In the Spring of 2002 I read a news article dated February 1945 supplied by Butch Gates about a B-24 that had crashed and burned west of Helendale on the Mojave Desert. The aircraft in question was B-24L-FO #44-49180 built by the Ford Motor Company. The aircraft was assigned to a Training Command Wing at Victorville Army Air Base. On 1/30/45 #44-49180 departed Victorville at 1410 hrs. and headed north flying some two thousand feet above the desert on what was to have been a routine radar training mission. The crew included six men: 1st Lt. James G. Wright, pilot, 2nd Lt. Norbert J. Vehr, copilot, 2nd Lt. Carl F. Hansen radar instructor, 2nd Lt. John R. Palin radar student, 2nd Lt. Herbert A. Perry, radar student, and T/Sgt. Harvey L. Cook, flight engineer. About six minutes after takeoff a fire started in number two engine. The pilot did not sound the bailout alarm but verbally called for crew bailout. Immediately three crewmen moved to jump. 2nd Lts. Hansen and Palin left the aircraft, but T/Sgt. Cook hesitated apparently thinking a successful forced landing could be made. As 2nd Lt. Palin descended in his parachute he saw the #44-49180 go into a left turn, lose altitude and crash on the desert some twenty miles north of Victorville AAB. When rescuers reached the crash scene they found the plane burning with the empennage and tail fairly intact. 2nd Lt. Perry, who was riding there survived the crash but his injuries were so severe that he had died shortly after impact.  

 After 57years we knew that very little of #44-49180 would remain, but with original crash report photos to help we were confident that the crash site could be found. We relied on the background photo images showing Red Butte and numerous Yucca trees near the wreck. This search wouldn't take more than one or two tries. Wrong!  The Yucca trees living at the time of the crash were down and the distance from Red Butte to the crash site was problematic as well. We came within 300yds. of the site without knowing it. One trip became four. We found wreckage, however, the parts were from either a F-102 or F-106. We also found a new, undated F-100A site. After four trips we were experiencing a growing sense of failure and frustration until Rick Baldridge joined search effort number five. Rick brought new computer technology into play that helped compute the distance from a known terrain feature, Red Butte. Thanks to Rick we were vectored to within yards of #44-49180. The photos and captions will tell the rest.