Photos of B-17F #42-6042 1943 crash site
Sun Sep 30, 2012 5:29 pm
I went hiking over the weekend and went up to the Oct. 18, 1943 crash site of B-17F #42-6042. It's on a mountain side at an elevation of 11,000'. This plane is on Aero Vintage's list of unrecovered airframes. The engines, tail wheel strut, both main landing gear and part of the horizontal stab with the lower part of the fuselage is about all that remains.
I did find a few interesting pieces. Behind what was left of one of the engine nacelles I found part of one of the fuel tank bladders. Also I found the ball turret mount with small chunks of the ball turret still bolted to it. It was very intact and seemed almost undamaged. Just rusty from sitting out for 69 years. My understanding is the locals hauled away most of the fuselage and wings for scrap back in the 50's. And the military hauled the guns and ammo away immediately after the crash when they recovered the bodies of the 8 crash victims. This is still a very remote area and I can only imagine how they found the crash site back in 1943. My guess is that the fire from the fuel on board was still smoking the morning after the crash and helped them pinpoint the wreck. The plane crashed at approximately 10:45pm.
There's another B-17F crash site from 1944 in the same area. Sounds like it's a little bit more challenging to get to that one. Perhaps next summer I'll go see it.
Ball turret mount
Engine nacelle with supercharger
Top of supercharger with part of rubber fuel bladder
Horizontal stab upside down. Nose of plane would have been to the right.
Tail wheel strut. Tire burned off and only steel wire from tire bead left.
One of two prop hubs I could find
Most intact engine on site. Possibly from starboard side due to final resting location in reference to other engines.
Left main gear with tire burned off. This is looking north. Wyoming is off in the far distance.
I did find a few interesting pieces. Behind what was left of one of the engine nacelles I found part of one of the fuel tank bladders. Also I found the ball turret mount with small chunks of the ball turret still bolted to it. It was very intact and seemed almost undamaged. Just rusty from sitting out for 69 years. My understanding is the locals hauled away most of the fuselage and wings for scrap back in the 50's. And the military hauled the guns and ammo away immediately after the crash when they recovered the bodies of the 8 crash victims. This is still a very remote area and I can only imagine how they found the crash site back in 1943. My guess is that the fire from the fuel on board was still smoking the morning after the crash and helped them pinpoint the wreck. The plane crashed at approximately 10:45pm.
There's another B-17F crash site from 1944 in the same area. Sounds like it's a little bit more challenging to get to that one. Perhaps next summer I'll go see it.
Ball turret mount
Engine nacelle with supercharger
Top of supercharger with part of rubber fuel bladder
Horizontal stab upside down. Nose of plane would have been to the right.
Tail wheel strut. Tire burned off and only steel wire from tire bead left.
One of two prop hubs I could find
Most intact engine on site. Possibly from starboard side due to final resting location in reference to other engines.
Left main gear with tire burned off. This is looking north. Wyoming is off in the far distance.
Last edited by maxum96 on Sun Sep 30, 2012 8:59 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Photos of B-17F #42-6042 1943 crash site
Sun Sep 30, 2012 6:32 pm
Great pics! Thanks for sharing and good luck with the other one when you hunt it down!
Re: Photos of B-17F #42-6042 1943 crash site
Sun Sep 30, 2012 7:34 pm
Very cool pictures and thanks for the post. 
Re: Photos of B-17F #42-6042 1943 crash site
Sun Sep 30, 2012 9:56 pm
I'm curious what WIXers' opinions are when it comes to crash sites. Should they be left undisturbed, or should the items be recovered / preserved (if feasible)?
I have mixed feelings on this topic. I've been researching the crash of a DC-3 that occurred near where I live about 55 years ago. Thanks to some detective work as well as interviews with witnesses, I've been able to pinpoint the exact crash site. The site is now on land owned by the local park system (which I volunteer with their police force, which certainly helped me with the credibility of my request). I've secured permission to survey the site, as there are reportedly still parts of the plane near the site. They aren't exactly "as found", as the CAB examined the various pieces of the airframe and apparently discarded them when they were done examining them.
Once I hopefully find and catalogue any artifiacts left on the site, the next question is then what? My initial thought was to recover the items for use as a memorial in part of the park that is more accessible to visitors. Part of me thinks that maybe the parts should be left alone, after all, three men perished within these parts. Chances are the action the park historians take will likely be based on my recommendations. I'm just not sure what I would recommend at this point. Maybe when I get on site, I'll find the answer.
I have mixed feelings on this topic. I've been researching the crash of a DC-3 that occurred near where I live about 55 years ago. Thanks to some detective work as well as interviews with witnesses, I've been able to pinpoint the exact crash site. The site is now on land owned by the local park system (which I volunteer with their police force, which certainly helped me with the credibility of my request). I've secured permission to survey the site, as there are reportedly still parts of the plane near the site. They aren't exactly "as found", as the CAB examined the various pieces of the airframe and apparently discarded them when they were done examining them.
Once I hopefully find and catalogue any artifiacts left on the site, the next question is then what? My initial thought was to recover the items for use as a memorial in part of the park that is more accessible to visitors. Part of me thinks that maybe the parts should be left alone, after all, three men perished within these parts. Chances are the action the park historians take will likely be based on my recommendations. I'm just not sure what I would recommend at this point. Maybe when I get on site, I'll find the answer.
Re: Photos of B-17F #42-6042 1943 crash site
Mon Oct 01, 2012 4:32 am
Leave the wreckage and build a memorial with a recovered prop or something near a trail?
Re: Photos of B-17F #42-6042 1943 crash site
Mon Oct 01, 2012 9:32 am
Maxum96,
The airplane crashed on 18 Oct 1943 and the wreckage was discovered on 21 Oct 1943. The ac was off course at the time of the collision with the mountain.
TM
The airplane crashed on 18 Oct 1943 and the wreckage was discovered on 21 Oct 1943. The ac was off course at the time of the collision with the mountain.
TM
Re: Photos of B-17F #42-6042 1943 crash site
Mon Oct 01, 2012 9:35 am
Personally, I'm not against respectful recovery of artifacts for educational or memorial purposes from a fatal wreck. While I do appreciate the magic of leaving things as they are, the reality is that almost no one will be able to see them. A representative selection of artifacts, displayed with an interpretive exhibit that allows people to understand what they are looking at, how those artifacts came to that location, and the loss of human life that resulted, can convey a powerful message.
At our museum in Tulsa, we have an exhibit on the last B-24 built in Tulsa. At present time, it includes uniforms, photos, video and other items to bring the story to life. The airplane crashed with a loss of 3 crewmembers. We have located the airplane, and eventually will try to recover some of the airplane to bring back to the museum. Its presence at the museum will be a homecoming of sorts for the airplane, and will serve a memorial purpose as well. The families are all for it. In my mind, this is a respectful approach that serves a dual purpose of educating people about our history and the sacrifices involved.
kevin
At our museum in Tulsa, we have an exhibit on the last B-24 built in Tulsa. At present time, it includes uniforms, photos, video and other items to bring the story to life. The airplane crashed with a loss of 3 crewmembers. We have located the airplane, and eventually will try to recover some of the airplane to bring back to the museum. Its presence at the museum will be a homecoming of sorts for the airplane, and will serve a memorial purpose as well. The families are all for it. In my mind, this is a respectful approach that serves a dual purpose of educating people about our history and the sacrifices involved.
kevin