Mount Elden, AZ Bomber Crash, Mar 1943

Posted October 5th, 2009 by Stu Beitler

FIVE DEAD ARE REMOVED FROM BOMBER WRECKAGE.

Flagstaff, Mar. 6. (AP) -- The Army counted five dead today removed from the charred wreckage of a B-17 bomber which crashed into Mt. Elden near the San Francisco peaks and rocked the wilderness with a terrific explosion early Thursday morning.
The aircraft left the Army airbase at Blythe, Calif., a few hours before on a routine flight.
Base public relations officers listed the dead as:
First Officer KEITH O. MARTIN, JR., 22, Columbus, S. C., pilot.
Second Lt. RALPH EUGENE MAJORS, 23, Canton, O., copilot.
Second Lt. FREDERICK CHRISTIAN RUHL, 23, Pittsburgh, Pa., copilot.
Tech. Sgt. WALTER H. EHLERS, 29, Ogaliala, Neb., engineer.
Tech. Sgt. ROBERT E. SANFORD, 22, Natchez, Miss., radioman.
Army authorities flew to the scene late yesterday and identified the bodies removed from the debris by Sheriff Perry Francis' searching party.
Shortly after the plane plummeted to earth residents within 50 miles of the spot reported a wooded strip of the mountainside had caught fire and flames were plainly visible.
An Army board is investigating cause of the accident.

Tucson Daily Citizen Arizona 1943-03-06
__________________

Researched and Transcribed by Stu Beitler. Thank you, Stu!

Search for more information on this disaster and other train wrecks, fires, accidents, etc. in historical newspapers in the Newspaper Archive. Over one billion newspaper articles online!
Search for your ancestors among the billions of names at ancestry.com Find death records, census images, immigration lists and genealogy other databases for your surnames. Use this Free trial to search for your ancestors.
Start Your Family Tree It's FREE and easy. Start with yourself, your parents, grandparents and you're on your way to building your family history! Get Started Now and build your family tree at ancestry.com. It's Free!


Family Old Photos | Old-Yearbooks.com | Old Photos & Genealogy Blog

gendisasters.com is a genealogy site, compiling information on the historic disasters, events, and tragic accidents our ancestors endured, as well as, information about their life and death. Database and records searchable by surname. Compilation, design, artwork and concept covered by copyright. Copyright ©2006-2010, All rights reserved. Contact me. Privacy Policy.