USAAF drop tank accident. July 1944

[noggin]

Does anyone have more details on this incident. Reported 28/7/1944 when a believed to have been a USAAF P47 lost a fuel tank over Lambley Nottingham. The 20 yr old male and 6 mnth old girl later died.

[dp_burke]

The newspapers of 26th August carry tge reports of the inquest.

If you sign up to Britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk you will get three free searches/ downloads/veiws.

https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/search/results/1944-01-01/1944-12-31?basicsearch="catfoot%20lane"&phrasesearch=catfo ot%20lane&retrievecountrycounts=false&sortorder=da yearly&page=1

[noggin]

Thank Denise , I had those as I'm a member of the BNA. I was trying to find out a little more info for a local. He had a contact who knew quite a bit more about the airmen but unfortunately passed away before giving him the details. I was hoping some USAAF buff had records of the incident.

[dp_burke]

Do the inquest reports name the airmen? Can you share or transcribe the reports? We might be able to trace back?

DENNIS

[noggin]

To paraphrase : Incident 26/7/44 . Mrs Clara Pearman of Theiville , Catfoot Ln , Lambley stated two aircraft skimmed the house , the 3rd grazed the chimney. She did not see it strike the chimney pot but it was found later displaced. She saw an object drop from the left wing and enter the house through the dining room window. The thing went woof and the house was ablaze. Mrs Pearman stated the flames came out the window onto Ann's baby carriage which was outside the window. An American airman who was one of the pilots denied they were low enough to hit a chimney pot. A second pilot said he had jettisoned his auxiliary fuel tanks as he had engine trouble which caused him to lose height. The engine trouble ceased after the tanks were jettisoned.

[RSwank]

noggin,

You may have tried this but I wondered if you could get any help from the local historical society. They have contact information on their website:

http://www.lambleyheritage.co.uk/index.html

[Leendert]

Likely no answer here to what airplane involved, but as an aside: http://discovery.nationalarchives.go...ls/r/C14198190


Regards,


Leendert

[Col Bruggy]

Hello,

Re: Cyril Sneath:

https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/...upplement/5336

Col.

[dp_burke]

Is there any aircraft that fits the bill here.

https://www.aviationarchaeology.com/...y/Jul1944O.htm

[RSwank]

Dennis,

I did not see any that would seem to fit. We seem to have two possible dates mentioned so far, i.e. July 26 or July 27, but I did not see any likely possibilities.

Most/all? of the Fighter Groups were based further to the east, many around Ipswitch for example. Thus for three (or four) fighters to be flying with drop tanks near Lambley, I would think it was possibly a training mission or a ferry flight, maybe from a depot in N. Ireland or some other northern location. If it was a ferry flight, the planes would probably not have been "assigned"/"registered" to a group yet, so searching in Fighter Group records may be useless. I don't know if the pilots would have been ferry pilots or if a fighter group would send men from the group "up north" to fly the planes back. ( And would a ferry flight from N. Ireland even need drop tanks?)


P-47s in N. Ireland
https://www.fold3.com/image/47643744
https://www.fold3.com/image/47643767