Aircraft Wrecks in the Mountains and Deserts of the American West

B-24E
June 21, 1943
Project Remembrance

Project Remembrance team member David Lane made two climbs during the summer of 2014 to the crash site of USAAF Consolidated B-24E 42-7118 that crashed on Koip Peak in the Sierra Nevada Mountains on June 21, 1943. The seven man crew had been en route from Tonopah, NV to Salinas, CA  when they encountered severe turbulence (Sierra Wave Effect) southwest of Mono Lake. They impacted Koip Peak at 12,800’, above the Kuna Glacier. Despite an extensive search effort the wreckage of the B-24E was not discovered until June 22, 1943. This photo depicts the names of the flight crew on one of the B-24E propeller blades, a fitting tribute to their service and loss. Today the wreckage 42-7118 is widely scattered from the point of impact into and below the Kuna Glacier.

David Lane and Alan Erickson are to be be commended for their efforts to to photo document the crash site of Consolidated B-24E 42-7118. Both Mr. Lane and Mr. Erickson paid their respects to the flight crew who lost their lives on June 21, 1943 while in service to our nation. For the first time since the accident it has been possible to see the debris field above, and below the retreating, but still daunting Kuna Glacier. (Photo courtesy David Lane)