I walked this mountain 12 months ago I acened this mountain through the slate Quarry lot's to see & do. To everyone attention: Martin B-26G 44-68072 of the 9th Air Force, USAAF, crashed on Y Garn near Llanberis on the 1st February 1945 Kenneth W. Carty 1st Lieutenant Pilot Killed
William H. Cardwell 2nd Lieutenant Co-pilot Killed
Nolen B. Sowell 1st Lieutenant Navigator Killed
Jack D. Arnold Corporal Radio Operator Killed
Rudolph M. Aguirre Corporal Engineer Killed The crews were cleared to fly the route on instruments if required but it was expected that the cloud would be scattered enough for them to be able make the flight without instrument flying. They were however told that should they encounter instrument conditions to immediately climb to 5,000ft to avoid the high ground along the route. The impact point is a short way below the summit of Y Garn on a rocky area of the mountain. Today only a few small fragments remain around the point of impact.
Aircraft began departing St Mawgan a little late at around 11:50 with the last of the flights leaving at 12:50, the crew of 44-68072 having taken off at 12:38 with an ETA of approximately 14:05.
One of the small pieces found around the point of impact, probably from the inside of a dial.
Around this time crews flying in the opposite direction reported that there was at times continuous cloud above 6,000ft with a mixture of broken and wide ranging cloud below 5,000ft, the base of this was between 500 and 2,000ft. During the afternoon the weather deteriorated to the extent that by 13:45 Valley was closed to flying and Burtonwood was expected to close by 17:00. A piece of a cylinder from one of the aircraft’s engines on the rocky ground where it impact.
Of the 16 aircraft that had departed St Mawgan 12 had landed safely at Burtonwood, 2 had landed at RAF stations in the area and a single aircraft had landed at Valley, nothing however had been heard of 44-68072 with it being declared missing at the time it fuel supply would have been exhausted. For this flight the aircraft had 768 gallons of fuel and would have exhausted that supply after 3 1/2 hours. for the reported crash working in pairs. At 18:45 pieces of aircraft were discovered along with evidence of human remains, these were close to the cliffs that drop down on the eastern side of the mountain. As is had gone dark the team returned to base so they could carry out a proper search and recovery operation on the 3rd. two sledge stretchers down the cliff with the MRT then taking an easier route. They then recovered the bodies of the four crew from the main wreckage to Llyn Ogwen with the fifth man being recovered to Nant Peris. Not much remains where the aircraft came to rest in Cwm Cywion, the largest items are pieces of armour plate and this undercarriage oleo.
Image Copyright: Mark Sheldon.
As with a number of crashes in North Wales this one is commemorated by a plaque set into the road side wall in the Pass of Llanberis.
Most of the crew’s bodies were repatriated to the USA following the end of the conflict, however Cpl Aguirre was buried at Cambridge American Cemetery.
Grave of Corporal Rudolph M. Aguirre at Cambridge American...
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