John Oscar Mauldin
1944
Mechanical Engineering
Tiger Band; Dance Association
Greenville, South Carolina
Army Air Force, Flight Officer
Jan 27, 1923
Oct 25, 1944
Non Battle Death (DNB)- Killed during a training flight in a B-24 crash near an Army Air Base at Tonopah, Nevada.
NE
Additional Information
Accident report #45-10-25-25Aircraft Model: B24 S/N. No. 42-78632 Organization: Location: Tonopah, Nevada Group: 422nd AAF EU Squadron: TAAF Tonopah, Nevada. T-3ec Place of Departure: TAAF Tonopah, Nevada Target or intended destination: Local Type of Mission: Bombing and maximum load takeoff. Date: 25 October 1944; Time: 23:15 Location of Crash: TAAF Tonopah, Nevada Reason aircraft was Lost: Landing accident Number of Persons aboard aircraft: 9
List of Crew (Crew position, Name, Rank, Status)
Pilot-Rogers, Henry T.-2nd Lt.-injured
Co-pilot-Norman, Wilburn J.-2nd Lt.-injured
Navigator-Mauldin, John O.-F/O-fatal
Bomber-Beckman, Elmer M.-2nd Lt-fatal
Engineer-Sabatasso, Louis-Cpl-fatal
Radio Operator-Hogan, William M.-Cpl-injured
Gunner-Bryant, Emory I.-Cpl-injured
Gunner-Sewell, Evert C.-Cpl-fatal
Gunner-Fitzgerald, Herbert-Pfc-fatal
Narrative of eyewitness statements:
- Lt. Rogers and crew were on a night bombing mission at 20,000 feet.
- One of the engines started to overheat so the pilot feathered it to cool it off. Shortly after the plane became hard to control so he feathered engine four as well. With both outboard engines feathered the ship started to lose altitude quickly.
- The pilot called the tower for an emergency landing and proceeded to descend over the field. The pilot states that he feathered and unfeathered both engines, but wasn’t getting much power.
- The airplane lost altitude so fast that he was unable to turn on his final approach and was forced to straighten out and make a crash landing resulting in five fatalities and complete wreck of the airplane.
Related Images Click to Enlarge
The Greenville News 10/27/1944 p 20
Greenville News 10/29/1944 p9