Nebraska WWII Fatal Crash Sites # 39 & 40

Daykin
July 12, 1944

A B-17F (42-30944) from the Sioux City Army Air Field, and a P-47D (42-23008) from the Bruning Army Air Field collided in mid-air near Daykin. The pilot of the P-47 misjudged the distance to the B-17 as he was simulating an attack upon the formation. After impact, the P-47 spiraled out of control and struck the ground killing the pilot. The B-17 broke apart and three of the airmen were able to bail out and survive. The crash took the lives of seven other airmen in the B-17. This crash was very similar to the mid-air collision of the P-47 with the B-17 near Tobias on September 8, 1944.

Crew Members


This site was investigated on November 13, 2007, along with three eyewitnesses and a reporter, Paul Hammel and cameraman, Phil Johnson, from the Omaha World Herald newspaper. The exact site of the P-47 crash was found and confirmed with the metal detector. The site of the B-17 crash was first confirmed through eyewitness statements and then by finding pieces of the wreckage on a return trip on October 26, 2008.

Omaha World Herald article


Pieces of the P-47 wreckage was found here.


Parts of the B-17 landed near this road intersection.

B-17 Aircraft
P-47 Aircraft


Crash Site Book

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