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Aircraft Wrecks in the Mountains and Deserts of the American West
B-24D
On the morning of May 29, 1943, B-24D #42-40397 departed Pocatello Army Air
Base, ID, for an over-water navigation training mission above the Pacific
Ocean. The aircraft was assigned to the 538th Bomb Squadron, 382nd Bomb
Group. After refueling at Marysville AAF, CA, the aircraft was to fly west
to a point about 150 miles offshore, where it would rendezvous with 9 other
B-24's. Weather that day was good, with some clouds at 10,000 ft. After
departing Marysville at 3:18 p.m., no radio contact was made with the
bomber, and it was not seen by any other aircraft. #42-40397 failed to show
up at the rendezvous point, and the next day aircraft from Hamilton AAF, CA,
began a search over land and sea. A possible life raft was spotted, but
further investigation was hampered by bad weather over the next few days.
The search was suspended on June 3, 1943, and the B-24D was declared lost at
sea. No trace of it was ever found.
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