Castle Hill, Maine – July 2, 1943
B-26G Bomber
U.S. Air Force Photo
On July 2, 1943, a B-26C twin-engine bomber aircraft, (Ser. No. 41-35181), with five men aboard, took off from Presque Isle Field bound for overseas duty. Three miles from the airfield the starboard engine developed a problem and the pilot was forced to shut it down. With only one engine, the pilot was unable to sufficiently climb to maintain a safe altitude as the aircraft passed over increasingly rising terrain. About six miles later the aircraft crashed into a wooded area and exploded killing three crewmen and seriously injuring two others.
The dead were identified as:
(Pilot) 1st Lt. Walter M. Cothran.
(Co-Pilot) 1st Lt. Walter H. Peoples, of Wilmington, Delaware.
(Flight Engineer) Corporal Albert L. Williams of New Mexico.
Sources:
Book, “Fatal Army Air Forces Aviation Accidents In The United States, 1941-1945”, by Anthony J. Mireles, C. 2006
The Imperial Valley Press, (Calif.) “Three Army Fliers Killed In Wreck”, July 4, 1943, page 3.
