Date & Time:
Nov 24, 1943 at 1000 LT
Type of aircraft:
Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)
Operator:
Registration:
41-7811
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Military
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
Schedule:
Algiers – Oran
MSN:
4310
YOM:
1942
Country:
Algeria
Region:
Africa
Crew on board:
10
Crew fatalities:
7
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
0
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
7
Circumstances:
Few minutes after departure from Algiers-Maison Blanche Airport, while cruising over the Mediterranean Sea, the right engine caught fire. The captain ordered the crew to bail out but the aircraft lost height rapidly and crashed into the sea some 35 km west of Algiers. The crew of a French fishing boat was able to rescue three crew members while seven others were killed. The aircraft sank and was lost.
Crew killed were:
1st Lt Ernest W. Dvorak,
Pvt Gomer Jones,
1st Lt Jerome B. Jordan Jr.,
1st Lt Michael J. Lagio,
2nd Lt Rachel H. Sheridan,
1st Lt John R. Southerlin,
S/Sgt George Vilen.
Crew killed were:
1st Lt Ernest W. Dvorak,
Pvt Gomer Jones,
1st Lt Jerome B. Jordan Jr.,
1st Lt Michael J. Lagio,
2nd Lt Rachel H. Sheridan,
1st Lt John R. Southerlin,
S/Sgt George Vilen.
Probable cause:
Loss of control caused by an engine fire.
