Army Air Forces Statistical Digest - World War II

Table 214 -- Airplane Accidents in Continental US, By Principal Model of Airplane - Number and Rate: 1942 to 1945

(Rates are per 100,000 flying hours.)

12824
Year B-29 B-17 B-24 B-25 B-26 A-20 A-26 A-36 P-38 P-39 P-40 P-47 P-51 P-63 F-4/5 F-6 C-46 C-47/53 C-54 Advanced Trainers Basic Trainers Primary Trainers Commications Totals Year
1941-1945 All Accidents
                                                 1941-1945 All Accidents
Number
 272 1,589 1,713 921 739 728 181 226 1,403 1,934 3,569 3,049 824 251 223 14 145 604 22 13,511 4,881 8,256 2,407 47462 Number
Rate
 40 30 35 33 55 131 57 274 139 245 188 127 105 131 145 62 29 20 18 55 27 48 108   Rate
Fatal Accidents
 63 284 490 233 223 167 29 24 337 369 324 404 131 39 48 2 19 109 4 943 825 333 133 5533 Fatal Accidents
Fatalities
 461 1,757 2,796 936 993 303 77 24 379 395 350 455 137 47 52 2 94 648 16 1,888 1,175 439 197 13621 Fatalities
Airplanes Wrecked
 119 479 746 446 408 331 50 69 758 865 967 1,125 358 109 127 7 39 181 5 2,227 1,558 1,032 500 12506 Airplanes Wrecked
                                                 
1942
                                                 1942
Number
 - 146 123 151 165 219 - 9 247 414 798 106 3 - 40 - 2 49 1 2,835 1,200 1,788 618 6493 Number
Rate
 - 55 75 104 162 206 - 409 234 351 507 245 102 - 292 - a 26 a 78 32 45 432   Rate
Fatal Accidents
 - 28 31 39 52 47 - 2 67 80 78 13 1 - 10 - - 14 - 210 193 91 42   Fatal Accidents
Fatalities
 - 183 165 185 249 88 - 2 76 83 94 14 1 - 10 - - 93 - 363 275 122 65   Fatalities
Airplanes Wrecked
 - 46 46 66 88 87 - 3 124 171 202 41 1 - 21 - - 23 - 473 326 286 132 1217 Airplanes Wrecked
                                                 
1943
                                                 1943
Number
 5 539 457 284 304 282 2 193 503 904 1,070 958 186 2 54 - 24 212 1 4,992 2,262 4,131 1,202 Number
Rate
 72 39 39 44 65 155 a 273 165 228 297 163 210 a 218 - 59 31 38 64 31 54 130   Rate
Fatal Accidents
 3 120 157 85 85 65 1 20 112 186 108 133 28 - 9 - 4 40 - 327 387 159 59   Fatal Accidents
Fatalities
 46 789 1,023 376 382 127 2 20 132 193 111 145 30 - 9 - 12 266 - 679 541 226 88   Fatalities
Airplanes Wrecked
 3 182 240 139 159 134 1 56 267 403 285 380 72 1 26 - 8 54 1 751 712 482 205 2213 Airplanes Wrecked
                                                 
1944
                                                 1944
Number
 88 638 779 239 195 182 44 23 467 590 1,280 1,303 318 136 83 3 46 255 12 3,964 1,337 2,086 477 14545 Number
Rate
 59 25 33 24 37 78 84 248 128 228 127 122 111 128 159 82 32 19 38 43 21 43 97   Rate
Fatal Accidents
 21 105 233 62 66 44 9 2 111 99 102 183 52 25 16 - 5 41 2 292 219 68 26   Fatal Accidents
Fatalities
 150 598 1,268 212 280 74 29 2 118 115 110 217 54 27 18 - 29 212 7 625 316 86 37   Fatalities
Airplanes Wrecked
 41 203 359 123 123 92 14 10 258 278 360 474 137 69 46 2 11 78 2 739 473 232 120 4244 Airplanes Wrecked
                                                 
1945
                                                 1945
Number
 179 266 354 247 75 45 135 1 186 26 421 682 317 113 46 11 73 88 8 1,720 82 251 110 5436 Number
Rate
 34 23 29 24 31 127 51 a 78 156 115 94 79 133 73 58 23 11 9 44 22 39 60   Rate
Fatal Accidents
 39 31 69 47 20 11 19 - 47 4 36 75 50 14 13 2 10 14 2 114 26 5 6   Fatal Accidents
Fatalities
 265 187 340 163 82 14 46 - 53 4 35 79 52 20 15 2 53 77 9 221 43 5 7   Fatalities
Airplanes Wrecked
 75 48 101 118 38 18 35 - 109 13 120 230 148 39 34 5 20 26 2 264 47 32 43 1132 Airplanes Wrecked
 a  Rate is less than 0.5
Source: Office of Flying Safety

Lots of pilots were trained at March Field. There is a museum and web site that covers this aspect.

A new book is coming out this year, by Anthony J. Mireles, whose research indicates that the AAF suffered 6,351 fatal accidents with over 15,500 fatalities and the loss of over 7,100 aircraft. "Fatal Army Air Forces Aviation Accidents in the United States, 1941-1945", which will be published in June 2006 by McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, Jefferson, NC. The research is based is based on the official Form # 14 AAF Aircraft Accident Reports. He sent me an e-mail and stated that many accident reports missing from the microfilm files, so the actual number of fatal AAF accidents probably exceeds the numbers that he published in my book. www.warbirdcrash.com

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