|
B-24E Liberator, #42-7122 crashed August 12, 1943, north of Indio, California
SUMMARY: The B-24 and its crew of 10 were assigned to the 7th Bomb Squadron, 34th Bomb Group, stationed at Blythe Army Airfield. A few minutes before 10 p.m. on August 12th, 1943, the Liberator departed the airfield and set an altitude for 15,000 feet and a heading towards Muroc for a night training bombing mission. No radio contact was made with the crew of the Liberator after take-off. At 10:06 p.m., approximately 50 miles west of Blythe and north of Indio, the B-24 crashed and burned on a mountainside. Although an investigation revealed the loss of the horizontal and vertical stabilizers in flight, a lack of witnesses and no communication with the crew precluded investigators from determining the exact cause of the crash. The liberator spun in without much forward momentum leaving a very centralized, small debris area. The crewmen were; 2nd Lt's Harold Schonberg, pilot; Gene Healy, co-pilot; Arnold Johnston, navigator; Harry Louis, bombardier; Sergeant's Ernest Simard, flight engineer; Arnold Wilensky, radio operator; Melvin Steeley, flight engineer, Ross Hill, radio operator; Paul Trusley, gunner; John Sweeney, gunner. |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Overview of the impact area. | Molten aluminum and steel shards. | A chest parachute frame, ripcord cable, and flying suit heater. | A tangled wad of control cable. |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| A airman's parachute ripcord. | The top cover to a Browning .50 caliber machine gun. | Steel gears and molten aluminum. | Parachute buckles in the debris area. |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| The bomber's "Radio Call" with the aircraft's tail number, and an American Bosch data plate. They made magnetos and radio equipment during the war. | The tail fins to one of the sand-filled bombs that were to be dropped on the Muroc bombing range. | Another view of the impact area. | More debris. |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Top of the '522 Control Box', and the recoil spring plate and top cover to a .50 cal gun. | Part of a fuse panel; 'Tail, Nose, Arm, Safe' | A bomb shackle, radio mount and steel cables. | A few coins and an Army uniform button. |
 |
| Oxygen regulator and Jack Box Wiring diagram. |