ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 97425
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| Date: | Friday 5 March 1943 |
| Time: | 01:45 |
| Type: |  Boeing B-17F Flying Fortress |
| Owner/operator: | 18th BSqn /34th BGp USAAF |
| Registration: | 42-29586 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 5 / Occupants: 5 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | East side of Mt Elden, 5 miles east of Flagstaff, Arizona -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Training |
| Departure airport: | Blythe AAF, CA |
The B-17F 42-29586 of 18th BS, 34th BG took off at 1920 PWT on March 4, 1943, on a routine instrument training flight on the Blythe range. Aboard were five men: F/O Keitt O Martin, Jr. (pilot and B-17 instructor), 2nd Lt Ralph E Majors (co-pilot and B-17 student), 2nd Lt Frederick C Ruhl (co-pilot and B-17 student), T/Sgt Walter H Ehlers (engineer) and T/Sgt Robert E Sanford (radio operator).
The aircraft received clearance from Blythe radio at 1923 PWT to begin practice. During the flight the pilot became lost after he encountered poor weather, which consisted of snow, freezing rain, low clouds and icing conditions. With no navigator on board, he used the Blythe radio beam. At 2110 PWT Martin was heard on the radio by the air base at Winslow, AZ ( about 240 miles from Blythe). He was calling Blythe and possibly thought he was still in that general area.
At 0145 MWT on the 5th the aircraft crashed into the East side of Mount Elden, 5 miles east of Flagstaff, Arizona, at altitude of 8000’ MSL with fatal results to all on board. The weather at the time in the vicinity of Mount Elden was overcast. It was thought that the pilot was attempting to let down so he could get low enough to orient himself when he crashed into the side of the mountain.
In 2013 the wreck site was easily accessible. Remains at the crash site included the main landing gears and small scattered debris. In 1943, the plane crashed into a dense forest. The forest is no longer dense.
Sources:
"Fatal Army Air Forces Aviation Accidents in the United States, 1941-1945. Volume 1, January 1941-June 1943", by Anthony J. Mireles. ISBN 0-7864-2788-4
https://www.aerospacearchaeology.com/b-17f-42-29586-crash-north-of-flagstaff-mt-elden-on-march-5-1943.html
http://forum.armyairforces.com/Looking-for-information-of-crashes-in-Zone-of-Interior-m167196.aspx (no more online)
https://www.lostflights.com/Other-1/March-6-1943-USAAF-Boeing-B-17/
http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/AARmonthly/Mar1943S.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Elden
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=en&lat=35.241034&lon=-111.597553&z=12&m=w
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 05-Mar-2021 10:37 | Laurent Rizzotti | Updated [Time, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 05-Mar-2021 11:25 | Laurent Rizzotti | Updated [Source] |
| 08-Mar-2021 18:28 | Werich26 | Updated [Operator, Departure airport, Operator] |
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