B-17 - Tull Canyon
N 47° 51.265 W 123° 05.315
10T E 493373 N 5300123
B-17 Crash in the Olympic Mountains 20 miles South of Sequim, WA
Waymark Code: WM2QXW
Location: Washington, United States
Date Posted: 12/09/2007
Views: 337
AF 44-85746A was an SB-17G, a search-and-rescue variant of the venerable B-17 flying fortress. The official story is that it was returning from a search mission to locate survivors from a Korean airlift plane that had gone down near Sandspit, B.C. In extreme turbulence and heavy blizzard conditions, the crew experienced sporadic failure of navigation and radio equipment. The plane was tossed up and down 800 feet by the severe winter weather.
Suddenly, the plane's port wing clipped trees near the top of a ridge. The plane was slammed to the ground, ripping out the lower cockpit area and tearing off wing control surfaces. The plane bounced, crashing back to earth on its belly, knocking off engines and stripping away the external life boat slung underneath.
AF '746 then slid like a toboggan down a 2,000 foot steep slope, spewing man and machine in her wake as fire erupted through the cockpit.
Of the 8 brave souls who were aboard, 3 lost their lives on the mountain that night.
There is some speculation that the plane was actually returning from a mission to spy on the Russians. That would explain why the US Govt. was quickly on the scene to salvage key parts of the wreckage.
Park at the Tubal Cain trail head located at N47°53.175 W123°05.510
The trail to Tull Canyon leaves the Tubal Cain trail at the Mine Wannabe - Tubal Cain / Tull Canyon Trail Junction waymark location.