Accidents

         Training for war is never completely safe; some men never make it to the battlefield. Less than a month into the base’s operation, tragedy struck. On 7 July 1942, during a severe thunderstorm, a B-24 slammed into a mountainside, killing the five airmen on board.[1] On 22 September 1942, a plane from the 470^th Bombardment Squadron went down in heavy woods while returning from Decatur, Georgia. The aircraft was piloted by Lieutenant [Harford] Jenks when both engines failed. Two crew members died instantly, but Jenks’ skillful crash-landing and heroic action prevented more loss of life. Jenks pulled four men from the burning wreckage just before the plane erupted into a ball of fire. The Army first believed the aircraft had been tampered with, but an investigation indicated parts failure.[2] Two more deadly crashes occurred in November. The first happened 21 November 1942 when a bomber from the 472^nd clipped its wing on a barn, crashed and exploded.[3] The second crash occurred 28 November 1942 when a B-25’s engine failed, the crew lost control and the aircraft crashed.[4]

In 1943, the crash branded “Greenville Air Base’s most dreadful hour” occurred. That year a      B-25 had to ditch in Lake Greenwood but the big accident occurred later that year when two B-25’s collided over the base and both crews perished.[5] In February 1945 two accidents occurred one day apart. On 2 February a B-25 crashed a mile from the runways; the cause was never determined.[6] One day later, another B-25 experienced landing gear failure and was forced to land without them. The crew survived, but the plane skidded across the NE-SE runway and was severely damaged. Carelessness was determined the cause.[7] During World War Two, 27 airmen were killed while training at GAAB. Nevertheless, bomber fatalities at GAAB were lower than any other base in the Air Force Bomber Command.[8]