Warbird Information Exchange

I just found this website. The debris field you found matches this one exactly. Some of the photos look identical So it was a DC-4 crash site you were at.


http://www.shannondale.org/forum/content.php?154-Capital-Airliner-Crash-of-1947&new_comment

I haven't been at the site yet, but that link definitely has the exact same pictures that were attributed to the Clarksburg, Maryland site. It appears the information I received is faulty. However, the local "old timers" still said there were some parts of the plane at the site. Looks like my hunt may end up going in a completely different direction. Thanks for forwarding me this information. Besides changing the conditions of the site survey, it gives me some names of Capital Airlines personnel to track down that could give me additional information.

Classic. No question what the "something" was, since it has been happening since the beginning of multi-engine engine-out training. Get below Vmc and the airplane rolls over--it in fact doesn't actually stall, or spin--and impacts nose down. My 40-years-ago multi-engine training in Twin Comanches and Apaches was probably some of the most dangerous flying I've ever done, though I didn't know it at the time.

Indeed. The CAB report blamed the accident on failing to maintain sufficient airspeed to avert a stall and spin, and then having insufficient altitude to effect a recovery. The plane was at 2500 feet over terrain that was 500 feet, and a DC-3 purportedly needs 3,000 feet to recover from an inadvertent spin (at least according to the CAB in their report).

If you look at the level of experience of the three crewmembers, the accident should not have happened. Podgurski had 6,248 flying hours, including 3,138 in type. Thomas had 5,226 flying ours with 2,801 in type and the instructor, Burke, had 4,342 flying hours with 961 in type. By any accounts, these were experienced pilots. Whether it was a lapse in judgment, concentration or perhaps a distraction, we'll never know. It is not known who was actually at the controls at the time, either. The nose down impact so destroyed the cockpit area that it took over two hours to recover the first two bodies, and only by further demolishing the airframe. The third body was recovered later in the day. They were identified by the papers they were carrying on them.

Updates: I'm still doing my research before I actually set foot on site. I'm finding the human side of this story to be fascinating, perhaps even more so than the pursuit of any physical pieces of the plane that may or may not still be out there.

Each person I talk to has led me to another person, and questions that are answered seem to only lead to more questions. I've interviewed a former Capital Airlines pilot who actually flew with the instructor pilot the day before the accident, and a retired firefighter who was one of the first on the scene. The Capital Airlines pilot gave me the contact information for an office secretary who knew all of the pilots, and the firefighter gave me the contact information of one of the occupants of the house that the aircraft near missed. I plan on speaking with them in the upcoming weeks. I also still have a few other witnesses from the first responders to speak with.

I also now know that the plane did end up burrowing about 5 or 6 feet into the ground upon impact, certainly increasing the possibility that there may be pieces of the plane on site. In the intervening years, an outbuilding was erected literally over the point of impact, so it's unlikely anything may ever be recovered. Gasoline from the planes tanks seeped into the ground and fouled several of the nearby homes wells.

My survey came up empty-handed. Once I walked the property, I wasn't overly surprised. There has been a lot of human activity (i.e. dumping) in the wooded area, and anything that was left above ground was likely grabbed up a long time ago. I did, however, get to take pictures from virtually the same vantage point as the originals:

1957:

Plane_crash_1 by onyxsax, on Flickr

Today. Note how the garage building now dominates the impact area. I do not know if putting the garage up over the P.I. was a coincidence or by design:

DSC_0001a by onyxsax, on Flickr

1957:

Plane_crash_2 by onyxsax, on Flickr

Today:

DSC_0012 by onyxsax, on Flickr

The one thing the pictures really don't convey is the extremely close quarters between the crash zone, the house, the neighoring property and the main road. The slightest change in the planes final trajectory could have significantly increased the magnitude of the tragedy.

Looking at the above post, in the last two pics, the "Today" pic seems to have a few more trees that are not in the "1957" pic and they should have been there.

Unless something was moved around at the scene between pics, those two 1957 tail section pics look to be from different aircraft crashes.

The top 1957 pic (taken from the left side) shows more of the tail section intact, it looks left wing high, the hatch is open and the chordline to ground angle is not as great as the bottom pic. The leading edge of the fin is not painted and some pinstriping is not there either.

The bottom 1957 pic (taken from the right side) looks right wing high or level, the tail is resting at a much greater angle than the top pic, less tail section is intact and you don't see the open hatch. You can see the leading edge of the fin is painted and the tail pinstriping. The building is missing too.

Pretty cool story though.

Same crash site -- N88835, tail number 210. That I can assure you, and this is the exact site. I have the testimony of several eyewitnesses confirming the location. I may be a few feet off here and there, but it took place on this property.

Difference in the trees is due to 55 years passing. The trees are going to be bigger, in better focus, with a larger depth of field in focus. Some of the trees are new growth, too and clearly less than 55 years old. The "today" point of view is off a few degrees from the original. The foliage has also thinned out considerably as we're now in October and the crash took place in June. Some of the trees were obstructed by the wreckage If you look, you can see the top of the cargo door on the opposite side of the fuselage.

At one point, all the terrain in the area was used for agriculture. Most of the forests that cover this area have trees that are less than 100 years old.

2/3/13 Update

I finally had the opportunity to chat with one of the occupants of the house. I felt a little weird calling him out of the blue to discuss an event that was undoubtedly traumatic for his family, so I chose to write a letter. He responded and called me, and was quite surprised by the query. He was only 9 years old at the time, and him and his siblings were quickly whisked away to their uncle's house across the street after the impact.

However, he did put to rest once and for all that there are no parts of the plane still on site, despite the persistent rumors otherwise. I also learned that his family never occupied the house after the crash, as their mother did not want to live in a place where three men died, literally in their backyard. Perhaps even more poignant was the story he related to me about the widow of one of the pilots writing to his father asking for something tangible to be sent to her from the site for her husband's memory.

What was rewarding for me was that this gentleman and his two siblings were very supportive of me embarking on this project and my ultimate goal to have some kind of memorial erected. For me, it was yet another reinforcement that history isn't about dates and places...it's about people.

3/5/13 - Update

I continue to seek additional accounts and have been doing research into the three crew members. Of the three, I've been able to find the most information on Henry A. Podgurski, including this most remarkable story:

Podgurski was a member of the 93rd Bomb Group, 409th Bomb Squadron and was the copilot on the Liberty Lad AAF serial 41-23742, with Ken McFarland as the pilot. The Liberty Lad was hit over the target and lost both engines on the right wing over the Adriatic Sea. Keeping the plane in level flight required almost superhuman strength and ability, fortunately McFarland and Podgurski were both big and strong men. They managed to wrestle the B-24 for the remainder of the trip home. On final approach, the left side engines quit from fuel starvation, but they brought the plane in for a dead stick landing. The Liberty Lad was the last B-24 from the raid to successfull return to base after being airborne for 14 hours (some sources say 16 hours). After landing, both McFarland and Podgurski had to be lifted out of the cockpit, they were so exhausted from their exertions.

One would think that after this experience, no one would look down upon anyone who chose not to fly again. Podgurski, though, continued to fly, finishing up his tour in the 93rd. Instead of going home, he then did a tour of flying C-87s with the 27th Air Transport Group, including supply missions over Normandy on D-Day. When that tour was up, he once again flew combat missions with the 494th Bomb Group, 373rd Bomb Squadron.

To think that someone who had survived one of the deadliest bombing missions of the war in such dramatic fashion, and then continued flying in combat...only to lose his life in a civilian training accident that could have been avoided (at the too young age of 37 no less) is simply mind boggling. I can't undo the events of 55 years ago, but I can make sure that people will know who Henry Podgurski was.

Seems that 'the trees that aren't there' would have had plenty of time to grow from nothing in the ensuing 57 years.

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Don't make me go get my flying monkeys-

Also, if you notice the slope along the more recently erected outbuilding...that is the remnants of the impact crater. I didn't know about the crater until after I walked the property.

Thought I'd give an update on this.

Since my last post, I located and have spoken to several members of the Podgurski family, including his widow, daughter and two of his grandchildren. There were a bit skeptical of me at first, mostly with "Why are you doing this?", but have fully embraced my work, particularly researching Podgurski's World War II records. I've also managed to find Carl Burke's son and nephew, who also had the same initial reaction, but also have become very supportive. Despite doing all kinds of research, we just can't find any trace of Robert Thomas' step-daughters or his widow. I've also interviewed quite a number witnesses on the ground in Clarksburg, as well as former Capital employees, pilots and administrative employees and have struck up friendships with a number of them, enjoying frequent and lively correspondence.

We had an unusual turn of events at the crash site itself. The septic system for the house failed and Montgomery Parks decided it was not economically feasible to fix, so the tenants moved and the house was demolished. During the demolition, we were allowed to do a brief search for any artifacts and the backhoe operator excavated well into the impact crater. We were able to recover about a half dozen pieces of metal that were likely part of the plane.

Because artifacts were recovered, the location has now been designated by the State of Maryland as a Historic Archaeological Site. While this is the fourth such plane crash site to receive this designation in Maryland, it is the first one on dry land as the other three are underwater wreck sites in the Chesapeake Bay. With the buildings removed, the site will be regraded and seeded for new turf. It also means that a memorial will now be erected on site -- we think we'll have funding for this in FY 15, which starts July 1st.

I only have a little bit more research work...one last eyewitness who I've been trying to track down. Most of my research now is delving back into the wartime records of the crew as well as the homeowner, who served on various escort carriers in the Pacific.

The effort on your part will bring consolation to the families of the lost. To know that people still care means much.. Hats off to you !

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Natural law. Sons are put on this earth to trouble their fathers.

SaxMan - Just curious - Do you know off hand the 3 types of aircraft that are designated by the State Of Maryland in Chesapeake Bay? It seems that if they are of military type - they would have recovered them - is this correct?...

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Be happy to serve your fellowman