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Pilot 1st Lt Leo M. H. Walker (died) Hattiesburg, MS Crashed November 2, 1941 Aircraft History Built by Boeing. Constructors Number 2048. On August 23, 1940 delivered to the U.S. Army Air Corps (USAAC) as B-17C Flying Fortress 40-2047 at Boeing Field. On September 9, 1940 arrives McClellan Field to the Sacramento Air Depot (SAC). On June 20, 1941 became part of the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF). On June 27, 1941 assigned to the 7th Bombardment Group (7th BG), 9th Bombardment Squadron (9th BS). No known nickname or nose art or squadron number. On October 31, 1941 took off from Fort Douglas Airfield piloted by 1st Lt Leo M. H. Walker with four crew and four passengers including Sgt Eugene M Clemens on a flight bound for McClellan Field to replace the no. 3 engine. Due to bad weather, the bomber diverted to Reno, Nevada and remained at Reno for two days. Mission History On November 2, 1941 took off from Reno piloted by 1st Lt Leo M. H. Walker bound for McClellan Field. The bomber did not have a command radio and had only the radio compass for navigation. In the vicinity of Lake Tahoe was an overcast and the radio became static and lost communication and were unable to check in with Donner Summit and flew on a more southernly route when the no. 1 engine supercharger began to loose pressure and climbed to 14,000' while the co-pilot attempted to fix the issue and managed to maintain the pressure and continued the flight. After 45 minutes, the instruments stopped working and pitot tube heat was turned on without fixing the issue. With only the turn and bank indicator functioning, the pilots decided to abort the flight and turned back towards Reno and throttled up the engines to climb to 18,000' as the bomber pulled to the right. As they attempted to hold a straight line course, they cut engine power and had problems with controls and ordered everyone aboard to have their parachutes on and prepare to bail out. The bomber seemed to be handling normally when it nosed up slightly and the pilots pushed the controls down to compensate and they failed to respond. Suddenly, the B-17 rolled over upside down, righted itself then entered a spin and began to break apart. Aboard, six were able to bail out and two were thrown clear. All eight were able to deploy their parachutes and land safely. The pilot was trapped in the cockpit and and died on impact when the bomber crashed onto Tells Peak to the southwest of Lake Tahoe. Officially, this bomber was written off on November 5, 1941. Fates of the Crew The crew that bailed out landed safely and were rescued and returned to duty. Search After the crash, a search was conducted to find the bomber and the pilot's remains. Two days after the crash, forest rangers located the crash site and recovered Walker's remains in the cockpit. Wreckage This B-17 crashed in the El Dorado National Forest on Tells Peak near Georgetown, California. Memorials Walker was buried at Highland Cemetery in Hattiesburg, MS. The crash site has a small aluminium plaque that reads "In memory of 1st Lt. Leo Walker aircraft command of AAF 402[0]47 A.A.A.A. RG GH GL RM VS July 11 2004 July 25 2008" References USAF Serial Number Search Results - B-17C Flying Fortress 40-2047 "2047 delivered Strategic Air Depot Sep 9, 1940, to Salt Lake City Jun 27, 1941. Crashed Nov 2, 1941 Georgetown, CA while being ferried from Salt Lake City to McClellan Field near Sacramento, CA. Of the 9 crew, 8 survived. Pilot was killed. Wreck still there." FindAGrave - 1LT Leo M H Walker (photo, grave photo) Contribute Information Are you a relative or associated with any person mentioned? Do you have photos or additional information to add? Last Updated June 21, 2025 |
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