Crash of SB-17G 44-85746 in the Olympic National Forest, Washington State.
On January 19, 1952, SB-17G 44-85746 was returning to McChord Field from a search and
rescue mission of its own. Ironically, the crew was searching for survivors of a Korean plane
which crashed off the Queen Charlotte Islands. On their flight back to base, the the SB-17 crew encountered
heavy winds which pushed them off-course, directing them west of the designated flight path and
over high mountains in the Olympic National Forest. The crew encountered heavy blizzard
conditions and lost radio contact. Not knowing their exact location, they had no way of knowing
their altitude was too low for the surrounding terrain. Three of the eight crewmen were killed, two
of the survivors were seriously injured when the SB-17 impacted with the mountain range. Please
keep in mind the loss of life when considering the following pictures.
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