Nebraska WWII Fatal Crash Site # 2Wayne
October 4, 1942The October 4, 1942, crash of a B-24D (41-23655) bomber near Wayne was the first of two unrelated B-24's that crashed near that city. (The second crash occurred on October 10, 1943, and the two sites are often confused with each other). The 1942 crash involved a crew of nine airmen from the Sioux City Army Air Field. It is believed that icing in the carburetors gave the pilots the impression that all of the engines had failed while doing speed calibration tests, so they ordered all of the crew to bail out. Two airmen either ignored this order or didn't hear it. The pilots belly-landed the plane which crushed parts of the underside of the plane. The two other airmen who were still inside the plane died in the crash.
This site was visited on April 21, 2007, along with the assistance of the local landowner. Evidence of the exact crash site was found in a cultivated field by using a metal detector.
The crash site is in the foreground. The city of Wayne is in the background.B-24 Aircraft
Crash Site Book