Last update: 14 August 2023

Crew 14

Fourteenth plane to take off from the USS Hornet on 18 April 1942

Datasheet

- Aircraft Squadron:	89th Reconnaissance Squadron
- Serial number plane:	40-2297
- Name of the plane:	The plane had no name - no individual markings
- Take off date:	18 April 1942
- Take off time:	Take off @ 09.07 am ship time USS Hornet
- Place in line to take off:	14th
- Take off direction:	Take off @ about 35 40 N 153 40 E
- Bombs on board:	4 cluster incendiaries
- Bombed area in Japan:	Nagoya (Achi)
- Bombing of Japan - local time:	between 02:15 pm and 02:25 pm
- Fate crew - 18 april 1942:	Bailed out above China - 10:30 pm
- Fate plane - 18 april 1942:	Crash south east of Shangrao, China

The Crew

89th Reconnaissance Squadron

Target

Nagoya (Achi)

The story of Crew 14

About 300 miles (480 km) off the China Coast they encountered rain squalls and lowering ceilings and about 100 miles (160 km) off the coast at 8:15 pm the weather got so bad that they pulled up and went on instruments. At 9:05 pm they thought they were over the coast line and started climbing. They saw a few breaks but very few lights on the ground. At 10:20 pm they thought they were over Chaozhou and flew still on instruments. They had about 40 gallons (150 liter) of gas left and changed altitude and ordered to jump. The crew abandoned the plane quickly and with no confusion. After the co-pilot jumped the pilot trimmed the ship for a flight at 170 m.p.h. (275 kmh) and abandoned ship.

The pilot heard the plane crash shortly after his chute opened and the crash site was later visited by the co-pilot. The plane was badly smashed and had been stripped by vandals.

They bailed out not far from where crew 4 bailed out. Bailed out in the Fujian province. No serious injuries to crew members who bailed out.

They took the pilot to Kuang Feng (?) where he met three of his crew members and spent the night Later transported to Shangrao 28°35'24.6"N 117°54'31.7"E They arrived in Chongqing by the end of April 1942.

Crew 14 - Pilot report John A. Hilger - click here - copyright @ nara-usa - public domain

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Pictures of crew 14 in China. Copyright @ nara-usa - public domain

Crew picture : copyright @nara-usa - public domain - colored by : Our colorful history @ https://www.facebook.com/historyrestored - used with permission - Thank you so much for the wonderful crew pictures.