Aero Union One Eight B-17G N9324Z crash near Benson on July 12 1971

Aero Union One Eight B-17G N9324Z crash near Benson on July 12, 1971

Suffering multiple engine failures after a slurry drop on a forest fire in the Whetstone Mountains, Melvin Hoaglund, pilot, and Richard Hollis, co-pilot, successfully crash landed their stricken Boeing B-17 bomber near a dry wash in southern Arizona.

If I understand the NTSB abbreviations on their mishap summary, the baffle in the air intake scoop separated from the number four engine which restricted air flow to carburetors 1, 2, and 3, which ultimately led to an immediate loss of power.

The crew did a great job getting the Flying Fortress on the ground. Both occupants survived the crash. This aircraft was one of several to survive post war smelters and fly as slurry bombers for Aero Union.

Currently, remains of One Eight exist in a couple different museums.

Landing gear and possible firewall. Photo from my personal collection.

Landing gear from a recent trip to revisit the crash site.

Might have been a battery box. I don’t think it was an ammo can.

Door Lock mechanism? It was hard to read.

Original crash site photo from my personal collection.

Portion of the wing. (P-38.com was my old website.)

Scattered debris at B-18 crash site.

Agassiz Peak