Eastern Air Lines Flight 45 was a domestic commercial airline flight that had a

mid-air collision In aviation, a mid-air collision is an accident in which two or more aircraft come into unplanned contact during flight. Owing to the relatively high velocities involved and the likelihood of subsequent impact with the ground or sea, very sever ...

with a USAAF A-26 Invader bomber over northeastern

South Carolina )'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

on July 12, 1945, forcing an emergency landing in a field by the airliner, and resulting in the crash of the bomber. One airline passenger and two bomber crewmen were killed. On July 12, 1945, a US Army Air Forces A-26C-35-DT Invader, ''44-35553'', on a training flight out of Florence Army Air Field, had a mid-air collision with Eastern Air Lines Flight 45 from

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

to Columbia, S.C., a DC-3-201C, ''NC25647'', c/n 2235, at ~3100 feet, 11.9 miles WNW of Florence, South Carolina over the community of

Lamar, South Carolina Lamar is a town in Darlington County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 989 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Florence, SC Metropolitan Statistical Area. History In March of 2019, the Mayor of Lamar, Darnell Byrd McPherson, ca ...

, at 1436 hrs. The A-26 vertical fin struck the port wing of the airliner, displacing the engine of the DC-3, which then cut into the fuselage. The A-26 tail sheared off and two of the crew parachuted but only one survived. The crew of the bomber who died were Cpl. Robert B. Clapp and Cpl. Raleigh B. Allbaugh Jr., both of

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, and ...

. The surviving crew member's name was not released due to wartime censorship. The DC-3 pilot belly-landed in a cornfield after a 20-to-30-second descent. Only one passenger of the 20 total on board was killed: a two-year-old boy who suffered head injuries.Associated Press, "Pilot Brings Plane Down In Corn Field" "''The Charleston Evening Post''", Charleston, South Carolina, Friday July 13, 1945, Volume 51, page one - section A He died while being transported to a hospital in Florence, South Carolina. His mother and two other persons were reported to be very seriously injured and were also taken to the Florence hospital. According to ''"The State"'' newspaper on July 13, 1945 (page 1) the public relations office of the Florence Army Air Field last night issued the following statement:

References

External links

Final report
by the

Civil Aeronautics Board The Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) was an agency of the federal government of the United States, formed in 1938 and abolished in 1985, that regulated aviation services including scheduled passenger airline serviceStringer, David H."Non-Skeds: T ...

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Eastern Air Lines Flight 045 Mid-air collisions Mid-air collisions involving airliners Mid-air collisions involving military aircraft Airliner accidents and incidents in South Carolina Accidents and incidents involving the Douglas DC-3 Accidents and incidents involving United States Air Force aircraft 45 Aviation accidents and incidents in the United States in 1945 Darlington County, South Carolina Disasters in South Carolina 1945 in South Carolina July 1945 events in the United States