ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 109937
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| Date: | Monday 8 January 1945 |
| Time: | 15:00 |
| Type: |  Martin TB-26C Marauder |
| Owner/operator: | United States Army Air Force (USAAF) |
| Registration: | 41-35789 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 4 / Occupants: 4 |
| Other fatalities: | 5 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | E of Matamoros, TAMS -
 Mexico
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | |
On 8 January 1945 two Martin B-26C of 79th Flying Training Wing (Flexible Gunnery), based in Harlingen, Texas, took off from Laguna Madre Sub Base, Texas, at about 1435 CWT on a target towing mission. The airplanes were scheduled to rendezvous with a pair of Consolidated B-24 bombers for gunnery practice. One B-24 failed to take off from Harlingen Army Air Field, Harlingen, Texas, because of mechanical problems. The remaining B-24 took off from Harlingen Army Air Field and the B-24 pilot contacted B-26C 41-35789, advising that the B-24 would rendezvous with the B-26 at 15,000 feet over Port Isabel, Texas, after 25 minutes. AAF personnel on the flight line at Brownsville Army Air Base observed one B-26 flying east and the other B-26 flying to the northeast, both at about 5,000 feet agl.
At approximately 1500 CWT, the two B-26s collided in mid-air and crashed into a lake east of Matamoros, Mexico, about five miles east of Brownsville Army Air Base, Brownsville, Texas, killing nine AAF fliers. There were no witnesses to the actual collision, which is thought to have occurred at approximately 5,000 feet. The B-26 flying to the east burst into flames in the collision, falling straight down and crashing into the lake about one mile into Mexican territory. The B-26 flying to the northeast fell into a "lazy, spinning spiral" and smashed into the same lake about 100 yards from the other B-26, exploding into flames upon impact. Investigators speculated that the B-26 pilots were flying an unauthorized formation when the collision occurred.
Sources:
http://www.warbirdcrash.com/
http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/AARmonthly/Jan1945O.htm
El Informador 11 January 145, p1+2
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 13-Oct-2012 10:15 | Uli Elch | Updated [Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Phase, Source, Narrative] |
| 09-Jan-2017 06:40 | Laurent Rizzotti | Updated [Time, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Phase, Nature, Source, Narrative] |
| 02-May-2018 21:13 | TB | Updated [Time, Operator, Location, Nature, Source, Narrative] |
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