About two years ago, I revisited the crash site of a UC-64A Norseman that crashed on the 22.10 1944 on a mountain about 20km east of Reykjavik, Iceland. I had visited this site about 15 years ago, but didn´t bring a camera. Now I wanted to record what is left before it is completely lost, and honour the memory of the five men lost in the crash.
The five men lost in the crash were pilot 1st Lt. John J Custy of the 33rd Fighter Squadron and Privates Robert R. Richt, Anthony P. Colombo, Leonard T. Damerval and Floyd C. Van Orden. May they Rest In Peace!
Unfourtunately, I´ve not been able to find any information about the men, apart from the above. The pilot was most surely 1st Lt. Custy, as his name is listed in the USAAF war diaries related to the crash. The names for the other chaps are taken from an icelandic short hand transcript of the accident report (I´ve been unable to find the original). In that paper they are listed as “hermenn” or soldiers (can also mean private in an army), but as Custy´s rank is given correctly I think their rank as Privates is the closest I´ll get on that one. If you can provide any corrections, I´ll be greatful.
Sadly this was not Custy´s first incident in Iceland according to the war diaries. On the 9th of Mars 1944 he groundlooped a Curtiss RP-40C 41-13345 and on the 31st of the same month he had a taxiing accident in RP-40C 41-13460, both from the 33rd FS. No other information is provide, however.
The information I´ve been able to find so far on the aircraft is this piece lifted from http://pweb1.mts.net/~donmag/Aircraft.htm
Construction number 125 USAAF serial 43-5134
Delivered to the USAAF as aircraft No. 43-5134 on May 12, 1943 and assigned to Olmstead AFB, Pennsylvania on May 29. Flown to the modification center in Romulus, Michigan and then to Olmstead on June 3, 1943. Sent to Natick, Massachusetts on July 7, 1943. Shipped to Reykjavik, Iceland in November 1943. Destroyed in a crash 4 miles WNW of Camp Cameron, Iceland on October 22, 1944 while with 33FS. Pilot John J. Custy was killed.
Camp Cameron, referred to above, was a radar station situated on the eastern side of the mountain, overlooking the eastern approaches to Kaldaðarnes airfield and Reykjavik.
The first point of impact is in a slight ravine and the aircraft has plowed a small furrow through it, just visible where the light coloured piece of wreckage is. The rest of the wreckage is about 75 meters further away.
This is a part of the (right hand?) undercarriage laying at the point of impact.
A wingstrut that has seperated at the impact.
Part of the wreckage trail leading to the final resting place of the aircraft. This is, I think, part of a rearspar of a wing with aileron or flap mechanism still attached. Laying there is also a part of the exhaust.
This is the main wreckage. The amount of wreckage there would suggest that most of the aircraft is there. There is a lot of evidence of fire around this place.
The remains of the main undercarriage in the main wreckage group.
The remains of a parachute, complete with burn damage.
A tire that has been thrown clear of the impact and escaped fire damage.
The engine was found a further 10-15 meters away from the main wreckage.
The proppeller hub.
The remains of a battery not far from the engine.
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October 25, 2009 at 1:47 am