Douglas B-18 Bolo
Safety Rating
9.5/10Total Incidents
18
Total Fatalities
88
Incident History
Lineas Aéreas La Urraca
Crashed in unknown circumstances while completing a cargo flight, carrying a load of food. All three crew members were killed.
Lineas Aéreas La Urraca
Crashed in unknown circumstances into a dense jungle located in the region of Tio Barbas, Vaupés. It is believed that both pilots were killed while the third crew member and the passenger were injured and were able to walk away. Anaway, the wreckage was found on the 9 December 1967 and no trace of both survivors was found. The aircraft was involved in a cargo flight and was carrying a load of rubber.
Servicios Aéreos de Chiapas
Five minutes after its takeoff from Yajalón, the twin engine aircraft struck the slope of a mountain and crashed near Petalcingo, Chiapas. All five occupants were killed. The airplane was performing a cargo flight to Tuxtla Gutierrez, carrying a load of 50 sacks of coffee for a total weight of 2,5 tons. It is believed that an engine failed during initial climb, probably because the aircraft was overloaded. Crew: Enrique McCormick Curiel, pilot, Adrian Castillo, copilot, Margarito Valdez, mechanic. Passengers: Christobal Monzon, Enrique McCormick Sanchez Jr.
United States Army Air Forces - USAAF
En route, the crew encountered poor weather conditions and the twin engine aircraft hit a hill near Watkins, east of Denver. The aircraft was destroyed and all nine occupants were killed.
United States Army Air Forces - USAAF
Crew left Kodiak NAS around 0800LT on a photography mission to Umnak via Cold Bay. Shortly after take off, pilot decided to return to his base for not having the "proper clearance". On ground, pilot complained about the overload of gas and equipment and left again thirty minutes later. While climbing over the Anton Larsen Bay, aircraft was too low and impacted the Sheratin Mountain, about 150 feet below the summit. Seven crew were killed while one was seriously injured.
United States Army Air Forces - USAAF
En route, both engines failed simultaneously. The crew abandoned the aircraft and bailed out. Without pilot, the aircraft dove into the ground and crashed some 40 km south of Albuquerque. All six crew members were unhurt.
United States Army Air Forces - USAAF
The crew was performing a flight from McClellan AFB (Sacramento) to Alaska with an intermediate stop in Pendleton, Oregon. En route, weather conditions deteriorated and the visibility was low due to snow falls. The twin engine aircraft hit the slope of Mt Wolf located in the Ochoco National Forest, central east Oregon. SAR operations were suspended after few days as no trace of the aircraft was found. The wreckage was eventually found on August 13, 1942 about 60 miles east of Prineville. All four occupants were killed. Crew (36th Squadron): 2nd Lt Richard J. Heiderstadt, pilot, 2nd LT Walter V. McShane, copilot, T/Sgt Michael R. Bittner, flight engineer, S/Sgt Donald R. Kirtland, radio operator.
United States Army Air Forces - USAAF
While flying along the shore off Surabaya, the twin engine aircraft was shot down by the pilot of a Japanese Mitsubishi Zero and crashed into the sea. Two crew members were rescued while all five other occupants were killed. A day later, both survivors died from their injuries. Crew: Lt Glenn Harold Boes, Maj Joseph Adair Burch, Lt Erwin Roy Kriel, Col William Herbert Murphy, Sgt George W. Pickett, Lt Russell Marshall Smith, Maj Austin A. Straubel.
United States Army Air Forces - USAAF
The aircraft left Westover AFB at the end of the afternoon for a maritime patrol flight off the east US coast as a German submarine have been located in this region. After an uneventful mission, the crew returned to his base in the evening. While approaching the coast, the crew noted that weather conditions deteriorated and that visibility was low due to clouds till 4,000 feet. The captain decided to continue the flight under the cloud layer but did not realize that the wind was strong. While cruising by night and in snow falls, the twin engine aircraft hit tree tops and crashed in a wooded area on Mt Waternomee located in the White Mountain National Forest. SAR teams arrived on the scene two hours later and were able to evacuate five injured crew while two others were killed.
United States Army Air Forces - USAAF
The aircraft was performing a flight from Phoenix to San Rafael, California. En route, while cruising in a snowstorm, pilots did not realize they were flying at a too low altitude. The twin engine aircraft hit a mountain in the Sierra Nevada, near Bishop. All eight occupants were killed. All SAR operations were suspended after few days as no trace of the aircraft was found. The wreckage was eventually found on July 5, 1942. Crew: Maj Gen Herbert A. Dargue 2.
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Safety Profile
Reliability
Reliable
This rating is based on historical incident data and may not reflect current operational safety.
