42-96050

On June 6, 1944 at 12:00 AM, 42-96050 experienced a crash involving Martin B-26 Marauder, operated by United States Army Air Forces - USAAF, with the event recorded near Gillingham Kent.

The flight was categorized as bombing and the reported phase was flight at a city crash site.

6 people were known to be on board, 10 fatalities were recorded, 0 survivors were identified or estimated. This corresponds to an estimated fatality rate of 166.7%.

Crew on board: 6, crew fatalities: 6, passengers on board: 0, passenger fatalities: 0, other fatalities: 4.

The aircraft left RAF Boreham at 0505LT with several others airplanes on a mission to France (D-Day). While flying over the county of Kent in low visibility, the bomber collided with another Martin B-26 Marauder of the USAAF. Registered 42-96263, it was also carrying a crew of six. Following the collision, the first B-26 dove into the ground and crashed in an orchard, killing all six crew members. The second B-26 crashed at Corporation Road in Gillingham. The aircraft was destroyed by impact forces and six houses were destroyed as well. All six crew members and four people on the ground were killed. Crew (394th BG): Lt Witcher Terrell Berger, Lt Warren D. Rodgers, Sgt Edward H. Monaghan, Sgt George S. Knight, Sgt Alfred M. Zussa, Cpl Forrest W. Pafenberg. Civilians who perished in Gillingham: Fanny F. Whittingham, Joan Beatrice Ada Taylor, Percy Montague Williams, George Thomas William Gandon. Source: ASN

Aircraft reference details include registration 42-96050.

Geospatial coordinates for this crash are approximately 51.3872°, 0.5462°.