Aircraft lost in the vicinity of Nikumaroro
From TIGHAR
Derived from table created by Ric Gillespie, Forum, 26 January 2001. In that same thread, Gillespie wrote:
- Emily's anecdote about old aircraft wreckage on the reef dates from sometime between her arrival on Gardner in early 1940 to her departure in November 1941. There are no known losses in the region, or the whole Central Pacific for that matter, prior to that time which could account for that wreckage --- except one.
- The chances of an unknown aircraft loss in that region prior to that time is so remote as to approach nil. Bottom line: if Emily saw aircraft wreckage, it was NR16020.
This list is also important for tracking possible sources of the navigator's bookcase found during TIGHAR's first Niku expedition in 1989.
Date | Service | Type | BuNo | Squadron | Details |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
11 January 1938 | Pan Am | Sikorski S-42 | n/a | n/a | The Samoan Clipper exploded in mid-air shortly after takeoff over Pago Pago harbor in American Samoa, which is 600+ NM from Nikumaroro. |
16 March 1940 | USN | PBY-2 | 0487 | VP-25 | Hit reef on takeoff from Canton. |
January 1942 | USN | PBY | VP-23 | Lost near Canton during night takeoff. | |
22 June 1942 | USAAF | Boeing B-17E | 41-9208 | "Short of Rwy, Canton Island, PAC. Written off (damaged beyond repair)."[1] | |
October 1942 | USAAF | B-17D | Enroute Hawaii to Canton missed Canton and ditched near the Ellice Group. (Rickenbacker on board). | ||
13 November 1942 | USAAF | P-39D | Crashed on Canton, pilot killed. | ||
15 December 1942 | USN | PBM | Hit reef while taxiing at Canton. | ||
7 February 1943 | AATC | C-87 | 41-23903 | "...The C-87 rolled and dived into the water while turning on finals to Canton Island. The flight was being operated by United Airlines under contract to the Army Air Transport Command. It was deemed possible that an asymmetric flap deployment caused the accident." [2] | |
12 February 1943 | USN | PBY-5 | 8033 | VP-71 | Engine fire on takeoff at Canton. Crashed and sank. |
27 March 1943 | USN | PBY-5A of VP-54 | Destroyed in Japanese bombing attack on Canton. | ||
13 August 1943 | USN | PBY-5 | Beached at Canton after being shot up by Japanese Kawanishi H8K "Emily" flying boat. | ||
18 September 1943 | USAAF | P-39Q | Spun into sea on takeoff at Canton. Pilot killed. | ||
5 October 1943 | USN | PBY-5A | 33967 | Forced landing at sea enroute to Canton. Sank while under tow to Canton. | |
20 October 1943 | Consolidated PB4Y-1 | 32102 | VB-106 | Lost at sea.
| |
23 October 1943 | IJN | Kawanishi H8K "Emily" | Shot down by P-40s 70 miles south of Baker. Two other Emilies had previously been shot down by F-6-Fs from the light carrier USS Princeton CV-22 in the vicinity of Howland and Baker. | ||
18 November 1943 | PB4Y-1 | 32123 | VB-108 | Non-combat mission. "Ex-USAAF B-24D 42-40950 ... Ditched at sea "near Funa Futi."[7] Entire crew of ten rescued six days later.[8] One passenger missing. Pilot Lt. P. Hard & 9 crew survived.[9] | |
17 December 1943 | USAAF | C-47A | 43-30739 | Crashed at Sydney Island during sightseeing flight. Nine fatalities.[10] | |
30 December 1943 | USN | PBY-5A | 3393 | Missing enroute from Baker to Makin. | |
11 January 1944 | USN | PBJ (B-25) | Missing enroute from Canton to Tutuilla, Samoa. | ||
16 February 1944 | USN | PBY-5 | Sank off Canton | ||
10 May 1944 | Canadian? | C-87 | Tire blew on takeoff, aircraft hit revetments, burned. | ||
10 June 1944 | USN | PBM-3D | 48199 | Engine fire, forced landing, beached at Howland. Aircraft burned. | |
19 July 1944 | USAAF | B24J Liberator | 41029 | "Crashed after takeoff from Canton Island, Pacific Ocean, Jul 19, 1944 near the reef edge. 5 killed"[11] | |
2 August 1944 | USN | PV-1 | 33247 | VMF(N)531 | Gear up landing after aborted takeoff at Canton. Pilot: Marvin E. Notestine[12] |
5 September 1944 | USN | PBM-3D | 45236 | VP-200 | Engine failure, forced landing at sea (exact location unknown); flooded and sank in high seas. |
22 October 1944 | USN | PBJ (B-25) | Destroyed in taxiing accident on Canton. | ||
31 October 1944 | USN | PBJ (B-25) | Destroyed in taxiing accident on Canton. | ||
23 April 1945 | USAAF | B-24M-35-CO | 44-42473 | Damaged in landing accident at Topham Field, Canton Island.[13] Pilot: Edward A. Dibler, Jr.[14] | |
26 April 1962 | FAA | Lockheed L-749A Constellation | Crashed during touch and go landing at Canton. |
To do
Date: Wed, 19 Dec 2001 19:26:21 EST From: Woody Subject: Re: Titanic confusion Ric, I'd like to take exception to one of this guy's statements. Baker Island is 38 miles south of Howland Island. It was used as a staging and refueling base in WW2 from November of 1943 to the end of the war in 1945 when it was abandoned. B24's used Baker via Canton to stage bombing raids into the Marshall Islands. Baker was a regular route for refueling planes that were being ferried into the Pacific Theater of Operations up to the cessation of hostilities. There are parts of a B-24 that crashed on Baker Island on December 6, 1943--I have the 7th AF mission report on it. I have many of the AF mission reports for flights in that area, anyone that says there was no military activity in the area during the war doesn't bother with that most basic of all tools--research!
References
- ↑ "ASN Wikibase Occurrence #97341."
- ↑ "Accident Description, Sunday 7 February 1943."
- ↑ "US Navy and US Marine Corps BuNos."
- ↑ "USN Overseas Aircraft Loss List. Patrick Gaston said that the crew consisted of Pilot Lt Samuel L. Patella A-V(N) USNR, Ens Richard H. Wood A-V(N) USNR, Ens John C. Mackey A-V(N) USNR, Amm3c John Grady Waiden, Jr. USNR, Aom3c Argus Winfield, Jr. USNR, Amm3c Donald Dean Dickey USN, Art1c Itley Dwight Winn USNR, Amm3c O. Atkinson USN, Amm3c Lloyd E. Hume USN, and Amm3c William E. Lexlon USNR (Forum, 24 September 2004). The list is confirmed by "PB4Y Personnel Losses for Feb 1943 to September 1944."
- ↑ ASN Wikibase Occurrence #81075.
- ↑ Aviation Archaeology, "PB4Y USN Aircraft Airframe History List."
- ↑ "US Navy and US Marine Corps BuNos."
- ↑ Aviation Safety Net #81085.
- ↑ Pat Gaston, Forum, 24 September 2004.
- ↑ "Crash of a C-47 on Sydney Island."
- ↑ "1944 USAAF Serial Numbers."
- ↑ "USN Lockheed PV Ventura & Harpoon Accident Reports."
- ↑ "1944 USAAF Serial Numbers (44-40049 to 44-70254)."
- ↑ "April 1945 USAAF Overseas Accident Reports."