Aircraft History
Built by Boeing at Seattle. Assigned to the USAAF, Air Serivce Command. When lost, engines R-1820-65 AAF Serial Numbers: 41-23395, 41-41642, 42-78659, 42-77108.

Wartime History
This B-17 was evacuated from Java to Australia and assigned to 5th Air Force, 43rd Bombardment Group, 403rd Bombardment Squadron. Nicknamed "Queenie".

On April 25, 1942 this B-17 was the lead bomber on a mission piloted by Sargeant.

Later, this B-17 was assigned to the 5th Air Force Service Command.

Mission History
Took off at 6:41am from Nadzab Airfield No. 1 on a flight bound for Mokmer Drome on Biak. The aircraft was never heard from again. No record of the aircraft reaching Tadji could be established, and it is presumed to have crashed before reaching that airdrome.

Memorials
The entire crew was officially delcared dead on March 7, 1946. All are memorialized on the tablets of the missing at MAC.

Relatives
Leondus Hutchison (relative of Hutchison) adds:
"JB Hutchison, his farther (my granddad's brother) talked with a man in 1950s who was stationed with Daswon and he said that the B-17 used to ferry had a really bad history with its engines. And if they bailed out over the mountains or swamp then they was good as already dead. Doing research over the last two years, I have found archived documents pertaining to Japanese warcrimes in New Guinea 1942-45. Just three months before 41-2464 went missing the japanese captured a B-25 in the same area as noted MARC search area. All five U.S airmen were executed by the Japanese after being captured, a familiar but true account of many Army Air Force crews captured by the Japanese.

What really happened to the crew and passangers of 41-2464?
1) Engine failure
2) Japanese AAA
3) Hit a mountain due to bad weather"

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Last Updated
March 5, 2013

B-17

MIA