sgt Stephen W. Hoffman,
Pfc Samuel J. Van Hamm Jr.
Passengers:
Maj Gen Herbert Arthur Dargue,
Lt Col Charles W. Bundy,
Lt Col George W. Rickey,
Maj Hugh Francis McCaffery,
1st Lt Homer C. Burns.
Probable cause:
Controlled flight into terrain.
