CRASH OF A KITTYHAWK
OFF EAST COAST OF CAPE YORK
NEAR PRINCESS CHARLOTTE BAY
ON 11 SEPTEMBER 1942

visits since 16 July 2000

On 11 September 1942, Lieutenant Bob Hazard of the Headquarters Squadron (or was he in the 7th Fighter Squadron?) of the 49th Fighter Group, USAAF, was on a ferry flight in Kittyhawk P-40E, #41-24874. He had earlier departed northwards from Cairns airfield in far north Queensland headed for Port Moresby. He soon had engine trouble. He radioed the Cairns flight controller and turned back to Cairns. He was never heard from again. A search of the coastline of Princess Charlotte Bay found no trace of Lt. Hazard.

The aircraft was condemned and written off. It has been reported that someone may have recently found the wreckage of this aircraft near a mountain in the Princess Charlotte Bay area. Can anyone confirm the details?

The unfortunate Lt. Bob Hazard had earlier been involved in a tragic accident at Batchelor airfield on 29 April 1942. While practising dual takeoff's with another Kittyhawk, his tyre blew and he careered off the runaway into a group of top brass that had just alighted from a C-40 killing 3 persons including General Hal George, General MacArthur's Air Force Co-ordinator.

Hazard's combat career came to an end after this tragic accident due to his broken spirit. He was deemed only fit for limited flight duties and he then became a ferry pilot.

The American Battle Monuments Commission home page shows the following information for a Robert G. Hazard:-

Robert G. Hazard

First Lieutenant, U.S. Army Air Forces

0-427563

7th Fighter Squadron, 49th Fighter Group

Entered the Service from: California
Died: September 12, 1942
Missing in Action or Buried at Sea
Tablets of the Missing at Manila American Cemetery
Manila, Philippines 

Has this wreck been found yet?

REFERENCE

"Protect & Avenge"
"The 49th Fighter Group in World War II"
By S.W. Ferguson & William K. Pascalis
A Schiffer Military History Book

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I'd like to thank Gordon Birkett for his assistance with this home page.

Can anyone help me with more information on this crash?

Heaps of WW2 books available at Amazon.com

This page first produced 16 July 2000

This page last updated 24 July 2002