Taylor Park B-24

Name Taylor Park B-24
CAP data 3846N 10640W UNK 44,B-24,UNK,NOT VIS FROM AIR,12.5
GPS coords 38 45' 55.8" 106 39' 15.0" by GPS.
GPS decimal 38.76550  106.65417
UTM
Datum used NAD 27
County Gunnison County, CO.

July 19, 1943

S/N  41-29027

Pima Museum's B-24
Photo by John Sepp. Courtesy of the Pima Air and Space Museum

(Click on pictures to get enlarged image)
site overall view
2 main gear, memorial plaque, flowers.

The wreck cause: Loss of control in cloud and in-flight breakup of the aircraft. All aboard killed.

Casualties:   2nd Lt. James H. Allen

                    2nd Lt. Sherod D. Derryberry, Jr

                   2nd Lt. William M. Statler

                   2nd Lt. Billy B. Thompson

                   Major Robert C. Quine

                   S/Sgt Romeo P. Berube

                   S/Sgt James W. Beazley

                  S/Sgt James F. Emerich

                  S/Sgt Rocci A. Greco 

                  S/Sgt Richard D. Yost

Site Description:.
Wreckage is about 200' above the Taylor River road about 400 yards upstream from the edge of Lodgepole NFS campground. Site contains memorial placque, landing gear struts, misc. engine mount piping, some exhaust manifold piping and some melted aluminum. Appears that all other wreckage including engines was recovered by Army. Recovery would have been fairly simple to winch debris down to the road to be hauled away.Cause of crash was structural breakup in the air. Aircraft was seen to fall out of the clouds in pieces..

According to the Denver Post for 1 July 2001, Mr. Ray Rossman of the Gunnison National Forest (USDA) was involved with placing the memorial on the 50 th anniversary of the crash. Mr. Rossman's title is "Heritage Resources Manager."

Best route : Wreck is located very close beside Forest Road 742, a paved road that runs down the gorge next to the Taylor River below the Taylor Reservoir Dam.  Wreck is perhaps 100' above the road. About 300 yards uphill from the boundary of the Lodgepole NFS campground.

Trips to find the Taylor B-24 (2 more pictures)


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Last Modified: 1/1/2008