Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress accident at Mt Bomber, United States of America, 28 Jun 1943 (42-3399)
On June 28, 1943, a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress (registration 42-3399) operated by United States Army Air Forces - USAAF (1941-1947) was involved in an aviation accident near Mt Bomber, United States of America in flight. 10 people were killed. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: At the time of the accident, the aircraft was nearly 120 miles off course to the north and flying below the prescribed flight altitude, thus below the elevation of the Bighorn Mountain Range. This summary draws on records from the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A); 2 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.
Probable cause
At the time of the accident, the aircraft was nearly 120 miles off course to the north and flying below the prescribed flight altitude, thus below the elevation of the Bighorn Mountain Range.
— NTSB Determination
Accident narrative
The crew was returning to his base in Grand Island in order to prepare to join the European operations. En route, the crew informed ground about his position over Powder River. This was the last communication. Around 2359LT, the airplane impacted the slope of a mountain located in the Bighorn Mountain Range, in the north part of Wyoming. All SAR operations were suspended after few days as no trace of the aircraft nor the 10 crew members was found. Two cowboys found the wreckage on August 12, 1945. For unknown reasons, the aircraft was off course at the time of the accident. After a petition by veterans groups in Wyoming, the unnamed mountain on which the aircraft crashed was christened 'Bomber Mountain' on 22 August 1946 by the U.S. Forest Service. Crew (318th BS): Lt William R. Ronaghan, pilot, Lt Anthony S. Tilotta, copilot, Lt Leonard H. Phillips, navigator, Lt Charles H. Suppes, bombardier, Sgt James A. Hinds, flight engineer, Sgt Lee V. Millar, assistant to the flight engineer, Sgt Ferguson T. Bell, radio operator, Sgt Charles E. Newburn Jr., assistant to the radio operator, Sgt Jake E. Penick, air gunner, Sgt Lewis M. Shepherd, air gunner.
Probable cause (official findings): At the time of the accident, the aircraft was nearly 120 miles off course to the north and flying below the prescribed flight altitude, thus below the elevation of the Bighorn Mountain Range.