USAAF 43-34151 Martin B-26G-1-MA Marauder

USAAF serial number S/N: 43-34151 Martin B-26G-1-MA Marauder

1943034151, 43-34151 Martin B-26G-1-MA Marauder Fate: Crashed Unit: 387BG557BS Remarks: 387BG558BS (Chipping Ongar) - Tiger Tails Code:KS-A flew into hillside in bad weather Nov 25, 1944, Disposal: 25-Nov-44

Mon, 15 Jun 2015 13:21:35 -0500

From Raul Pompa

In your website, you list this aircraft as being assigned to to the 558th BS, 387th BG, unknown fuselage code KX - ?.

This aircraft was assigned to the 557th BS, 387th BG. Fuselage code was KS - A.

My father, who was assigned to the 557th BS, 387th BG, was the Engineer/Top Turret Gunner on 43-34151 (KS-A).

43-34151 (KS-A) flew her first mission on 15 August 1944, and completed 22 missions before her demise on 25 November 1944.

Thu, 25 Jun 2015 13:47:00 -0500

43-34151 (KS-A) did not fly into a hillside. She flew straight into a plowed field, beside the village of La Neuville Housset. On returning to their base, A-71, from a bombing mission at Kaiserslautern, the pilot and co-pilot forgot to reset the altimeter. They thought they were flying 200 feet higher than they actually were. The weather was bad. It was snowing and sleeting, and it was dusk or night. The pilot and co-pilot didn't have time to react before it was too late.

I have attached a transcription of the official USAAF report (I ordered the official microfiche copy of the report, but the quality was so bad, I had to transcribe it.) for your review. USAAF judged it 100% pilot error.

I was fortunate enough to meet with the pilot, William Floyd Ray, in his latter years. His memories of my father, the other crew members, and the missions they flew were vivid. However, he had no recollection of the accident. I saw no point in mentioning the accident report to him. Ray passed away in July, 2010.

Ray did say 43-34151 (KS-A) was new to the 387th BS, and it no name. All this is confirmed in "In Action No. 210".

Thanks for a great website. It means a lot.

Reference: Squadron/Signal Publications, B-26 Marauder, In Action No. 210, pages 31 and 51

DESCRIPTION OF ACCIDENT

On November 25, 1944, Lt. Ray and crew were returning from an operational mission after darkness when the airplane crashed. From an inspection of the wreckage and marks left in the terrain it appears that the airplane was flying very low and struck the ground at full speed. Although the belly landing was very gentle it is doubtful that it was made intentionally. Since it was dark and visibility very poor in the rain and there is no evidence of mechanical malfunction it is doubtful if the pilot was attempting a forced landing.

Reports of other pilots flying in the same vicinity at the same time indicate that moderate storm conditions existed and that they encountered moderate turbulence while on instruments.

It is the opinion of this board that the pilot was making a let down since he was nearing the vicinity of the field and on breaking out at a very low altitude flew into the ground before recovering from instruments. The altitude of the terrain at the point where the crash occurred was 400 feet higher than the elevation of the field. Although the pilot of the airplane sustained only minor injuries he remembers very little about the crash and has been unable to furnish the board with any worthwhile information.

There was not sufficient change in barometric pressure at the station to cause an appreciable altimeter error if pilot neglected to reset his altimeter on return to the field. It is possible that the pilot could have set in the wrong pressure if he had attempted to reset his altimeter, but this is doubtful since it would require a rather large error to be a direct cause of the accident. It is believed the pilot neglected to consider the error caused by altimeter lag and attempted to let down too low in the vicinity of the field where he knew there were hills or that he and his airplane were caught in a down draft and struck the ground before recovery was possible.

The board recommends that all pilots be cautioned against letting down dangerously low and that they be further cautioned as to the limitations of the pressure altimeter.

It is judged by this board to be 100% pilot error.