USAAF Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress Bomber 41-2421

On 16 July 1942, Major Clarence McPherson and 1st Lieutenant Pencuick with seven crew were flying in a salvage crew of seven men with spare parts and equipment to repair another B17 (41-2633, later known as Sally) that had crashed on Horn Island a few days earlier. They were carrying a complete landing gear, wheel, tire and break assembly, two propellers, and a great variety of tools. This crash is the largest aviation disaster Torres Strait has known, with the loss of 16 men. Witnesses say the aircraft came in low, attempted a very steep banking turn, and then with the heavy spare parts shifting, the aircraft’s wing dipped and slicing like a knife, she went into the ground. The aircraft exploded and was well on fire by the time rescuers’ arrived, leaving them to helplessly watch as the aircraft burned—all onboard were killed.