United States Army Air Forces Flight VH-CHR

United States Army Air Forces — Flight VH-CHR

A USAAF C-47 Skytrain, nicknamed Hoosier Traveler, disintegrated and crashed at Canal Creek after an engine fire led to a catastrophic mid-air explosion. The aircraft was performing a transport mission from Townsville to Brisbane with a scheduled stop in Rockhampton. All 31 people on board, including American and Australian military personnel and three civilian non-combatants, were killed. Due to wartime censorship, the disaster received minimal press coverage at the time, and the site remained largely unmarked until a permanent memorial was dedicated in 2012.

Aircraft

Douglas C-47 Skytrain

Registration

43-30742

Phase

Cause

Souls on Board

Fatalities

Origin → Dest

RAAF Garbutt, Townsville, Australia → Brisbane, Australia

Report

Investigation Summary

The aircraft was operated by the 22nd Troop Carrier Squadron, 374th Troop Carrier Group. On the morning of December 19, 1943, it departed Townsville for Brisbane carrying 4 crew members and 27 passengers. While en route, witnesses reported seeing the aircraft descending, possibly in an attempt by the pilot to reach a flat 'clay pan' for an emergency landing. During this descent, an explosion occurred, causing a wing to separate from the fuselage. The aircraft became uncontrollable and crashed into a lightly treed plain on the remote Canal Creek Cattle Station. There is a discrepancy regarding the exact time of the crash, with commemorative records citing 09:20, while other historical accounts suggest 08:50. The crash remains the second-deadliest aviation accident in Australian history. The pilot, 2nd Lieutenant William Crecelius, had flown more than 150 combat missions in the South West Pacific Area at the time of the accident.

Final Conclusions

The crash was attributed to an engine fire that escalated into an explosion, resulting in structural failure and the separation of a wing in flight. The investigation concluded that the aircraft was in an unflyable condition before impact. The victims included 20 U.S. personnel, 8 Australian military personnel, and three civilians: a war photographer, a YMCA representative, and a Salvation Army adjutant.

Video Analysis

No video analysis linked for this case file yet.

Systems & Failure Modes

Pratt & Whitney R-1830 Engines

The twin engines powering the C-47; a fire in one of these units is believed to have initiated the sequence leading to the explosion.

Airframe Structure

The mid-air explosion caused the burning wing to part from the aeroplane, rendering the aircraft uncontrollable.

Interesting Facts

01The crash is the second worst air disaster in Australian history by fatality count.
02The aircraft was nicknamed 'Hoosier Traveler' and used the call sign VH-CHR, though memorial inscriptions record it as V14-CHR.
03The pilot, 2nd Lt. William Crecelius, had been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross earlier in 1943.
04Among the passengers were two U.S. Army nurses, 2nd Lt. Ernestine Koranda and 2nd Lt. Rebecca Williams.
05The crash site is located on what was then the Canal Creek Cattle Station, approximately 1km from the current memorial.

Location

Canal Creek, Queensland, Australia · -22.9797, 150.4814

APPROXIMATE POSITION · AIRPORT LEVEL · Coordinates are the estimate published in the entered by an editor. The ring shows the accuracy the record supports, not the point of impact.