Bakers Creek air crash
A similar USAAC B-17C
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| Accident summary | |
|---|---|
| Date | 14 June 1943 |
| Summary | Crashed on take-off |
| Site |
Bakers Creek, Queensland, Australia 21°13.20′S 149°08.82′E / 21.22000°S 149.14700°ECoordinates: 21°13.20′S 149°08.82′E / 21.22000°S 149.14700°E |
| Passengers | 35 |
| Crew | 6 |
| Fatalities | 40 |
| Injuries (non-fatal) | 1 |
| Survivors | 1 |
| Aircraft type | Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress |
| Aircraft name | Miss Every Morning Fixin |
| Operator | United States Army Air Forces |
| Registration | 40-2072 |
The Bakers Creek air crash was an aviation disaster which occurred on 14 June 1943, when a United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress aircraft crashed at Bakers Creek, Queensland. The aircraft took off from Mackay and crashed approximately 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) south of the airfield. Forty of the 41 military service personnel on board were killed. The crash was Australia's worst aviation disaster by death toll and was the worst accident involving a transport aircraft in the south-western Pacific during World War II.
The aircraft, a Boeing B-17C, serial number 40-2072, known as "Miss Every Morning Fixin" took off from Mackay Airfield just before dawn at about 6 am in foggy conditions, headed for Port Moresby. Soon after, it made a low altitude turn and a few minutes later, crashed. The cause of the crash remains a mystery.
The six crew and 35 passengers were returning to New Guinea after an R&R break. The aircraft was part of the United States Fifth Air Force and was operated by the 46th Troop Carrier Squadron, part of the 317th Troop Carrier Group. It had formerly been one of the B-17s sent to the Philippines in the autumn of 1941 with the 19th Bomb Group and had been converted into a transport after suffering heavy battle damage in a mission on 25 December 1941. Over 1,100 bullet holes were found when the plane returned to Darwin.
The plane earned its nickname due to the constant work needed to keep it airworthy. A former maintenance chief estimated that for every eight hours the plane flew, it needed at least 12 hours of maintenance. During the 10 days before Miss EMF's last flight, mechanics installed a new fuel tank and two new engines, and a satisfactory test flight was made on the previous day.
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