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Approximately 80 yards from the point where the last tire mark from the right wheel of the aircraft is to be found, the first obstacle was struck.  Three blades of a P-51's propeller are badly scored and cut.  The propeller of the P-51 was 60 feet from the runway and 36 feet from a projection of the tire marks made by the right wheel of the ship along the side of the runway.  This would place the point of contact with the ship trying to take off in the left wing tanks.  The damage on the propellers of the P-51 indicate that they sank into the wing at least two feet.  They were deeply cut pn [[in]] trailing edge showing that they had cut through metal.  The left wing of the C-46 was so badly burned that the Board is unable to make sure of this point of contact.

The ship struck a second obstacle, a P-51 about 55 feet from the edge of the runway, and carried away its engine.  It is evident that the C-46 struck the nose of the parked airplane with the left wheel of the engine nacelle, and cut three slashes over two feet deep in the wing of the P-51 with its propeller.  It is also evident that the C-46 was on fire at this contact spreading burning gasoline.  The ship was still airbourne at this time.

From this point, the ship carried over some crates, spreading fire, and broke the corner of one crate.  It is evident that the ship went into a cartwheel like ground loop, to the left, leaving the left wing facing south and slid backward into two P-38's totally wreaking and burning both.  It came to rest against a bank facing southeast about two hundred feet off the runway and 3500 feet from the end of the runway where the take off was started.  Tracks here were obliterated by the rescue and Fire Workers.

Aircraft struck were pursuit aircraft under the jurisdiction of the Air Service Command, 5317th Air Depot Headquarters (Provisional) which were being assembled in a clear space along the side of the runway.  They are listed below:

P-38-J, 42-67625  -  Completely wrecked.
P-38-J, 42-67631  -  completely wrecked.
P-51-B, 43-12363  -  completely wrecked.
P-51-B, 43-12330  -  propeller damaged.

One living member of the crew, Pfc. George W. Weldy, is still in too critical a condition to get a formal statement from him, but in one interview with since the accident he said that the ship checked out perfectly on the runup, that the pilot Lt. A.R. Stoner was flying, that the ship was drawing full power smoothly, the tailwheel was locked and the last he remembers he looked up and they were off the runway.  (Flight Surgeons's statement of this interview attached.)

The pilot Lt. Arlington R. Stoner. 0-799671, was not checked at this station.  He came to this station from Wing Headquarters where he had been a check pilot in the C-46-A.  His AAF Form 5 has a letter of proficiency in the C-46 type aircraft, signed by Joe Mountain, Lt. Colonel, Air Corps, Wing Training Officer, a copy of which is attached to this report.  Also attached is a letter from Lt. Colonel Mountain to Major G.S. Cassady, Western Sector Chief Pilot, Lt. L. V. Applegate at Barrackpore, India.  These letters leave no doubt that Lt. Stoner was considered a competent pilot by competent

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