Mather - Mather

On January 19, 1952 at 02:00 PM, Mather - Mather experienced a crash involving North American B-25 Mitchell, operated by United States Air Force - USAF, with the event recorded near Sacramento-Mather California.

The flight was categorized as training and the reported phase was landing (descent or approach) at a airport (less than 10 km from airport) crash site.

3 people were known to be on board, 6 fatalities were recorded, 0 survivors were identified or estimated. This corresponds to an estimated fatality rate of 200.0%.

Crew on board: 3, crew fatalities: 0, passengers on board: 0, passenger fatalities: 0, other fatalities: 6.

The listed crash cause is technical failure. Shortly after takeoff from Mather AFB, while in initial climb, the crew informed ground about an engine failure and elected to return for an emergency landing. The pilot-in-command completed a 180 turn to reach the approach path when, on final approach, the twin engine aircraft went out of control and crashed in a crowded guard house at Mather Air Force base and exploded, turning the building into a "flaming matchbox." While all three crew members were injured, six people in the building were killed while 61 others were injured. All of them were guard house prisoners. They returned from lunch to the one-room building just in time to be caught in a fiery trap. Crew: 2nd Lt Peter A. Keck, pilot, Lt Robert C. Grout, copilot, T/Sgt Robert Harrah.

Aircraft reference details include registration 44-86856, MSN 108-47510, year of manufacture 1944.

Geospatial coordinates for this crash are approximately 38.5696°, -121.2963°.