Starboard (Right) Side - "Training Bomber" - Crashed 4 Jul 43 nine miles north of Santa Barbara, CA - Also Featured on

Contributor - Wally Forman

Info Contributor - Daniel L. Stockton

Eddie Rickenbacker (1890-1973) was America's top-scoring fighter pilot of World War I, with 26 victories (including four observation balloons). In World War II, was the Representative to the Secretary of War in the survey of aircraft installations.

Info Contributor - Jana Churchwell

The ship was using fuel at an excessive rate prior to losing two engines over the Pacific off the coast of Santa Barbara. Pilot Thorel "Skip" Johnson ordered the crew into their parachutes and turned the plane around, heading back towards Santa Barbara. Two airmen, Robert Prosser and Peter Dannhardt, not knowing they were still over the Pacific, bailed out prior to the Pilot giving the order and thus were lost at sea. The remaining eight crewmen bailed out safely once the plane had reached land over the mountains. The unmanned plane crashed 9 miles north of Santa Barbara. The crew's next aircraft BOB 'N PETE (42-40837) was named after the two crew members that were lost at sea.

Send e-mail or pics to B-24 Best Web Master along with your questions or comments about this web site.
Copyright © 1997 B-24 Best Web. Published on Veterans Day 11/11/97. Last modified: December 05, 2011