USAAF
5th AF
312th BG
387th BS

Pilot  Captain Frank P Smart, O-421649 (C.O. 387th BS) (MIA/KIA)
Gunner  T/Sgt Mike Music, 15073584 (MIA/KIA)
Ditched  April 16, 1944 'Black Sunday'
MACR  5376

Mission History
After bombing Hollandia, this A-20 was lost in bad weather and ditched south-east of Bogadjim at 1735. Both crew were seen in their life raft minutes after ditching, but were never seen again.

Wreckage
Discovered in 1982 by Rod Pearce. The aircraft is intact on a sandy bottom.

Rod Pearce adds:
"I was coming back from Madang to Lae in 1982, looking for a place to anchor. Of all the places, I happened to stop right on the wreck, I could see it on the sounder. The next morning, I dove it, and it was all there. The cockpit hatch was ripped off, but the entire plane was there. When I told people about it, they claimed to have known of a wreck there, but I have never heard of someone who dove it before then.

References
Black Sunday tells the story of this loss.

Contribute Information

A-20

MIA