Warbird Information Exchange

Very tragic , I remember hearing about this accident when I was very young and it threw a jolt into my warbird fastination at the time. Anyone have additional photos of this B-25 before the accident?
Found here:
http://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=27929


Date: 06-AUG-1976
Time: 15:25L
Type: North American B-25 Mitchell
Operator: Air Chicago Freight
Registration: N9446Z
C/n / msn:
Fatalities: Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2
Other fatalities: 1
Airplane damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Location: About 0.75 miles west of Midway Airport, Chicago - United States of America
Phase: Initial climb
Nature: Training
Departure airport: Midway Airport
Destination airport: Midway Airport
Narrative:
What is missing from the NTSB-AAR-77-3 report of this crash is the fact the pilot pulled the aircraft up just befor attempting to ditch in Hale Park; after he sees about 200 children (Day Campers) asembled for retreat at 15:30L in the middle of his impact point! Aircraft hit a large tree with right wing then the Flag pole in front of Nathan Hale Grammer School with left wing before crashing on 62nd street. 62nd street runs right through the retreat assemble point in front of the Hale Park field house.

The B-25 had not been flown for two years. During this period the engines had not been run, nor had they been given the corrosion protection treatment desirable in such circumstances.
The pre-oiling procedure recommended before the first start-up after a period of inactivity had not been carried out.
The plane had been given a 30-minute test flight the day before the accident.

On the 6th of August 1976 the Mitchell took off on a training flight intended to prepare the co-pilot for his B-25 type rating exam.
During the initial climb, at an estimated height of 2,000 to 2,500 feet, the left engine suffered a major mechanical failure which caused a complete loss of power and a fire to break out.
The fire quickly spread to the fuselage through the bomb bay and into the cockpit area.
With the left engine shut down and the prop. feathered, and with full power set on the right engine, the Mitchell was turned around for an emergency landing back at Midway Airport.
The plane should have been able to maintain height, and even climb with only one engine operating, but failed to get to the runway.
Over a residential area and not far above the ground the undercarriage was lowered and the bomber was seen to pitch up before diving and crashing.
One person on the ground was killed. Two houses were destroyed by the impact of the B-25 and fire.
Both pilots lost their lives.

Sources:
About 200 Day Campers and dozens of onlookers in the park.

_________________
“PMURT KCUF”

I remember reading about the cause; the left engine #1 cylinder wrist pin failed due to lack of oil, the cylinder failed causing the fire. The smoke from the fire traveled into the cockpit from the wing leading edge causing the pilots to lose visibility. The pilot opened his side window thus causing more smoke to flow into the cockpit with the result of the crash. If the pilot had the visibility I believe he would have made it back to the airport.

If anyone has flown in multi-engined WWII bombers, they should know smoke from a fire travels through the leading edge into the cockpit area. Everyone should know how to eliminate the smoke from the cockpit in this event. In the B-29 the flight manual tells you to lower the nose wheel to evacuate the smoke from a fire or smoke in the fuselage. In the B-25 I suspect pulling the emergency release for the cockpit access hatch in the belly would do the trick in stead of opening the side windows. One other piece safety equipment we have in FIFI is a PBE, Personal Breathing Equipment, emergency hood to don in the event of smoke in the cockpit, all of the airliners now have this equipment too.