Incident Overview
Date: Wednesday 26 July 1944
Aircraft Type: Consolidated C-87 Liberator Express
Owner/operator: United States Army Air Force – USAAF
Registration Number: 43-30565
Location: Merriam, KS –
ÿ United States of America
Phase of Flight: Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.)
Status: Destroyed, written off
Casualties: Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 6
Component Affected: Remote compassRemote compass
Category: Accident
A Consolidated C-87 Liberator Express transport plane crashed after striking a house at 5515 Loomis Road, Merriam, Nebraska. Three crew members and three civilians were killed, while four others were injured. The flight departed Lincoln AAF, NE (LNK) on a compass swing mission prior to the European war theatre and was near Kansas City.A Consolidated C-87 Liberator Express transport plane crashed after striking a house at 5515 Loomis Road, Merriam, Nebraska. Three crew members and three civilians were killed, while four others were injured. The flight departed Lincoln AAF, NE (LNK) on a compass swing mission prior to the European war theatre and was near Kansas City.
Description
A Consolidated C-87 Liberator Express transport plane was destroyed when it struck a house and crashed. Three crew members were killed, three others surived. Four civilians on the ground were injured. The flight had departed Lincoln AAF, NE (LNK) on a compass swing mission prior to departure to the European war theatre. There were problems with the remote compass but since the flight was near Kansas City, the crew decided to buzz the streets of relatives in the area. The airplane struck a house at 5515 Loomis Road, Merriam. It then contacted trees, electric and telephone lines and another residence.
Primary Cause
Remote compass malfunction.Remote compass malfunction.Share on:
