Casper, WY research help needed - B-24 crash

[BrianB]

I posted this a while ago but thought that I would try again. If there are any WIXers in the Casper Wyoming area I am looking for research assistance. My 2nd cousin FO Charles Welcker (photo below) went north in early 1941 and joined the RCAF. He went through and qualified for bombers for the Canadians, but then transferred to the USAAC in 1943 and was assigned to B-24 school. On April 14, 1944 he was flying his last training mission in a B-24H out of Casper AAF (Night bombing) when he lost 2 engines and started to go down. He and the copilot stayed at the controls while the rest of the crew bailed out and then they made for the bomb bay. At that point the acft impacted flat and level and slid to a stop- almost intact. The two pilots were under the turret when it hit and were crushed, killed in what would otherwise have been a survivable Crash. The accident report lists the crash site as 15 miles ENE of Casper AAF and the local police report shows it as 6.5 miles NE of Evansville on the Bar-2 Ranch near the Cole Creek oil Field. That triangulates to a fairly small area. Ihe ranch and oil field were dead ends for me as I researched from my home in L.A.. I would like to find the exact crash site because my 82 year old mother, who was very close to Charles in their youth, would like to visit the site. I would appreciate any advice or help from Casper area WIXERS.

[Neal Nurmi]

I don't think he's a WIX member, but T-6 racer and long time warbird supporter Jim Good lives in Casper, and in fact has a small (completely privately supported) aviation museum in one of the old WW II hangars there at the airport. I don't have contact info handy, but could get it. If nothing else pans out PM me and I'll see what I can do to get you in touch with Jim. He is a wonderful man, and I suspect he'd be honored to help out in any way he could.

[Stoney]

Jim Good 307-265-7628

[BrianB]

Stoney/Neal
Thanks. I already had some contact with the museum. A staffer there did find some news clippings and talked to a WWII vet that remembered the crash near his family ranch, but they could not pinpoint the exact site. I will try contacting Mr. Good. I am also doing a search on Google Earth. There were deep skid marks for 600 ft. and prop goughes in the prairie based on the AAC accident report photos. The general area is still fairly barren so there is a chance that some evidence of the crash site may remain. I have narrowed the site down to this approx 4 square mile area. The aircraft was on an approx 230 deg heading when it started skidding

[wendovertom]

It may turn up another dead end but I have family that worked that area extensively for the oil companies - plus they are the "explorer" type. I'll ask if they have ever seen or heard anything on this.

Tom P.