ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 100283
This information is added by users of ASN. Neither ASN nor the Flight Safety Foundation are responsible for the completeness or correctness of this information.
If you feel this information is incomplete or incorrect, you can submit corrected information.
| Date: | Friday 31 December 1943 |
| Time: | |
| Type: |  Consolidated B-24D Liberator |
| Owner/operator: | 330th Combat Crew Training School USAAF |
| Registration: | 41-11769 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 5 / Occupants: 5 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Guadalupe Mountain, Texas -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Training |
| Departure airport: | Biggs Field AAF, El Paso |
Liberator 41-11769: Take-off at 21:38 hrs for a training flight /routine night navigation instrument flight. 31/12/1943
A little before midnight, the pilot radioed in that they were flying at 11,000 feet in the vicinity of Salt Flats. At 00:37 hrs on January 1st, Salt Flats radio attempted to contact the crew of '769' but was unsuccessful. Over the following weeks, aircraft flying search and rescue missions turned up nothing. Investigators suspected the bomber may have crashed in the Guadalupe Mountains, but recent storms had blanketed the peaks with deep snow. The mystery was finally solved on May 13, 1944, when a trapper discovered the wreckage in a remote and rugged canyon. All five occupants of the plane died in the crash.
The crew:
pilot, 2nd Lt. Robert Benjamin; killed
co-pilot, 2nd Lt Gordon Pickering; killed
navigator, Flt/Off Henry Fisher; killed
flight engineer, S/Sgt Ewel Corley; killed
radio operator, Sgt Lawrence Rabbitt. killed
Sources:
http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/db.asp
http://www.aircraftarchaeology.com/b24guadalupe.html
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 09-Dec-2015 13:22 | gerard57 | Updated [Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Phase, Source, Narrative] |
| 09-Dec-2015 17:06 | gerard57 | Updated [Departure airport, Narrative] |
| 03-Mar-2024 10:30 | Nepa | Updated [Operator, Location, Nature, Departure airport, Narrative, Operator] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
Quick Links:
| ASN Home | Send Correction / Feedback |
| FSF Home | Disclaimer | Copyright |
| Contact Us | Privacy Policy |
| Press / Media |
CONNECT WITH US:
©2024 Flight Safety Foundation