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This is a list of notable accidents and incidents involving military aircraft grouped by the year in which the accident or incident occurred. Not all of the aircraft were in operation at the time. For more exhaustive lists, see the (Aircraft Crash Record Office ) or the (Air Safety Network ) or the (Dutch Scramble Website Brush and Dustpan Database ). Combat losses are not included except for a very few cases denoted by singular circumstances. :See: List of accidents and incidents involving military aircraft before 1925 :See: List of accidents and incidents involving military aircraft (1925–1934) :See: List of accidents and incidents involving military aircraft (1935–1939) :See: List of accidents and incidents involving military aircraft (1940–1944) :See: List of accidents and incidents involving military aircraft (1945–1949) :See: List of accidents and incidents involving military aircraft (1950–1954) :See: List of accidents and incidents involving military aircraft (1955–1959) :See: List of accidents and incidents involving military aircraft (1960–1974) :See: List of accidents and incidents involving military aircraft (1975–1979) :See: List of accidents and incidents involving military aircraft (1980–1989) :See: List of accidents and incidents involving military aircraft (1990–1999) :See: List of accidents and incidents involving military aircraft (2000–2009) :See: List of accidents and incidents involving military aircraft (2010–present) == Aircraft terminology == Information on aircraft gives the type, and if available, the serial number of the operator in italics, the constructors number, also known as the manufacturer's serial number (c/n), exterior codes in apostrophes, nicknames (if any) in quotation marks, flight callsign in italics, and operating units. ==1945== ;1 January :Focke-Wulf Fw 190D-9, '12', of 10./JG. 54, flown by ''Leutnant'' Theo Nibel of the Grimbergen force, is downed during ''Unternehmen Bodenplatte'' when he strikes a partridge which holes his coolant radiator, makes forced gear-up landing near Brussels.〔Weber, Eberhard-Dietrich, Ing (grad), "Dora-9 and the Tank Fighters", ''Air Enthusiast'' Quarterly, Number One, Bromley, Kent, UK, 1976, p. 103.〕 ;1 January :Lockheed P-38G-10-LO Lightning, ''42-13400'', c/n 222-7834,〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=1942 USAAF Serial Numbers (42-001 to 42-30031) )〕 suffers crash landing on Attu Island in the Aleutians, 2,000 miles W of Anchorage, Alaska, whilst on a training mission, pilot 2nd Lt. Robert Nesmith unhurt. Airframe suffers propellers torn off, broken horizontal stabilizer, buckled left nacelle. After simple parts salvage, it is abandoned in place. Recovered June 1999, it is transported by helicopter to the U.S. Coast Guard station at Attu, then flown to Anchorage in an Alaska Air National Guard Lockheed C-130 Hercules. Registered as N55929 but not taken up.〔 Restored at Elmendorf AFB, Alaska, it is placed on display at McCloud Memorial Park, Elmendorf AFB, in April 2000.〔Fisher, S/Sgt. Jim, "A Fitting Tribute", ''Airman'', Air Force News Agency, San Antonio, Texas, September 2000, Volume XLIV, Number 9, pages 38–41.〕 ;10 January :Northrop P-61B-1-NO Black Widow, ''42-39445'', c/n 964,〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=1942 USAAF Serial Numbers (42-30032 to 42-39757) )〕 of the 550th Night Fighter Squadron, based at Hollandia, New Guinea, on a supposed proficiency flight (but pilot took along three passengers, including a 20-year-old WAAC nurse), ends badly with aircraft coming down largely intact at the 5,000 foot level (1,500 m) of Mount Cyclops just a few miles from its airfield. All aboard survive with only minor injuries. Airframe recovered in 1989 by helicopter and is undergoing restoration at the Mid-Atlantic Air Museum, Reading, Pennsylvania.〔Auliard, Gilles, and Baert, John, "''Kiss of the Black Widow''", FlyPast, Stamford, Lincs., UK, February 2001, pp.72–73.〕 ;19 January :RAF Group Captain J. F. X. McKenna AFC, elected a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society in 1944, and appointed commandant of the Empire Test Pilots' School of the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment in March of that year, is killed this date during a familiarisation flight on a Mustang Mk IV, ''KH648'', which crashes when the ammunition box cover detaches at high speed and the aircraft sheds a wing, crashing on the perimeter of Old Sarum Airfield , located NNE of Salisbury, Wiltshire, England. ;30 January :Consolidated B-24L-1-FO Liberator, ''44-49180'', crashes west of Helendale, California. The crew consisted of 1st Lt. James G. Wright, pilot, 2nd Lt. Norbert J. Vehr, copilot, 2nd Lt. Carl F. Hansen radar instructor, 2nd Lt. John R. Palin radar student, 2nd Lt. Herbert A. Perry, radar student, and T/Sgt. Harvey L. Cook, flight engineer. Perry, Vehr and Cook died during the crash, while the remaining crew members successfully bailed out. Wreckage recovered to Victorville Army Airfield, California, in February 1945 with reclamation complete on 9 February.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=1944 USAAF Serial Numbers )〕 ;February :The Akutan Zero is destroyed during a training accident at Naval Air Station San Diego, California. While Cmdr. Richard G. Crommelin is taxiing the Mitsubishi A6M for a take-off, a Curtiss SB2C Helldiver loses control and rams into it. The Helldiver's propeller slices the A6M to pieces. From the wreckage, Rear Adm. William N. Leonard salvages the manifold pressure gauge, the air-speed indicator, and the folding panel of the port wingtip, which he donates to the National Museum of the United States Navy.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Kogas Zero )〕 The Alaska Aviation Heritage Museum has two manufacturer's plates, and the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum also has small pieces of the A6M.〔Rearden, ''Fighter'', 91.〕 ;9 February or 11 February :A Lockheed P-38L-1-LO Lightning, ''44-24838'', of the 432d Base Unit, Portland Army Air Base,〔 crashes in the Oregon desert ~25 miles SE of Christmas Valley, Oregon, while conducting a gunnery training flight. The pilot, 2nd Lt. Max J. Clark, 25, is KWF. On 14 June 2007, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) officially declares the crash scene a historic Federal government site at a Flag Day ceremony. An interpretive plaque is unveiled during this event reflecting this designation and depicting the historical significance of the location.〔 ;13 February :A Douglas R4D-6, BuNo ''50765'', c/n 14848/26293, of Air Transport Squadron 3 of the US Navy crashes into the sea near Alameda, California, while on approach for landing at Naval Air Station Oakland, killing all twenty-one passengers and three crew.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.check-six.com/Crash_Sites/USN-50765-Oakland.htm )〕 ;13 February :During a high-speed taxi run at Boeing Field, Seattle, Washington, in Boeing XF8B-1, BuNo ''57984'', pilot Bob Lamsen experiences an unexpected undercarriage retraction at 1630 hours, with him unaware of the condition until it is too late, the airframe coming to rest near the middle of the main runway after sliding ~1,000 feet. The fire department and other emergency crews arrive on scene immediately but no fire occurs and no emergency measures are required. Reports of smoke and fire were apparently due to friction with the runway. To aid in the investigation, three cranes attempt to lift the large fighter onto a flatbed truck with the gear still retracted but they are unable to gain sufficient height and the decision is made to manually extend the gear so the airframe may be moved with no further damage.〔Zichek, Jared A., "The Boeing XF8B-1 Fighter: Last of the Line", Schiffer Publishing Ltd., Atglen, Pennsylvania, 2007, Library of Congress Control Number 2006929193, ISBN 0-7643-2587-6, pages 24–25.〕 ;17 February :''Luftwaffe experten'' (ace) Jürgen Harder (13 June 1918 – 17 February 1945), recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, (64 claimed victories), is killed in the crash of a Messerschmitt Bf 109G-14, ''Werk. Nr. 784 738'', near Strausberg, Germany, following engine failure. Technical experts that analysed the wreckage came to the conclusion that the piston of cylinder 12 had penetrated the engine block. Escaping toxic fumes thus intoxicated Harder who then lost control of the aircraft.〔Scherzer, Veit (2007). ''Die Ritterkreuzträger Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives'' (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Miltaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.〕 ;18 February :''Luftwaffe'' pilot ''Leutnant'' Erwin Ziller runs into problems 45 minutes into the third flight of Horten H.IX V2 when he suffers a failure of one of the jet engines, aircraft spins to starboard and crashes just outside the airfield perimeter. The pilot dies in hospital a fortnight later. This second prototype was the only powered Horten IX to fly. The incomplete V3 prototype was shipped to the United States and is now in the collection of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=FE-0490 H0 229V-3 )〕 ;19 February : Two Lockheed P-38L Lightnings, of the 433d Base Unit, out of Chico Army Airfield, California,〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Chico Airdrome )〕 suffer a mid-air collision 28 miles NW of Barstow, California, during a routine training and gunnery practice flight, coming down near Superior Dry Lake. "When the planes collided, one exploded in the air, and the other crashed to the ground."〔San Bernardino, California, "Two Army Pilots Killed When P-38s Crash in Mid-Air", ''San Bernardino Sun'', Tuesday 20 February 1945, page 9.〕 2d Lt. Earl A. Morgan, Jr. in P-38L-1-LO, ''44-23861'', and 2d Lt. Walter E. Mogensen in P-38L-5-LO, ''44-25637'', are both KWF.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=1944 USAAF Serial Numbers (44-001 to 44-30910) )〕〔Merlin, Peter W., and Moore, Tony, "X-Plane Crashes: Exploring Experimental, Rocket Plane, and Spycraft Incidents, Accidents and Crash Sites", Specialty Press, North Branch, Minnesota, 2008, Library of Congress card number 2008032059, ISBN 978-1-58007-121-5, page 141.〕 Morgan's mother, Mrs. Ruth E. Morgan, lives in Camp Rowio, Texas; Mogensen's father, Carl G. Mogensen, lives in Modesto, California.〔International Press, ''Fresno Bee'', Fresno, California, Thursday 22 February 1945, page 23.〕 "Col. Robert A. Nagle, commanding officer, permitted the identity of the two officers to become known last night (19 February) after notification had been given to next of kin."〔 ;26 February :Brigadier General James Roy Andersen (1904–1945), is lost with the Consolidated C-87A-CO Liberator Express, ''41-24174'',〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=1941 USAAF Serial Numbers (41-13297 to 41-24339) )〕 he was travelling on between Kwajalein and Johnston Island while en route to Hawaii. General Andersen graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1926, served at various Army installations, and obtained his wings at Kelly Field, Texas, in 1936. During 1943–1944 he served on the War Department General Staff. In January 1945, General Andersen was assigned to HQ AAF, Pacific Ocean Area. Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, is subsequently named in his honor. Pilot of the aircraft was F. E. Savage.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=February 1945 USAAF Overseas Accident Reports )〕 ;1 March :First manned flight test, launched from the Lager Heuberg military training area near Stetten am kalten Markt, of Bachem Ba 349 Natter, 'M23', a vertically launched bomber interceptor, fails when ''Oberleutnant'' Lothar Sieber, 22, a volunteer, is killed as rocket-powered aircraft reaches ~1,650 feet, cockpit canopy detaches, Ba 349 noses over onto back, then falls from ~4,800 feet, killing pilot. No cause for crash determined but it was thought that improperly latched canopy may have knocked Siebert unconscious. Three successful manned flights subsequently flown and a group of the fighters readied for intercept mission, but advancing U.S. 8th Army armoured units overrun launch site before Natters can be used.〔Green, William, "The Warplanes of the Third Reich", Galahad Books, New York, 1986, , ISBN 978-0-88365-666-2, pp. 67–68.〕 ;1 March :Two Bell P-59A-1-BE Airacomets of the 29th Fighter Squadron, 412th Fighter Group, at Muroc Army Air Field, California,〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=1944 USAAF Serial Numbers (44-001 to 44-30910) )〕 collide in mid-air over the Mojave Desert near Grey Butte Army Airfield during an anti-aircraft tracking exercise. 2nd Lt. Robert W. Murdock, pilot of ''44-22620'', and 2nd Lt. Howard L. Wilson, in ''44-22626'', are killed in the collision. ;4 March :At precisely 0151 hrs., Junkers Ju 88G-6, Werknummer 620028, ''D5+AX'', piloted by ''Hauptman'' J. Dreher, with a crew of three from night fighter unit 13./''Nachtjagdgeschwader'' 3, becomes the last Axis aircraft to crash on British soil during World War II. Confused by auto headlights, fighter hits tree while attacking the airfield at RAF Elvington, crashing at Sutton upon Derwent, Yorkshire, all four KWF. Two other Ju 88s had crashed in separate incidents at 0137 and 0145 hrs.〔Baker, David, "Flight and Flying: A Chronology", Facts On File, Inc., New York, 1994, , ISBN 978-0-8160-1854-3, p. 301.〕 ;14 March :The first prototype of two of the experimental Cornelius XFG-1-CR fuel glider, ''44-28059'', crashes 3 miles W of Wilmington, Ohio during spin testing out of Clinton County Army Air Field, Ohio, killing test pilot Alfred Reitherman of the Spartan Aircraft Company which constructed the design. The fuel glider concept (to be towed behind bombers) is abandoned at the end of the war.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=March 1945 USAAF Stateside Accident Reports )〕 ;17 March :Following an afternoon attack by two Arado Ar 234B Blitzs of 6./KG76 on the U.S. Army forces crossing the Rhine at Remagen, ''Uffw.'' Pohlmann is killed when his Arado, WNr.''140180'', is destroyed in a crash-landing at Burg following an engine failure.〔Smith, J. Richard and Creek, Eddie J. "Arado Ar 234 Blitz (Monogram Monarch Series no.1)", Monogram Aviation Publications, 1992, ISBN 978-0-914144-51-9.〕 ;20 March :Lockheed test pilot Tony LeVier is forced to bail out of third Lockheed XP-80 prototype, ''44-83021'', c.n. 141-1002, named "Gray Ghost", of the 4144th AAF Base Unit, Muroc Army Air Field, California,〔 after catastrophic turbine blade failure slices off tail, pilot coming down on Highway 99 near Rosamond, California, breaking his back and side-lining him for six months.〔Stamford, Lincs., UK: FlyPast, Thompson, Lance, "''Valley of the Kings''", December 1997, Number 197, pp.25–26.〕 ;27 March :RAF Consolidated LB-30 Liberator II, ''AL504'', first Mk. II accepted by the British, converted to VIP transport for the Prime Minister, named "Commando". It had received a single PB4Y-style fin and rudder modification. Lost over the Atlantic Ocean between the Azores and Ottawa, Canada. The Prime Minister was not on board.〔(RAFB24.com )〕 Lost with the crew was Air Marshal Sir Peter Roy Maxwell Drummond, the RAF's Air Member for Training. ;5 April :Prototype Ryan XFR-1 Fireball, BuNo ''48234'', piloted by Ryan test pilot Dean Lake, on test flight over Lindbergh Field, San Diego, California, loses skin between the front and rear spars of the starboard wing, interrupted airflow over the wing causes it to disintegrate. Pilot bails out, airframe breaks up, wreckage strikes brand new Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer, BuNo ''59836'', just accepted by the Navy and preparing to depart for the modification center at Litchfield Park, Arizona. Bomber burns, Navy crew of pilot Lt. D. W. Rietz, Lt. J. E. Creed, and Aviation Machinists Mates G. R. Brown and J. H. Randall, evacuate burning PB4Y, only Randall suffering injuries, first, second, and third degree burns and minor lacerations.〔Veronico, Nicholas A., " 'Failure At The Factory", ''Air Enthusiast'', Stamford, Lincs, UK, Number 124, July–August 2006, p. 33.〕 ; 5 April : Boeing B-17G-50-VE Flying Fortress, ''44-8152'', c/n 7552, "Miss Ida", of the 748th Bomb Squadron (H), 457th Bomb Group (H), is lost on take off from RAF Glatton.〔()〕 The target this date was the Ordinance Depot at Ingolstadt, Germany. The commanding officer of the 748th, Major Edward B. Dozier, was designated Air Commander. As the lead aircraft containing Major Dozier and Lt. Donald B. Snow, lifts off the runway, the number 2 (port inner) engine catches fire, with the airframe crashing just past the end of the runway, the bomb load explosion heard throughout the airfield creating an eight foot crater. Nine killed but one crew miraculously survives. The mission was delayed and was out of position in the bomber stream because of the accident. The group bombed in trail at 14,000 feet because of heavy clouds at the briefed altitude. Bomb results were unknown. ;8 April :First prototype Rikugun Ki-93, '1', twin-engine fighter makes only flight from Tachikawa airfield, a successful 20 minute test of its low-speed handling characteristics, piloted by Lt. Moriya of the ''Koku Shinsa-bu'' (Air Examination Department) with 2nd Lt. Ikebayashi in the second seat. Unfortunately, pilot undershot the runway and touched down in soft soil, ground-looping airframe and tearing off port undercarriage leg, engine mount, and bending six-blade propeller. Repairs completed in four weeks, but the night before the scheduled second test flight, a B-29 bombing raid on Tachikawa destroyed the hangar housing the airframe.〔"A Japanese rara avis...The Giken Fighter", ''Air International'', Bromley, Kent, UK, May 1977, Volume 12, Number 5, pp.254–255.〕 ;8 April :United States Navy Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer, BuNo ''59442'', ''Zebra 442'', of VPB-108, based at Tinian, Northern Marianas Islands, is lost on aircrew search mission over the Pacific Ocean, crew becomes disoriented, ditches at 1800 hrs. Spotted by two PB4Ys on 11 April, crew is rescued from rafts by submarine USS ''Queenfish on 12 April.〔Grivno, Steve, "''Last Flight of 'Zebra 442' ", ''Air Enthusiast'', Stamford, Lincs., UK, Number 125, September–October 2006, pp.46–55.〕 ;11 April :Second of two Northrop XP-61E Black Widows, ''42-39557'', modified from P-61B with cut-down fuselage and bubble canopy, is written off when over-eager pilot tries P-38 Lightning trick of retracting landing gear on take-off while still on runway, but heavier Widow settles onto runway, hollow steel props shatter, airframe strikes tool shack on side of runway, airframe written-off, pilot survives. First XP-61E, ''42-39549'', is modified into sole XF-15 photo-reconnaissance prototype, 36 of which will be built as Northrop F-15A Reporter.〔Pape, Garry R., and Harrison, Ronald C., "Dark Lady, Pt. II – The Further Adventures of Northrop's Flying Spider Ship...From P-61B Through P-61E", ''Airpower'', Granada Hills, California, November 1976, Volume 6, Number 6, pp.10–24.〕 ;13 April :On 5 April, a B-24H-15-DT Liberator, ''41-28779'', of the 564th Bomb Squadron, 389th Bomb Group (Heavy), captured by the ''Luftwaffe'' on 20 June 1944 (MACR 6533),〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=1941 USAAF Serial Numbers (41-24340 to 41-30847) )〕 and operated as KO+XA by KG 200, departs Wackersleben to avoid the Soviet advance with 29 KG 200 personnel aboard for a flight to Bavaria via Braunschweig. About 25 minutes into the flight, a German flak battery fires on the Liberator, damaging the fuselage, wings and number 4 (starboard outer) engine and cutting the rudder cables. Pilot ''Oberfeldwebel'' Rauchfuss manages to maintain control, however. Two passengers, injured by the gunfire, require immediate medical attention (one later dies), and the pilot lands in a meadow near Quedlinburg, but a powerline forces him to apply power to clear it and the bomber breaks its nosewheel strut when it overruns into a freshly ploughed field. The strut is removed and sent to the Junkers Component Factory at Eilsleben for repair. The oil leak on the engine and the rudder cables are also repaired. Returned on 12 April, the strut is reinstalled and an attempt is made to take off on 13 April, after all excess equipment is removed to lighten the plane, but the clearing proves too short, the B-24 bogs down in sodden soil, and the nose strut again breaks. Reluctantly, the crew destroys the airframe by punching holes in the fuel tanks and setting it alight with a flare pistol.〔Thomas, Geoffrey J., and Ketley, Barry, "KG 200: The Luftwaffe's Most Secret Unit", Hikoki Publications Ltd., Crowborough, East Sussex, UK, 2003, ISBN 1-902109-33-3, pages 164–165.〕 ;18 April :''Luftwaffe experten'' (ace), (six victories), ''Oberst'' Johannes Steinhoff, of the ''jet experten'' ''Jagdverband 44'', suffers tire blow-out on take-off from ''Flughafen München Riem'' when his Messerschmitt Me 262 hits a bomb crater. He lifts off, but without sufficient flying speed, he crashes, suffering severe burns, spending two years in hospital. ;19 April :During an Eighth Air Force raid on a rail marshaling yard at Aussig, Czechoslovakia, ''Luftwaffe'' Messerschmitt Me 262s shoot down five Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses. The fifth, Boeing B-17G-5-BO Flying Fortress, ''42-31188'', named "Dead Man's Hand", of the 709th Bomb Squadron, 447th Bomb Group,〔()〕 piloted by Lt. Robert F. Glazener, on its 111th combat mission, becomes the last heavy bomber of the 8th Air Force lost to enemy fighters in the European theatre. Seven of eight crew escape the falling bomber, although no chutes were reported being seen (by this point, the two waist gunners were not being carried.)〔Miller, Donald L., "Masters of the Air", Simon & Schuster, New York, 2006, , ISBN 978-0-7432-3544-0, p. 453.〕 ;21 April :As the Russians close in on Berlin, Hitler's private secretary, Martin Bormann, puts into action Operation Seraglio, a plan to evacuate the key and favoured members of Hitler's entourage from the Berlin bunker. Junkers Ju 352, c/n 100003, 'KT+VC', loaded with Adolf Hitler's personal property departs Berlin at ~0500 hours for Ainring, near Salzburg, piloted by ''Major'' Friedrich Gundlfinger. Among 16 passengers were Hitler Valet SS Sgt Wilhelm Ardnt and Hitler's bodyguard Max Fiebes. Plane flying low over the Heidenholz Forest clips treetops, tearing loose one of its three engines. The plane impacts and burns fiercely near Börnersdorf south of Dresden. Of two reported survivors one died of injuries.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Axis History Forum )〕 "A farmer from nearby Bernersdorf (), supervising Russian and French forced-labourers, heard screams and hammering from the Junkers, but was able to help only the tailgunner who was able to crawl clear. On hearing of the disaster Hitler was devastated by the loss of Arndt, rather than of his archives. It was from this event that the idea was later born of producing forged documents, published as ''Hitler's Diaries'' in 1983."〔Thomas, Geoffrey J., and Ketley, Barry, "KG 200: The Luftwaffe's Most Secret Unit", Hikoki Publications Ltd., Crowborough, East Sussex, UK, 2003, ISBN 1-902109-33-3, page 165.〕 ;21 April :Deutsche Luft Hansa Focke-Wulf Fw 200B-2, ''D-ASHH'', c/n 0009, "''Hessen''", hastily loaded with baggage of the Berlin Headquarters Staff as part of Operation Seraglio, a plan to evacuate the key and favoured members of Hitler's entourage from the capital, departs from Berlin Tempelhof Airport for Barcelona, Spain via Munich, piloted by ''Flugkapitän'' August Karl Künstle, with five crew and 16 passengers. Condor reaches Munich safely, but never appears in Spain. Extensive inquiries in Germany, Switzerland and Spain turn up no clues to fate. In 1954, evidence finally is discovered that the overloaded transport crashed and burned with no survivors near Piesenkofen Kreis Mühlberg, Bavaria.〔Green, William, "Warplanes of the Second World War – Bombers and Reconnaissance Aircraft, Volume Nine", Doubleday & Company Inc., Garden City, New York, 1968, p. 70.〕 A German source gives 1952 as the year of confirmation of ''Hessens demise.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Dorf Binabiburg – Artikel : Der Absturz der D-ASHH "Hessen" )〕 ;21 April :Consolidated B-24J-1-FO Liberator, ''42-95592'', "Black Cat", of the 784th Bomb Squadron, 466th Bomb Group, based at RAF Attlebridge (USAAF Station 120), returning from a mission to bomb a rail bridge at Salzburg, Austria, aborted due to bad weather over the target, receives a flak burst in the port wing near Regensburg, becoming the last heavy bomber of the 8th Air Force lost over Germany during World War II. It was the only loss of this mission. Only the bombardier and the tail gunner escape from the aircraft to become prisoners of war, all ten other crew KIA. (MACR 14182)〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=1942 USAAF Serial Numbers (42-91974 to 42-110188) )〕 ;23 April (詳細はUnited States Army Air Forces (USAAF) Boeing B-17G-90-BO Flying Fortress ''43-38856'', coded 'GD-M', of the 534th Bombardment Squadron, 381st Bombardment Group (Heavy), crashes on the east facing slope of North Barrule in the Isle of Man killing 31 US service personnel (including ground crew) en route from RAF Ridgewell (USAAF Station 167) to RAF Nutts Corner, Belfast, for memorial service for President Roosevelt.〔Freeman, Roger, with Osborne, David, "The B-17 Flying Fortress Story: Design – Production – History", London, UK: Arms & Armour Press, 1998, ISBN 978-1-85409-301-1, p. 256.〕 ;26 April :During a training exercise, a Boeing B-17G-90-BO Flying Fortress, ''43-38859'', collided in mid-air with another Fortress, B-17G-75-VE, ''44-8687''. #859 crash-landed and was repaired. #687 was destroyed, with only 2 crew escaping and surviving the incident.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Simmon's Crew )〕〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=B17s of the 486th )〕 ;28 April :Douglas A-26C-25-DT Invader, ''43-22644'', assigned to the 611 Base Unit at Wright Field, Ohio,〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=April 1945 USAAF Stateside Accident Reports )〕 crashes into the Choctawhatchee Bay, 3 Miles NE of Fort Walton, Florida after being struck by a test Speedee (Highball) bouncing bomb which tears off tail unit, bomber instantly nosing over into the water. It had taken off from Eglin Field, Florida, on a low level bombing exercise at AAF water range Number 60, immediately S of Lake Lorraine.〔Mireles, Anthony J., "Fatal Army Air Forces Aviation Accidents in the United States, 1941–1945", McFarland & Company, ISBN 978-0-7864-2106-0.〕 All 3 occupants killed〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=ASN Aircraft accident 28-APR-1945 Douglas A-26C Invader 43-22644 )〕 ;29 April :A North American AT-6D-NT trainer, ''42-84963'', c.n. 88-16744,〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=1942 USAAF Serial Numbers (42-70686 to 42-91373 )〕 of the 2002d Base Unit, piloted by West Point Cadet Robert B. Clark, crashes into Bramley Mountain 3 miles SE of the Town of Bovina, Delaware County, New York, (in the Catskill Mountains) due to weather.〔 ''The Binghamton Press'' of 1 May 1945 reports that "the young flier was on a routine night cross-country training flight." He was flying to Stewart Field in Newburgh, New York and apparently was lost when he crashed.〔Binghamton, New York, The Binghamton Press, 1 May 1945〕 ;30 April :Just before midnight this date, first production Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer, BuNo ''59359'', is being prepared on the ramp at Lindbergh Field, San Diego, California, for a flight to NAS Twin Cities, Minneapolis, Minnesota, a mechanic attempts to remove the port battery solenoid, located 14 inches below the cockpit floor, but does so without disconnecting the battery. Ratchet wrench accidentally punctures hydraulic line three inches above the battery and fluid ignites, setting entire aircraft alight, mechanic suffering severe burns. Only number four (starboard outer) engine deemed salvageable. Cause was unqualified mechanic attempting task that only a qualified electrician should undertake.〔Veronico, Nicholas A., " 'Failure At The Factory", ''Air Enthusiast'', Stamford, Lincs, UK, Number 124, July–August 2006, p. 35.〕 ;6 May :1st Lt. Vincent J. Rudnick, on local training and acrobatics flight out of King's Cliffe, Great Britain, in North American P-51D-5-NA Mustang, ''44-13720'',〔 coded 'MC-X' and named "Mine 3 Express", of the 20th Fighter Group, loses control at top of a loop at ~1445 hrs. near Stoke Ferry, aircraft goes into irrecoverable spin, pilot bails out, airframe impacting near cottage of Springside. In June 1985, crash site excavated and some wreckage located.〔McLachlan, Ian, "''Found: the elusive Mustang of 20th FG''", Flypast, Stamford, Lincs., UK, Number 53, December 1985, pp.38–39.〕 ;8 May :First prototype (of three) Curtiss XF15C-1, BuNo ''01213'', crashes on a landing approach to Buffalo, New York due to fuel starvation, killing test pilot Charles Cox. Two other prototypes modified with a T-tail to correct problems, but this last Curtiss design for the United States Navy never enters production. Second prototype was scrapped but the third and final airframe is preserved at the New England Air Museum in Connecticut. ;10 May :Naval Auxiliary Air Facility Lewiston-based Howard GH-2 Nightingale ambulance, overloaded for runway length, crashes on takeoff from Rangeley, Maine airstrip, killing Lt. Eugene B. Slocum, AMM3C Louis F. Ceurvorst, Pfc. James V. Haney of the USMC and one more unidentified.〔Langeveld, M.Dirk, Staff Writer, "''The ultimate sacrifice; wreck sites a reminder of military plane disasters''", Sun Journal, Lewiston, Maine, 12 September 2010.〕〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Sunjournal.com )〕 ;17 May :Former ''Our Gang'' actor Bobby "Wheezer" Hutchins (Robert E. Hutchins) is killed in a mid-air collision while trying to land a North American AT-6D Texan, serial number ''42-86536'', of the 3026th Base Unit, when it strikes North American AT-6C Texan, ''42-49068'', of the same unit, at Merced Army Air Field in Merced, California, during a training exercise. The other pilot, Edward F. Hamel, survives.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=May 1945 USAAF Stateside Accident Reports )〕 ;27 May :The third prototype Curtiss XP-55 Ascender, ''42-78847'', is destroyed in a crash during an air show at Wright Field, Dayton, Ohio, killing pilot Capt. William C. Glasgow and two civilians on the ground. Pilot attempted a slow roll after a low pass in formation with a P-38 and a North American P-51 Mustang on each wing, impacted at end of runway and plowed through line of cars on Alternate State Route 4. Dick Bong was flying the Lightning and Don Gentile was the Mustang pilot.〔Scott, Roland B., "''Air Mail''", Wings, Granada Hills, California, October 1978, Volume 8, Number 5, p. 10.〕 Bong will die in a P-80 crash on 6 August. Gentile will be killed in a Lockheed T-33A Shooting Star air crash on 28 January 1951. ;28 May :A Curtiss SB2C-4 Helldiver, BuNo ''19866'', suffers from a stalled engine during a target run and crashes into Lower Otay Reservoir near San Diego, California. Navy pilot E. D. Frazar, of Richmond, Texas, and United States Army gunner Joseph Metz, of Youngstown, Ohio, survive, swim ashore, and hitchhike back to Ream Field. The plane is raised from the reservoir on 20 August 2010. The dive bomber will be transported to Pensacola, Florida for restoration by the National Museum of Naval Aviation. ;4 June :Aichi E13A "Jake" floatplane, c/n 41116, of 634 Kōkūtai-Teisatsu, 302 Hikōtai, crashed into the sea during night time search mission. Salvaged from waters off Kaseda city, Kagoshima prefecture on 22 August 1992, it is displayed in unrestored condition at the Kasedo Peace Museum, Kyūshū, Japan.〔Stamford, Lincs., UK: FlyPast, Werneth, Ron, "''Exploring the Warbirds of Japan''", February 2000, Number 223, pp.91–92.〕 ;6 June :The Boeing B-29-40-BW Superfortress〔 that led the first B-29 raid on Tokyo on 24 November 1944, ''42-24592'', named ''Dauntless Dotty'', of the 869th Bomb Squadron, 497th Bomb Group, 73rd Bomb Wing, 20th Air Force, departs Kwajalein at 0306 hrs. for the second leg of a ferry flight back to the United States, commanded by Capt. William A. Kelley, of Tifton, Georgia. Forty seconds after takeoff, the aircraft strikes the Pacific Ocean and sinks, killing 10 of 13 on board instantly. Co-pilot 1st Lt. John Neville, of Bradley, Illinois, tailgunner S/Sgt. Glenn F. Gregory, of Waldron, Illinois, and left gunner S/Sgt. Charles McMurray (also spelt McMurry in one source), of Memphis, Tennessee, are thrown from the wreckage and are recovered by a rescue boat after some 45 minutes in the water.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Dauntless Dotty Story )〕 A search for the lost airframe by the National Underwater and Marine Agency Australia has been proposed.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Press Release – Search for Dauntless Dotty )〕 ;13 June :A USAAF Consolidated B-24H-25-FO Liberator, ''42-95095'',〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=1942 USAAF Serial Numbers (42-91974 to 42-110188) )〕 of the 66th Bomb Squadron, 44th Bomb Group, returning home to the USA from Prestwick Airfield crashes at Shieldaig, in the remote Fairy Lochs in Wester Ross, Scotland, killing its entire crew of nine from 66th Bombardment Squadron; also on board were six crewmen from Air Transport Command. Pilot was Jack B. Ketcham.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=June 1945 USAAF Overseas Accident Reports )〕 A memorial has been erected at the site. ;19 June :Five men were killed when their army plane crashed near Crestview, Florida, Tuesday (this date), the Associated Press reported on 21 June. The plane, en route from Eglin Field, Florida, to Myrtle Beach Army Airfield, South Carolina, came down in a storm, stated officials at Marianna Army Airfield, Florida. "First Lt. Joseph A. McGinnis, 24, the pilot, was from the Marianna base. He was the son of Joseph A. McGinnis of Philadelphia. The others, all stationed at Myrtle Beach were:" First Lt. Lawrence F. Schirmer, 25, Sacramento, California; T-Sgt. William J. Koger, 25, husband of Mary G. Koger of Louisville, Georgia; T-Sgt. William H. Epperson, 25, Evanston, Illinois; and S-Sgt. George L. Simmons, 26, Lakeland, Florida. "McGinnis was an instructor pilot with more than 1,200 hours of flying time and combat experience with the Canadian air force before U. S. entrance in the war, and with the American air corps in North Africa, Sicily and Italy."〔Associated Press, "Five Killed In Crash Of Plane", ''Florence Morning News'', Florence, South Carolina, Friday 22 June 1945, Volume XXII, Number 450, page 1.〕 The Aviation Archeological Investigation and Research site lists Douglas A-26C Invader, ''44-35024'', of the 137th Base Unit, as crashing on this date, but that serial ties up to an A-26B Invader.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=1944 USAAF Serial Numbers (44-30911 to 44-35357) )〕 Further, the site lists the pilot as Joseph A. McGlens, Jr., and the crash location as Myrtle Beach, in direct contradiction to the Associated Press account. ;Circa 29 June :Messerschmitt test pilot Ludwig "Willie" Hofman ("Hoffman" in American source) attempts to ferry captured Messerschmitt Me 262A1a/U4, Werke Nummer ''170083'', originally coded V-083, named Happy Hunter/Wilma Jeanne II, from Lagerlechfeld, near Augsburg, Germany, to Airfield A-55 near Cherbourg, France on behalf of the USAAF Air Technical Intelligence ("Watson's Whizzers") for loading aboard the , suffers catastrophic failure of starboard engine at ~9,000 feet altitude and is forced to bail out over Normandy, suffering massive bruising as he deploys parachute at high speed. Aircraft was one of two conversions carrying Rheinmetall BK-5 50 mm anti-tank gun in nose for bomber attack, although it was never used operationally. American sergeant admits a year later that he had failed to inspect this aircraft's engines before the flight.〔Ziegler, Mano, "Me 262: Hitler's Jet Plane", Greenhill Books, London, Stackpole Books, Pennsylvania, 2004, ISBN 978-1-85367-624-6, pp.175–182.〕〔Samuel, Wolfgang W. E., "American Raiders: The Race to Capture the Luftwaffe's Secrets", University Press of Mississippi, Jackson, , ISBN 978-1-57806-649-0, pp.306–308.〕 The BK-5 from this airframe is now displayed at the National Museum of the United States Air Force, Dayton, Ohio. ;5 July :First prototype Mikoyan-Gurevich I-250, completed 26 February 1945, suffers failure of port tailplane at low altitude, killing test pilot Alexandr Deyev, when his parachute fails to open in time. Post-crash analysis revealed that he had exceeded the airframe's G limit while maneuvering.〔Gordon, Yefim, and Komissarov, Dmitry, "OKB Mikoyan: A History of the Design Bureau and its Aircraft", Midland Publishing, Hinckley, England, 2009, ISBN 978-1-85780-307-5, page 38.〕 ;7 July :On the first flight of the prototype Mitsubishi J8M1 Shusui, Japanese derivative of the Me 163B, aircraft reaches 1,300 feet in a steep climb, then the rocket motor cut out, airframe crashing at Yokosuka Naval Aeronautical Engineering Arsenal. Cause believed either hydrogen peroxide shifting to rear of partially empty tank, or air leak in fuel line causing blockage. Pilot Lt. Cdr. Toyohiko Inuzuka dies in hospital the next day. A redesign of the fuel system follows, but no additional flights made before Japanese capitulation in August.〔Green, William, "Warplanes of the Second World War – Fighters, Volume Three", Doubleday & Company Inc., Garden City, New York, 1961, p. 64.〕 ;12 July :A United States Army Air Forces Douglas A-26C-35-DT Invader, ''44-35553'', on a training flight has mid-air collision with Eastern Airlines Flight 45 from Washington, D.C. to Columbia, South Carolina, a Douglas DC-3-201C, ''NC25647'', at ~3100 feet, 11.9 miles WNW of Florence, South Carolina at 1436 hrs. A-26 vertical fin strikes port wing of airliner, displaces engine of DC-3 which cuts into fuselage; A-26 tail sheared off, two crew parachute, one KWF. DC-3 pilot belly lands in cornfield, one passenger of 24 total on board killed.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=ASN Aircraft accident Douglas DC-3-201C NC25647 Florence, South Carolina )〕 ;13 July :Consolidated B-24H-20-FO Liberator, ''42-94956'', c/n 1721,〔 of the 2135th Base Unit, Tyndall Field, Florida, piloted by Paul R. Snyder, crashes due to bad weather 12 miles NW of Southport, Florida, with fatal results for the crew.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=July 1945 USAAF Stateside Accident Reports )〕 Amongst the dead are gunner Cpl. Eddie L. Keefe, 19, of Orangeburg, South Carolina, "the only son of O. L. Keefe and Alice Youmans Keefe, of this city." He is also survived by his grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. W. F. Youmans, of Luray, South Carolina. Keefe "graduated from Orangeburg high school in 1943 and attended one term at Clemson college. () He entered service 22 May 1944. He was a member of Tabernacle Baptist church. () The message of Corporal Keefe's death was received by his parents Saturday morning."〔Special, "Eddie L. Keefe Of Orangeburg Killed in Crash", ''The State'', Columbia, South Carolina, Sunday 15 July 1945, page 8-D.〕 ;15 July :A Boeing B-29A-45-BN Superfortress, ''44-61721'', c/n 11198,〔 of the 236th Army Air Forces Base Unit (Combat Crew Training School), Pyote Field, Texas,〔 piloted by Lieutenant Edward J. Szycher, of Bayonne, New Jersey, goes missing after the crew bails out at 9,500 feet over northern Minnesota, 180 miles NNW of St. Paul, Minnesota, after the bomber became filled with gasoline fumes that threatened to asphyxiate the crew. All ten crew descend safely, although one lands in Napoleon Lake in Itasca County, and has to swim ashore.〔Associated Press, "Runaway B-29 Hunted in West", ''The State'', Columbia, South Carolina, Tuesday 17 July 1945, Number 17,965, page 1.〕 Airframe has never been discovered. ;18 July :Consolidated TBY-2 Seawolf, BuNo ''30414'', overshoots runway while landing at Convair Field, Fort Worth, Texas. Two KWF.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=US Navy and US Marine Corps BuNos-Third Series (30147 to 39998) )〕 ;28 July :A US Army Air Forces North American B-25D-20 Mitchell bomber, ''41-30577'', named "''Old John Feather Merchant''", crashes into the 79th floor of the Empire State Building in fog at 0949 hrs., killing 3 on aircraft plus 11 on ground and causing over US$1 million in damage. ;28 July :A Ford CG-4A-FO glider,〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=1945 USAAF Serial Numbers )〕 ''45-16072'',〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Accident-Report.com – Accident-Report.com – USAAF/USAF Accidents for Kentucky )〕 of the 809th Base Unit, Camp Atterbury, Indiana,〔 crashes at Paducah-McCracken County Airport, Paducah, Kentucky, killing the two crew. "Airport officials said that the plane towing the glider was forced down in a rain storm and that the pilot, seeing that the glider could not clear a clump of trees, cut it loose from the plane." KWF are pilot Major George S. Branson, 33, of Rock Hill, South Carolina, and Sergeant Maurice J. Aucoin, 21, of Houston, Texas. "Next of kin have been notified, and an investigation by a board of officers has been called to determine the cause of the crash."〔Associated Press, "Major Branson Dies in Crash", ''The State'', Columbia, Maryland, Wednesday 1 August 1945, Number 19,780, page 10.〕 ;1 August :A USAAF Canadian Vickers OA-10A Catalina, ''44-34096'', en route from Hunter Field, Georgia, to Mather Field, California, crashes in the Cibola National Forest, 25 miles SW of Grants, New Mexico, after apparent engine failure, killing the seven crew, Lt. Wilson Parker, Lt. William Bartlett, Lt. James Garland, Sgt. Irwin Marcus, Sgt. Robert Crook, Sgt. Harold Post and Sgt. John Jackson. The airframe was so heavily damaged that no determination of the cause could be made.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Joebaugher.com )〕〔(Aircraftarchaeology.com )〕 ;2 August :Lockheed YP-80A Shooting Star, ''44-83029'', c/n 080-1008, of the 1st Fighter Group, as of April 1945,〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=1944 USAAF Serial Numbers (44-70255 to 44-83885) )〕 crashes near Brandenburg, Kentucky, killing pilot Major Ira Boyd Jones, 25, of Lancaster, South Carolina. The plane left Wright Field, Ohio, shortly after 1400 hours, on a routine test flight to an unspecified army air field in Texas, said Brig. Gen. Joseph T. Morris, commanding general of Wright Field. "Eight-year-old Chester and Martha Smedley, 14, of near Brandenburg, said they saw a 'big explosion' in the sky. Their father, Sheriff Alex Smedley of Meade county (), added that the explosion blew the wings loose from the fuselage, landing 200 or 300 feet apart. Maj. Jones' body, the sheriff said, was found about a quarter of a mile from the wreckage."〔Greenville, South Carolina, "Explosion Of Jet Ship Kills Lancaster Man", ''The Greenville Piedmont'', Friday 3 August 1945, Volume 114, Number 166, page 6.〕 Maj. Jones, a fighter pilot with 11 months service in the China-Burma-India theatre, was attached to the fighter test branch at Wright Field. He was the son of Mrs. Mary C. Jones, of Lancaster, South Carolina, and was a graduate of the University of South Carolina.〔Associated Press, "Lancaster Boy Killed in Crash Of Jet-Plane", ''The State'', Columbia, South Carolina, Friday 3 August 1945, Number 19,782, page 1.〕 This airframe was one the test P-80s shipped to Foggia, Italy, in December 1944, for tests by Wright Field personnel under combat conditions.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star series )〕 ;3 August :Four USAAF crewmen are killed as two Douglas A-26 Invaders collide and crash in a field three miles NE of Bennettsville, South Carolina. "The planes were flying formation with 10 others en route to the Florence army air base when the accident occurred, Police Chief John L. Watson reported."〔Associated Press, "Bennettsville Bomber Crash Kills 4 Men", 'The Greenville Piedmont'', Greenville, South Carolina, Saturday 4 August 1945, Volume 114, Number 167, page 2.〕 A-26B-10-DL, ''41-39130'', piloted by 2d Lt. William D. Napier, of Sultana, California, and A-26B-20-DT, ''43-22432'', flown by 1st Lt. Julian A. Benson, of 728 Wynewood Road, Philadelphia, both of the 127th Base Unit, Florence Army Airfield,〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=August 1945 USAAF Stateside Accident Reports )〕 are also described as coming down five miles NE of Bennettsville.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Accident-Report.com – USAAF/USAF Accidents for South Carolina )〕〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Accident-Report.com – USAAF/USAF Accidents for South Carolina )〕 Also killed are Sgt. James Collins, Jr., son of James J. Collins, Sr., of 827 6th Avenue, N., Fort Dodge, Iowa, and Sgt. Robert L. MacNeil, son of Mrs. Margaret MacNeil, 111 Smith Street, Roxbury, Massachusetts. Lt. Benson is survived by his widow, Mrs. Hope L. Benson. Lt. Napier is survived by his widow, Vera E. Napier. It is unclear from news accounts which enlisted man was in which plane. "The accident was the second mid-air collision in South Carolina within a month. An Eastern Airlines Transport and an army plane crashed 80 miles from Columbia on July 12, killing three persons." 〔Associated Press, "4 Army Fliers Killed In Mid-Air Crash", ''The Columbia Record'', Columbia, South Carolina, Saturday 4 August 1945, Volume XLIX, Number 85, page 14.〕 ;5 August :First production Martin JRM-1 Mars flying boat, BuNo ''76819'', "christened "''Hawaii Mars''"", finished in overall dark blue,〔Associated Press wirephoto, "World's Largest Flying Boat" cutline, ''The State'', Columbia, South Carolina, Tuesday 24 July 1945, No. 19,772, page 1.〕 crashes on test flight in the Chesapeake Bay near Rock Hall, Maryland,〔Associated Press, "Hawaii Mars Sinks in Bay", ''The State'', Columbia, Maryland, Monday 6 August 1945, Number 19,785, page 1.〕 after porpoising during landing – never delivered to the United States Navy.〔London, UK: Aeroplane, Septer, Dirk, "''Twilight of the Lake Monsters?''", March 2007, Volume 35, Number 3, No. 407, p. 35.〕〔(【引用サイトリンク】title= US Navy and US Marine Corps BuNos-Third Series (70188 to 80258) )〕 "Launched only two weeks ago, the Hawaii Mars was on a routine test flight over the bay when, a crewman said, the upper section of the plane's vertical fin broke away at an altitude of 6,000 feet. 'The ship began to flutter immediately and went out of control,' the crew member added, asking that his name not be used. 'The pilot cried out 'prepare to abandon ship.' But pilot William E. Coney, a navy flyer on loan to the Martin firm, regained partial control of the giant craft and some ten minutes later ordered 'stand by for crash.' The plane struck the water about 500 yards off shore. The impact of the 125-mile-an-hour blow ripped open the metal hull, and the plane sank until only part of its tail and left wing remained visible. Two crew members trapped in the flight deck were rescued by companions who ignored the danger of a gasoline explosion. Small boats that sped to the crash scene took the ten to shore. R. S. Noble, flight test engineer, was taken to South Baltimore hospital with cuts, bruises and possible internal injuries. A navy announcement in Washington said the plane would be taken to the Martin plant." Noble was the only injury amongst the ten man crew.〔Associated Press, "Giant Flying Boat Mars Sinks In Bay", ''The Columbia Record'', Columbia, South Carolina, Monday 6 August 1945, Volume XLIX, Number 86, page 11.〕 "Witnesses said the plane, apparently having trouble with one of her four engines, came down 500 yards off shore, parts of it remaining above water."〔 ;5 August :A Boeing TB-17G Flying Fortress, built as a B-17G-70-BO, ''43-37700'',〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=1943 USAAF Serial Numbers (43-5109 to 43-52437) )〕 of the 325th Combat Crew Training Squadron,〔 Avon Park Army Airfield, Florida, crashes six miles S of Ridgeland, South Carolina, after the number 2 (port inner) engine catches fire at 10,000 feet during a flight from Stewart Field, New York, to its home base in Florida. Pilot Lieutenant Dewey O. Jones orders the crew to abandon ship. An announcement released by the Hunter Field, Georgia, public relations office states that five parachuted safely, three were killed, and that two other men were missing. Listed as fatalities are Flight Officer Alfred Ponessa, of Newburgh, New York, a passenger, Sergeant Leo B. Bucharia, of Long Island, New York, and Technical Sergeant Edwin S. Salas, of Haverhill, Massachusetts, both members of the crew. The missing were listed as Lieutenant William Cherry and Corporal Sidney Podhoretz (addresses not available). The names of the other four survivors were not given.〔Associated Press, "Bomber Crash Kills Three At Ridgeland", ''The State'', Columbia, South Carolina, Wednesday 8 August 1945, Number 19,787, page 8.〕 ;6 August :All-time highest-scoring American flying ace (40 credited kills) Richard Bong is killed trying to bail out of a Lockheed P-80A-1-LO Shooting Star jet fighter, ''44-85048'', after a fuel pump failure during a test flight at Burbank Airport, Burbank, California, USA. News of Bong's death is overshadowed by the dropping of the first nuclear weapon on Hiroshima the same day. The never completed Richard I. Bong Air Force Base in Wisconsin was named for him. ;8 August :While operating off the coast of Cuba, light cruiser USS ''Little Rock'' loses Curtiss SC-1 Seahawk seaplane, BuNo ''35555'', during an aircraft launch and recovery operation. The aircraft noses over while taxiing towards the recovery sled, throwing pilot Ens. W. R. Merryman clear of the cockpit, and capsizes. Pilot rescued by the ship's whaleboat. Airframe sinks. ;8 August :Flying over Milton, Florida, a B-29e Superfortress suffered a mechanical failure and crashed into swampland. Eleven of the twelve crew members safely parachuted out, including the co-pilot, whom the pilot freed from the bomb hatch. The pilot, Robert A. Lane, could not escape and went down with the plane.〔August 17, 1945 Washington Post.〕 ;11 August :First of only two Nakajima Kikka twin-jet fighters, completed on 25 June, first flown 7 August for eleven minutes by Lt. Cdr. Sasumu Tanaoka out of Kisarazu Naval Air Base, crashes on second flight this date. Second unflown Kikka is shipped to the United States after the Japanese capitulation.〔Green, William, and Cross, Roy, "The Jet Aircraft of the World", Hanover House edition, Garden City, New York, printed in Great Britain, 1955, p. 56.〕 ;17 August :During Operation Dodge, the RAF airlift of troops home from Italian deployment, Avro Lancaster, ''ME834'', coded 'K-OG', of 115 Squadron, based at RAF Graveley, struck ''HK798'', coded 'K-OH', of the same squadron, and ''PB754'', coded 'TL-A', of Graveley-based 35 Squadron when it swerves off runway while taking off from Bari, Italy.〔Stamford, Lincs., UK: FlyPast, Hamlin, John F., "''Operation Dodge: From Italy with Love''", September 1997, Number 194, pp. 55–56.〕 ;17 August :Two Boeing B-29 Superfortress bombers collide over Weatherford, Texas during a bomber training exercise. Eight crew members were killed, 2 managed to escape from the falling wreckage and parachute to safety. Boeing B-29A-10-BN Superfortress, ''42-93895'', of the 234th Combat Crew Training Squadron, Clovis Army Air Field, New Mexico, and Boeing B-29B-40-MO Superfortress, ''44-86276'', (the last Block 40-MO airframe)〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=1944 USAAF Serial Numbers (44-83886 to 44-92098) )〕 of the 231st Combat Crew Training Squadron, Alamagordo Army Air Field, New Mexico, involved.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=August 1945 USAAF Stateside Accident Reports )〕 ;18 August :Last U.S. air combat casualty of World War II occurs during mission 230 A-8, when two Consolidated B-32 Dominators of the 386th Bomb Squadron, 312th Bomb Group, launch from Yontan Airfield, Okinawa, for a photo reconnaissance run over Tokyo, Japan. Both bombers are attacked by several Japanese fighters of both the 302nd Air Group at Atsugi and the Yokosuka Air Group that make 10 gunnery passes. Japanese aces Sadamu Komachi and Saburo Sakai are part of this attack. B-32 piloted by 1st Lt. John R. Anderson, is hit at 20,000 feet, cannon fire knocks out number two (port inner) engine, and three crew are injured, including Sgt. Anthony J. Marchione, 19, of the 20th Reconnaissance Squadron, who takes 20 mm hit to the chest, dying 30 minutes later. Tail gunner Sgt. John Houston destroys one attacker. Lead bomber, Consolidated B-32-20-CF Dominator, ''42-108532'', "Hobo Queen II", piloted by 1st Lt. James Klein, is not seriously damaged but second Consolidated B-32-35-CF Dominator, ''42-108578'', loses engine, has upper turret knocked out of action, and loses partial rudder control. Both bombers land at Yontan Airfield just past ~1800 hrs. after surviving the last air combat of the Pacific war. The following day, propellers are removed from Japanese aircraft as part of surrender agreement. Marchione is buried on Okinawa on 19 August, his body being returned to his Pottstown, Pennsylvania home on 18 March 1949. He is interred in St. Aloysius Old Cemetery with full military honors.〔(The Last to Die | Military Aviation | Air & Space Magazine ). Airspacemag.com. Retrieved on 2010-08-05.〕 B-32, ''42-108578'', will be scrapped at Kingman, Arizona after the war.〔(1942 USAAF Serial Numbers (42-91974 to 42-110188) ). Joebaugher.com. Retrieved on 2010-08-05.〕 ;19 August :Pilot 1st Lt. James K. Holt ferries captured Messerschmitt Me 262A, ''500098'', "Cookie VII", ''FE-4011'', from Newark Army Air Base, New Jersey to Freeman Field, Indiana, with a refuelling stop at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at ~ 1600 hrs, as one of two Messerschmitts being sent for testing after arriving in the U.S. aboard the . Upon landing at Pittsburgh, he experiences complete brake failure, overruns the runway, goes down steep incline, hits opposite side of ditch, tearing engines and undercarriage off of the jet and breaking the fuselage in half. Pilot is unhurt but airframe is a total loss.〔Samuel, Wolfgang W. E., "American Raiders: The Race to Capture the Luftwaffe's Secrets", University Press of Mississippi, Jackson, , ISBN 978-1-57806-649-0, pp.337–338.〕 ;24 August :Second (of two prototypes) McDonnell XFD-1 Phantom, BuNo ''48236'', is damaged in a belly landing.〔Francillon, René J., "McDonnell Douglas Aircraft Since 1920, Volume II", Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, Maryland, 1979, 1990, , ISBN 978-1-55750-550-7, page 66.〕 ;28 August :Consolidated Consolidated B-32-20-CF Dominator, ''42-108528'', of the 386th BS, 312th BG, crashed east of Amaro-O-Shima in the Ryukyu Islands after engine failure. 11 of 13 aboard survived. One of the last operational missions of World War II. Also, this date, Consolidated B-32-20-CF Dominator, ''42-108544'', written off when it lost an engine on takeoff from Yontan Airfield, Okinawa. Skidded off runway, exploded, and burned. 13 KIA.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=1942 USAAF Serial Numbers (42-91974 to 42-110188) )〕 ;9 September :Consolidated B-32-20-CF Dominator, ''42-108532'', "Hobo Queen II", is damaged when the nose wheel accidentally retracts on the ground at Yontan Airfield, Okinawa. Two days later, a hoist lifting the B-32 drops it twice. Since the war has ended, it is not repaired but is disassembled at the airfield.〔(B-32-20-CF "Hobo Queen II" Serial Number 42-108532 ). Pacific Wrecks. Retrieved on 2010-08-05.〕 ;12 September :On first flight of Northrop XP-79B, ''43-52437'', out of Muroc Army Air Base, California, aircraft behaves normally for ~15 minutes, then at an altitude of ~7,000 feet begins a slow roll from which it fails to recover. Pilot Harry Crosby bails out at 2,000 feet but is struck by revolving aircraft and his chute does not deploy. Largely magnesium airframe is totally consumed by fire after impact on desert floor.〔Jones, Lloyd S., "U.S. Fighters, Army – Air Force 1925 To 1980s", Aero Publishers, Inc., Fallbrook, California, 1975, , ISBN 978-0-8168-9200-6, p. 201.〕 ;12 September :Pilot 1st Lt. Robert J. Anspach attempts to ferry captured Focke Wulf Fw 190F, ''FE-113'', coded '10', from Newark Army Air Base, New Jersey, where it had been offloaded from the , to Freeman Field, Indiana for testing. While letting down for refuelling stop at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a faulty electrical horizontal trim adjustment switch goes to full-up position, cannot be manually overridden. Pilot spots small dirt strip, the Hollidaysburg Airport, S of Altoona, Pennsylvania, and makes emergency landing. Upon applying brakes, right one fails immediately, fighter pivots left, landing gear collapses, propeller rips away. Pilot uninjured, but Fw 190 is hauled to Middletown Air Depot, Pennsylvania, and scrapped. Prop ends up on wall of local flying club. The press never gets wind of the accident, nor of the 19 August Messerschmitt Me 262 crash landing at Pittsburgh.〔Samuel, Wolfgang W. E., "American Raiders: The Race to Capture the Luftwaffe's Secrets", University Press of Mississippi, Jackson, , ISBN 978-1-57806-649-0, pp.339–340.〕 ;14 September :Hurricane destroys three wooden blimp hangars at NAS Richmond, Florida, southwest of Miami, with 140 mph winds. Roofs collapse, ruptured fuel tanks are ignited by shorted electrical lines, fire consumes twenty-five blimps (eleven deflated), 31 non-Navy U.S. government aircraft, 125 privately owned aircraft, and 212 Navy aircraft. Thirty-eight Navy personnel injured, civilian fire chief killed.〔Vaeth, J. Gordon, "They Sailed the Skies: U.S. Navy Balloons and the Airship Program", Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, Maryland, 2005, ISBN 978-1-59114-914-9, p. 128.〕 Air operations are reduced to a minimum following this storm, and NAS Richmond is closed two months later.〔Shettle, M. L., "''United States Naval Air Stations of World War II – Volume I – Eastern States''", Schaertel Publishing Co., Bowersville, Georgia, 1995, ISBN 978-0-9643388-0-7, p. 191.〕 ;18 September :A USAAF Lockheed C-69-5-LO Constellation, ''42-94551'',〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Joebaugher.com )〕 belly lands at Topeka Army Air Field, Kansas, after suffering engine problems. ;22 September :On first day of planned two-day exhibition of captured German aircraft at Freeman Field, Indiana, pilot Lt. William V. Haynes, 20, completes his flying routine in one of the eight remaining Focke Wulf Fw 190s at the base, (this being the same Fw 190D-9, Werke Nummer ''211016'', coded FE-119,〔(FF Museum ). Indianamilitary.org. Retrieved on 2010-08-05.〕 that he had ferried from Newark, New Jersey to Freeman on 13 September),〔Samuel, Wolfgang W. E., "American Raiders: The Race to Capture the Luftwaffe's Secrets", University Press of Mississippi, Jackson, , ISBN 978-1-57806-649-0, p. 340.〕 when, as he prepares to land, at ~300 feet AGL, the aircraft pitches up and rolls over, bellying into the ground nose up. Aircraft destroyed, pilot killed. Although investigation cites "pilot error" (it was thought he may have attempted a wing-over at too low an altitude for recovery), this may well have been another example of the faulty electrical horizontal trim switch problem that caused the loss of the Fw 190 at Hollidaysburg Airport, Pennsylvania on 12 September.〔Samuel, Wolfgang W. E., "American Raiders: The Race to Capture the Luftwaffe's Secrets", University Press of Mississippi, Jackson, , ISBN 978-1-57806-649-0, pp.341–342.〕 Recent excavations at the former Freeman Field have uncovered various aircraft components that were apparently buried to dispose of them when the base was being shut down in 1947–1948. ;29 September :Silverplate Boeing B-29B-35-MO Superfortress, ''44-27303'', named "''Jabit III''", of the 509th Composite Group, Wendover Army Air Field, Utah, on cross-country training mission, strikes several objects on landing at Chicago Municipal Airport, Illinois, never flies again. Assigned to the 4200th Base Unit at the airport pending disposition decision, it is salvaged there in April 1946. ;2 October :A U.S. Navy Martin PBM-5E Mariner flying boat, BuNo ''59336'',〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=US Navy and US Marine Corps BuNos )〕 of VPB-205, carrying Rear Admiral William Sample, commander of Carrier Division 22, and eight others disappears near Wakayama, Japan while on a familiarization flight. The wreckage and their bodies will not be discovered until 19 November 1948.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=vp45asso )〕 ;3 October :Captured Focke-Achgelis Fa 223 V14, which on 6 September 1945 became the first helicopter to fly across the English Channel when it was moved from Cherbourg to RAF Beaulieu, crashes on third test flight at RAF Beaulieu, when a driveshaft failed. The accident was thought to be due to a failure to correctly tension the steel cables which secured the engine, despite warnings from ''Luftwaffe'' helicopter pilot Helmut Gerstenhauer.〔''Air International'' June 1984, p.294.〕 ;12 October (詳細はCurtiss C-46F-1-CU Commando, ''44-78591'', was on approach to Nanyuan Airport, China, en route from Hankou when it struck a radio antenna and crashed near Beijing, killing all 59 passengers and crew on board. The crash is the worst-ever involving the C-46. ;1 November :First prototype McDonnell XFD-1 Phantom, BuNo ''48235'' crashes as a result of aileron failure〔 killing McDonnell's chief test pilot Woodward Burke.〔(McDonellXFD-1 ). Tanks45.tripod.com. Retrieved on 2010-08-05.〕〔Linn, Donn, "Banshee!: McDonnell's Flying Banjo", ''Airpower'', Granada Hills, California, November 1979, Volume 9, Number 6, p. 21.〕 ;6 November :Ensign J. C. West takes off from the USS ''Wake Island'' in a Ryan FR-1 Fireball, of VF-41, a combination prop-jet design, and soon experiences problems with the Wright R-1820-72W Cyclone radial piston engine. Before the reciprocating powerplant fails completely, he starts the General Electric I-16 jet engine and returns to the ship, thus making the first ever landing by jet power alone on a carrier.〔Jones, Lloyd S., "U. S. Naval Fighters: Navy/Marine Corps 1922 to 1980s", Aero Publishers, Inc., Fallbrook, California, 1977, Library of Congress card number 77-20693, ISBN 0-8168-9254-7, page 218.〕 The escort carrier was operating off of San Diego, California, for pilot qualifications in the FR-1. ;9 November :Disregarding advice from Eric "Winkle" Brown of the Fleet Air Arm (FAA), to treat the rudder of the Heinkel He 162 with suspicion due to a number of in-flight failures, RAF pilot, Flt. Lt. R. A. Marks, starts a low-level roll during the Farnborough Air Show, one of the fin and rudder assemblies breaks off, the aircraft crashes in Aldershot before the ejection seat could be employed, killing Marks. ;11 November :A Short Stirling C.5 operated by No. 158 Squadron RAF was departing for the United Kingdom when it crashed on take off from RAF Castel Benito in Libya after the wing caught fire, 21 soldiers and five crew were killed, one person survived.〔The Times (London, England), Thursday, Nov 15, 1945; pg. 4; Issue 50300〕 ;17 November :A USAAF Republic P-47N-15-RE Thunderbolt,〔 ''44-88938'',〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=USAAF/USAF Accidents for New York )〕 crashes between two houses on Windsor Parkway in Hempstead, New York shortly after take-off from Mitchel Field, setting both structures on fire. Morning accident kills pilot, 1st Lt. Daniel D. A. Duncan, 24, of New Iberia, Louisiana. ;27 November :Douglas C-47B-1-DL Skytrain, ''43-16261'', c/n 20727,〔 of Air Transport Command, piloted by 1st Lt. William H. Myers, disappears during flight from Singapore to Butterworth, British Malaya. Wreckage found on mountain slope in the forest reserve area of Bukit Bubu, near Beruas, Perak, Malaysia. Crew remains never recovered. ;5 December :Flight 19, a training flight of 5 Grumman TBM Avenger torpedo bombers, manned by 14 US Navy and Marine personnel from Ft Lauderdale Naval Air Station, Florida, USA, vanishes over the Bermuda Triangle under mysterious circumstances. Avengers were four TBM-1Cs, BuNo ''45714'', 'FT3', BuNo ''46094'', 'FT36', BuNo ''46325'', 'FT81', BuNo ''73209'', 'FT117', and TBM-3, BuNo ''23307'', 'FT28'. A US Navy Martin PBM-5 Mariner, BuNo ''59225'', carrying 13 sailors departs NAS Banana River, Florida, to search for the missing planes, also disappears after a large mid-air explosion is seen near its last reported position. ;16 December :Second of two prototypes of the Douglas XB-42 Mixmaster, ''43-50225'', on routine flight out of Bolling Field, Washington, D.C., suffers in short order, a landing gear extension problem, failure of the port engine, and as coolant temperatures rose, failure of starboard engine. Maj. Hayduck bails out at 1,200 feet, Lt. Col. Haney at 800 feet, and pilot Lt. Col. (later Major General) Fred J. Ascani, after crawling aft to jettison pusher propellers, at 400 feet – all three survive. Aircraft impacts at Oxen Hill, Maryland. Secret jettisonable props caused a problem for authorities in explaining what witnesses on ground thought was the aircraft exploding. Possible fuel management problem speculated, but no proof.〔Boyne, Walt, "The First, The Last, And The Only: The Douglas XB-42/42A/43", ''Airpower'', Granada Hills, California, September 1973, Volume 3, Number 5, pp.13–14.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「List of accidents and incidents involving military aircraft (1945–49)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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