ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 100753
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| Date: | Wednesday 29 March 1944 |
| Time: | 10:22 |
| Type: |  Consolidated B-24H Liberator |
| Owner/operator: | 720th BSqn /450th BGp / 15th AF USAAF |
| Registration: | 41-11591 |
| MSN: | 87 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 6 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | near RAF Fairwood Common, Swansea, West Glamorgan, South Wales -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Approach |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | Casablanca, Morocco |
| RAF St. Mawgan, Cornwall |
B-24H Liberator 41-11591 "Lorraine" aka "Queen Bee" was assigned to 721st Bomb Squadron, 450th Bomb Group at Manduria in Italy. It was tasked with collecting radar equipment from RAF St Mawgan and took off from Casabalanca. St Mawgan was fog bound and so the pane was diverted to Fairwood Common, which was also found to be fog bound.
Running out of fuel, the pilot Harvey Helmberger, ordered the crew to bale out at 500ft. The flight engineer, Sgt J.C. Walsh, refused to jump and so the pilot had no choice but to attempt a landing. The plane came down just off the airfield and was stopped by a hedgerow. The pilot and other crewmen survived, but the flight engineer had failed to fasten his seat belt and was thrown through the windscreen and died three days later
41-11591 was struck off charge April 2, 1944.
Sources:
1. Doylerush, E, 2008, Rocks in the Clouds: High Ground Aircraft Crashes in South Wales, p.35
2. http://www.ggat.org.uk/timeline/pdf/Military%20Aircraft%20Crash%20Sites%20in%20Southeast%20Wales
3. http://www.americanairmuseum.com/aircraft/19379
4. https://www.worldwarphotos.info/gallery/usa/aircrafts-2-3/b-24-bomber/b-24d-liberator-lorraine-41-11591-513th-bs-376th-bg-taxis-across-a-flooded-san-pancrazio-airfield/
5. http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1941_2.html
6. http://www.armyaircorps-376bg.com/41-11591_lorraine.html
7. http://www.450thbg.com/real/stories/england.shtml
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 07-Feb-2017 20:51 | ORD | Updated [Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Location, Phase, Source, Narrative] |
| 17-Dec-2018 06:52 | Nepa | Updated [Operator, Location, Destination airport, Narrative, Operator] |
| 17-May-2019 23:06 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Cn, Operator, Other fatalities, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 17-Sep-2019 20:19 | Nepa | Updated [Operator, Source, Operator] |
| 14-Apr-2020 15:56 | Reno Raines | Updated [Operator, Destination airport, Operator] |
| 28-Feb-2024 12:49 | Chrisj | Updated [Operator, Destination airport] |
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