This is a partial list of notable accidents and incidents involving the Consolidated-designed B-24 Liberator. Combat losses are not included except for some cases denoted by singular circumstances. Consolidated C-87 Liberator Express and PB4Y Privateers are also included.
Production The B-24 was built by a consortium of companies. Consolidated airframes built in San Diego, California, were appended -CO. Consolidated production at Fort Worth, Texas, was appended -CF. Douglas Aircraft in Tulsa, Oklahoma, built airframes appended -DT. North American plant B in the city of Grand Prairie, Texas, produced aircraft appended -NT. Fully half of the 18,188 Liberators were constructed by the Ford Motor CompanyLloyd, Alwyn T. (1993), Liberator: America's Global Bomber, Pictorial Histories Publishing Co, Inc, at the purpose-built Willow Run plant at Ypsilanti, Michigan, and were appended -FO.Andrade, John M., "U.S. Military Aircraft Designations and Serials since 1909", Midland Counties Publications, Earl Shilton, Leicester, UK, 1979, , pp. 46–48.
1940s 2 June 1941 The first British Consolidated LB-30 Liberator II, AL503, on its acceptance flight for delivery from the cat company Consolidated Aircraft Company plant at San Diego, California, crashed into San Diego Bay when the flight controls froze. All five of the civilian crew were killed. The flight engineer, Army Reserve 2nd Lt. Bruce Kilpatrick Craig, was posthumously commissioned into the Army Air Corps, and on 25 August 1941 the airfield in his hometown was renamed Craig Field, later Craig Air Force Base.af.mil Investigation into the cause of the accident resulted in a two-month delay in deliveries, so the Royal Air Force (RAF) did not begin receiving Liberator IIs until August 1941.
22 April 1942 B-24D-CO, 41-1133, 73, crashed into Trail Peak, near the Philmont Scout Ranch, SW of Cimarron, New Mexico. The aircraft had been returning to Kirtland Field, Albuquerque. All nine people on board were killed.
4 June 1942 Consolidated LB-30 Liberator II, AL601, was destroyed, resulting in the deaths of 14 army flyers when the aircraft struck a hilltop as it circled for an emergency landing. Shortly after takeoff, the plane developed an unspecified mechanical issue, which the pilot reported to nearby Hamilton field, California, asking the tower to clear a runway. As the plane approached the field, it suddenly lost altitude and crashed into a hillside on the Herzog ranch, NW of Hamilton field.Associated Press, "14 Army Flyers Die in Bomber's Crash", The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Washington, 6 June 1942, Volume 60, Number 23, p. 8
7 June 1942 Maj. Gen. Clarence Tinker became the first U.S. general to die during World War II when his plane crashed during the Battle of Midway. His Consolidated LB-30 Liberator II, AL589, of the 31st Bombardment Squadron, 5th Bombardment Group, 7th Air Force, was seen going down, taking him and eight other crew to their deaths. Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, was named in his honor on 14 October 1942.
1 July 1942 Consolidated LB-30 Liberator II, AL527, of the 38th Bomb Squadron, 30th Bomb Group, flown by 1st Lt. Robert K. Murphy departed March Field, California, and struck the top of a low knoll west of the field. It was destroyed in two explosions that initial reports described as bombs going off, though no bombs were loaded for the training flight. Nine crew died.Associated Press, "30 Army Men Die in 2 Air Crashes: Loss of Wing Causes Catastrophe in Virginia", [sic] The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Washington, 2 July 1942, Volume 60, Number 49, pp. 1, 2.
11 October 1942 B-24D-1-CO, 41-23647, c/n 442, the eighth block 1 airframe,Andrade, John M., "U.S. Military Aircraft Designations and Serials since 1909", Midland Counties Publications, Earl Shilton, Leicester, UK, 1979, , p. 46. of the 469th Bomb Squadron, 333d Bomb Group, based at Topeka Army Airfield, Kansas, piloted by Ralph M. Dienst, suffered engine failure and crashed into a hillside west of the base. Eight people were killed and one critically injured. Army officers stated that the plane was on a routine flight.Associated Press. "Eight Killed as Bomber Crashes", The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, 12 October 1942, Volume 49, p. 2.
6 January 1943 At 1735 Central War Time west of White City, Kansas, a B-24D-13-CO, 41-23961, c/n 756, of the 469th Bomb Squadron, 333d Bomb Group, out of Topeka Army Air Base, piloted by Robert Clyne, suffered a catastrophic structural failure due to ice. All were killed instantly except for Lt Maleckas, who escaped by parachute.
6 January 1943 B-24D-20-CO, 41-24202, c/n 997, of the 504th Bomb Squadron, 346th Bomb Group, out of Salina Army Airfield, Kansas, suffered a fire in flight and crashed SW of Madill, Oklahoma. The aircraft, piloted by R. G. Bishop, was destroyed by fire.
18 January 1943 Civilian Air Patrol members searching for a downed B-17 bomber in the Galiuro Mountains of southern Arizona instead discovered a B-24 that had been missing since 18 January 1943. The dead will be escorted to the homes of their next of kin.Arizona Daily Star, 14 March 1943, p. 7, "Bodies of Victims to be Accompanied by Special Escorts",
12 February 1943 B-24D-35-CO, 42-40144, c/n 1221, of the 528th Bomb Squadron, 380th Bomb Group, Biggs Field, Texas, piloted by Charles C. Wylie, suffered engine failure, resulting in a stall-spin. The aircraft came down NW of Roswell, New Mexico, according to a crash report, and north of Roswell according to the Associated Press. Eight crew members were killed aboard; one crewman parachuted to safety.Associated Press, "Eight of Nine-Man Crew Die in Crash", The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Washington, 13 February 1943, Volume 60, Number 275, p. 3.
17 February 1943 B-24D-53-CO, 42-40355, c/n 1432, crashed at Tucson Municipal Airport No. 2, Tucson, Arizona.War Department, U.S. Army Air Forces Report of Aircraft Accident #43–2–17–11.Arizona Daily Star, 18 February 1943, page 1.Tucson Daily Star Of the 34 on board, 6 Consolidated Aircraft employees riding as passengers were killed and several others were injured. The damaged airframe was subsequently modified into the first C-87 Liberator Express.
4 April 1943B-24D-25-CO, 41-24301, "Lady Be Good", of the 514th Bomb Squadron, 376th Bombardment Group (Heavy), 9th Air Force based out of Soluch Field in Soluch in Libya, failed to return from a bombing raid on Naples on April 4, 1943. Believed to have been lost in the Mediterranean Sea while returning to its base, the wreck was accidentally discovered inland in the Libyan Desert by an oil exploration team from British Petroleum on November 9, 1958.
3 May 1943 B-24D-1-CO, 41-23728, "Hot Stuff", of the 330th Bomb Squadron, 93d Bomb Group, 8th Air Force, out of RAF Bovingdon, England, crashed on Mt. Fagradalsfjall on the Reykjanes peninsula after an aborted attempt to land at RAF Kaldadarnes, Iceland. Thirteen were killed in the crash including Lt. Gen. Frank Andrews and six of his staff; only tail gunner SSgt George A. Eisel survived. Andrews was the highest-ranking Allied officer to die in the line of duty at that point in the war,Copp, DeWitt S., "Forged in Fire", The Air Force Historical Foundation, Doubleday & Company, Garden City, New York, 1982, , , pp. 393–395. and was on an inspection tour as Commander of US Forces, European Theatre of Operations. Andrews Field (later Andrews Air Force Base) was named for him on 7 February 1945.Mueller, Robert, "Air Force Bases Volume 1: Active Air Force Bases Within the United States of America on 17 September 1982", United States Air Force Historical Research Center, Office of Air Force History, Washington, D.C., 1989, , p. 5.USAF People:USAF Museum. Web.archive.org. Retrieved on 5 August 2010. It appears that "Hot Stuff" was the first heavy bomber to successfully complete 25 missions when it bombed Naples on 7 February 1943, despite the publicity given the "Memphis Belle" and "Hell's Angels" of the 303d Bomb Group. The bomber had been on the first leg of a trip to the United States for a war bond tour when it was lost.
20 May 1943 B-24E-5-FO, 42-7053, c/n 77, of the 1014th Pilot Transition Training Squadron, Tarrant Army Airfield, Texas, departed the field at 0650 CWT, piloted by David S. Alter. At approximately 1145, the aircraft struck the side of a 20-million-cubic-foot (570,000 m3) gas storage tankYoung, David M., "Chicago Aviation: An Illustrated History", Northern Illinois University Press, Dekalb, Illinois, , , Appendix B, p. 221. of the Peoples Gas Light and Coke Company at 3625 73rd Street and Central Park Avenue, approximately SE of Municipal Airport, Chicago, Illinois. All 12 crew were killed. Approaching the airport from the southwest in light rain, light fog and light smoke, with a 500-foot ceiling and .75 miles visibility, the bomber circled the field to the north and east, and was on a southern heading when it struck the approximately tank at the 125-foot level, initially with the left wingtip. Much of the forward fuselage fell inside the tank structure which exploded, throwing steel plate over with heat felt over a mile away. Nine employees were on the grounds but none were injured. Four United Airlines flights had rejected landings at the airport between 0957 and 1027 due to conditions, and continued to Milwaukee.War Department, U.S. Army Air Forces Form 14, Report of Aircraft Accident, 25 May 1943.Chicago, Illinois, "Gas Tank Quiz Promised in Air Disaster – Bomber Crash Kills 12 on Board", Chicago Daily Tribune, 21 May 1943, p. 1. The storage tank had been largest of its type in the world, erected in 1928 at a cost of $2 million, according to a Chicago Daily Tribune account; it was not rebuilt.
4 July 1943 RAF Consolidated LB-30 Liberator II, AL523, crashed on takeoff from RAF North Front, Gibraltar, killing the exiled Polish Prime Minister Władysław Sikorski, together with his daughter, his Chief of Staff Tadeusz Klimecki, and seven others. Only pilot Eduard Prchal (1911–1984) survived. The flight departed at 2307 hrs. and crashed into the sea after only 16 seconds of flight. Sikorski had tirelessly worked to promote the Polish cause and there were rumours that his death was not accidental. He had broken off relations with the Soviet Union on 26 April due to the Katyn massacre and his death was convenient for Stalin and the western Allies who were trying to preserve good relations with Russia.
30 July 1943 A B-24 Bomber was observed flying low in mountainous terrain, and a witness stated that the motors stopped. Multiple witnesses saw a fire after the crash. Ranchers were the first to reach the site. All nine airmen on board the routine training flight were killed. Arizona Daily Star, Tucson, Arizona, 1 August 1943, pp 1, 8. The dead were identified as 2nd Lt George Edge, 2nd Lt Donavan Lukeheart, 2nd Lt William Scott, 2nd Lt Robert Kirk, Sgt Kenneth Snyder, Sgt Ernest Peck, Sgt Irvin Layton, staff Sgt Regis Kinzler, and Staff Sgt Carl Kuell. Arizona Daily Star, Tucson, Arizona, 2 August 1943, p 1.