ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 98456
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| Date: | Friday 20 October 1944 |
| Time: | night |
| Type: |  Boeing B-29 Superfortress |
| Owner/operator: | 468th BGp /792nd BSqn USAAF |
| Registration: | 42-24446 |
| MSN: | 4106 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 8 / Occupants: 12 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | 2 miles from USAAF Base A-7, Pengshan Airfield, Pengsham -
 China
|
| Phase: | Approach |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | AAF Base A-7, Pengshan, China |
| AAF Base A-7, Pengshan airfield |
Boeing FB-29-25-BW Superfortress 42-24446: Delivered to USAAF 9 May 1944. Assigned to the CBI (China-Burma-India Theater of Operations) as part of "Operation Matterhorn". Departed Morrison AAF, Florida for India on 18 June 1944 Assigned to 792nd Bomb Squadron, 468th Bomb Group, Kharagpur, India 30 June 1944. Modified for use in long range photo-recce missions.
Written off (damaged beyond repair) when crashed on landing approach two miles from USAAF Base A-7. Pengshan, China, on 20 October, 1944 due to fuel exhaustion and two engine fires. Eight of the twelve crew were Killed In Action (KIA). Combat Missions – 4. Photo Missions – 7
Returning from a photo recon mission on October 20, 1944, from the Philippines, prior to General McArthur’s “Return”, 42-24446 became lost in fog in the Chengtu area, the B-29 then ran out of gas trying to find the airfield at Hsin-Ching, Pengshan
Crew members that bailed out safely reported the #1 engine had been feathered. On final approach #4 engine caught on fire, the order to bail out was given by Capt. Lindke and Lt. Wilson, S/Sgt. Christensen, S/Sgt. Rupp who happened to be riding in the front of 42-24446 jumped safely through the nose wheel well. Lt. Ramsey left in the same manner and S/Sgt. Tucker left through the rear hatch, but both suffered a similar fate when their parachutes caught fire from the burning engine. All other crew members were lost in the crash. Cpl. Hastings, the photographer, who had been riding in the front of 42-24446 escaped through the nose wheel well.
Crew
Capt. Paul Lindke – Airplane Commander – KIA
1st. Lt. Charles Youmans – Co-Pilot – KIA
Lt. Milton W. Ramsey – Flight Engineer – KIA
2nd Lt. Roy D. Houser – Navigator – KIA
Lt. William Wilson – Bomb Aimer
S/Sgt. Donald L. Christensen – Radar Operator
S/Sgt. Donald V. Wagner – Radio Operator – KIA
S/Sgt. William R. Hampton – Central Fire Control – KIA
S/Sgt. Claude V. Tucker – Rear Gunner – KIA
S/Sgt. Arthur H. Stein – Lower Gunner – KIA
S/Sgt. Albert Rupp – Tail Gunner
Cpl. Hastings – Photographer
Lt. William Wilson later joined Major George's crew as a navigator replacement when Norman Watkins returned to the States.
Sources:
1. http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/dbaloc.asp?Loc=mi&offset=9000 ..
2. http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1942_1.html
3. http://www.468thbombgroup.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=%2FvjH29K9Pts%3D&tabid=96&mid=494
4. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/96270508
5. The Times Herald from Port Huron, Michigan November 3, 1944 Page 1 at https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/209662071/
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 10-Jun-2017 23:55 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Cn, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 11-Jun-2017 00:00 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Date, Time, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 11-Jun-2017 00:01 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
| 11-Jun-2017 00:02 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
| 23-Mar-2020 16:06 | DG333 | Updated [Operator, Departure airport, Destination airport, Operator] |
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