Aircraft History
Built by Consolidated in San Diego. Delivered to the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) as B-24D-10-CO Liberator serial number 41-23901.

Wartime History
Assigned to the 13th Air Force, 307th Bombardment Group, 371st Bombardment Squadron. No known nose art or nickname.

Wartime History
On December 16, 1942 took off from Wheeler Field on Oahu on a costal patrol off Hawaii. During the flight, suffered an in flight fire and crashed. Five bailed out and three were killed in the crash. Afterwards, official U.S. Army Air Force reports concluded that the aircraft was on final approach when it crashed into a sugar cane field near Waimea Falls.

Memorial
Three of the crew were officially declared dead the day of the mission. Their bodies were recovered from the crash site and were buried at National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (Punchbowl). Dillon at C, 1570. Hatton at M, 0 1181. Miller at M, 58.

Wreckage
During 1994, the wreckage was relocated on the Wailua Suger Cane Plantation fields near Waimea Falls. The aircraft was stripped in the late 1980's for aluminum scrap, but many pieces remain on the crash site. Due to the lack of fuel onboard the aircraft, very little fire damage to the aircraft is present. The aircraft was painted in an overall olive drab paint scheme with "early" wartime U.S. national insignia. The aircraft remains today in a very sorry state.

Recovery
Several small pieces were recovered for the QuestMasters Museum including the port wing star (seen in photo), an E-6B flight computer, several gun chutes, a mess kit, a match container, multiple .50 cal armor piecing rounds, a portion of a Browning .50 cal machine gun and a propeller hub from one of the engines.

References
Questmasters B-24 Liberator Heavy Bomber Wreck Index (down 2005 via WayBack Machine)
"This Consolidated B-24D Liberator was found on the Wailua Suger Cane Plantation fields near Waimea Falls, 1994, in Hawaii. This aircraft crashed March 1942 during a routine costal patrol of the Hawaiian coast. Three of her eight man crew died in the crash. Official Army Air Force reports concluded that the aircraft was on final approach when fuel ran out and the pilot ditched the aircraft in a suger cane field. The aircraft remains today in a very sorry state. The aircraft was stripped in the late 1980's for aluminum scrap, but many pieces remain on the crash site. Due to the lack of fuel onboard the aircraft, very little fire damage to the aircraft is present. The aircraft was painted in an overall olive drab paint scheme with "early" wartime U.S. national insignia. Several small pieces were recovered for the QuestMasters Museum including the port wing star (seen in photo), an E-6B flight computer, several gun chutes, a mess kit, a match container, multiple .50cal armor piecing rounds, a portion of a Browning .50cal machine gun and a propeller hub from one of the engines"
Other sources state the date of the crash as "March 1942" and crashing "out of fuel".
FindAGrave - Charles H. Miller (grave photo)

Last Updated
February 18, 2020