During World War II, military aircraft production in the United States was at an all time high.  Thousands of aircraft per year were being cranked out of the many factories located all across America.  Earlier in the war,  fighter planes were being assembled, test flown, and then disassembled again for shipment to overseas countries.  Many were packed in crates and then loaded on board ships for delivery to foreign ports.

 In February of 1942, the U.S.S. Langley was crossing the Indian Ocean with a load of new Curtiss P-40 fighters on its deck and in its holds.  Some were destined for Java, and some for the 25th fighter Squadron,  then stationed at Karachi, India (now Pakistan).  Following close behind was a troop ship.  Among others onboard  that ship were the mechanics and pilots of the 25th who were to reassemble the P-40s and prepare them for war against Japan.

 Unfortunately the Langley was attacked by  Japanese bombers and  damaged so badly that it had to be scuttled and sunk by our own forces.  It went to the bottom with the entire load of brand-new fighter planes still in their crates and still strapped to the deck.  The men of the 25th eventually arrived in Karachi with nothing for the assembly crews to do but wait for a new shipment of planes.

  This incident, and others like it, made it necessary to  find other ways to insure the safe delivery of these aircraft with a minimal risk of loss.  From then on, whenever possible, the aircraft were ferried to their final destination.  These ferry  flights were long and dangerous, because they passed over some of  the most inhospitable terrain on earth.  Airfields along the routes were few and far between.  Especially over the vast expanses of the South Pacific Ocean.

 So before the aircraft could depart the continental United States they had to be modified and  prepared for such a long trip.  The most important detail of all was the fuel supply needed to reach each stop along the route. An increased fuel supply meant that the aircraft could stay in the air longer and not waste time landing to refuel every four or five hours. Fighters could be easily equipped with long range fuel tanks hung under their wings.  But the big bombers, with their multiple engines and complex fuel systems had to be prepared  in another manner.

 At California's Fairfield-Suisun Airfield, now called Travis Air Force Base,  B-24J#  44-40552 was being fitted with long range fuel tanks and an elaborate fuel delivery system that would allow it to carry more than 2,900 gallons of fuel at a time.  This amount of fuel was needed to guarantee  the safe  over-water ferry flight from California to the South Pacific.

 After each aircraft was fitted with the extra fuel tanks, an  elaborate, but temporary, system of pipes, valves and pumps were installed to move the fuel from the auxiliary tanks to the main fuel tanks.  The engines were fed fuel from the main fuel tanks only, so all fuel had to be  transferred to those tanks while in flight.

 After the modifications were completed, each aircraft was taken up for a test flight to make sure the system was working  properly.  September 17, 1944 was the day to test the system in #40552.  But the day didn't start out well for the plane and crew.

 The pilot for this test flight was Lt. Joseph B. Weller.  The regularly assigned copilot, Lt. Julius J. Szemetko was late arriving at the field, so Lt. Lawrence H. Pifer  took  over the copilot's position.  However, just as the aircraft was about to depart, Lt. Szemetko arrived and came running out to the aircraft where he was taken aboard as a passenger.  The aircraft clearance was never changed, so Lt. Szemetko was still listed as the official copilot on the flight.

 The name of a Lt. Sheddon was listed as onboard and performing the Navigator's duties.    But he did not show up for the flight, so his position was taken over by Lt. George P. Buffington who decided to go along on the flight just to get in some flying time.  It would prove to be a fatal mistake for Buffington.

 To complicate things even further, Sgt. Robert T. Kincaid jumped aboard the aircraft at the last minute to help with the Flight Engineer's duties.  Therefore, his name was not listed on the Flight Clearance either.  The remaining two crew members on the flight were Sgt. Burton R. Robbins, Flight Engineer, and Pfc. Edward R. Buck, Radio Operator.

 After the aircraft was loaded to capacity with 2,900 gallons of fuel, the crew prepared for takeoff.  In addition to the main fuel tanks normally found on a B-24, there were extra fuel tanks installed in the wing tips and in the bomb bay.  All were full of fuel!

 The pilot did not fill out the Form F ( Weight and Balance Clearance) as required, before take off. It was later determined that the B-24J was in critical balance and was very nose heavy.  To make matter even worse, during the flight test, all crew members were allowed on the flight deck.  This further aggravated the already nose heavy condition by adding approximately four-hundred pounds of extra weight considerably forward of the Center of Gravity (CG)

 Sgt. Robbins was the Flight Engineer, and thus was in charge of the fuel transfer test.  However, he had only recently completed the day and a half long course on the B-24J fuel system and had never performed a fuel transfer in a B-24J before.  In fact, he had never transferred fuel in any type of aircraft before this flight.

 While the overloaded, nose heavy, bomber was  taxiing to the run-up area, the #3 engine suddenly stopped.  The copilot and Flight Engineer immediately re started the engine while Lt. Weller  continued  taxiing to the runway.  Since the engine started normally and checked out OK during the run-up, it was concluded that the engine stoppage was due to pulling the throttle back too far, which allowed the engine to idle at a very low RPM.  The remainder of the pre flight run-up was normal, so the aircraft departed and began the test.

 However, since so much fuel was onboard at takeoff, the crew had to fly around the local area for about an hour before there was enough room in the main tanks to attempt a transfer.  When the fuel transfer test was ready to begin, Sgt. Robbins took his position in the bomb bay and began to transfer fuel.

 The first tank to be tested was the left auxiliary wing tip tank.  Robbins opened the fuel valve and flipped the pump switch.  After observing fuel flow going into the #1 main tank, he stopped and  performed the same test on the right Auxiliary Wing Tip tank.  Fuel was successfully  transferred from the tip tanks to main tanks, 1, 2, 3, and 4.

 Next came the test of the auxiliary  tanks in the bomb bay.  Each of the four tanks contained 200 gallons of fuel.  Robbins set the selector valve on the catwalk to transfer fuel from the left bomb bay tank to the #1 main tank in the wing.  The selector valve was set to "Tank to Engine", and "Cross-feed."  As this was being done, Lt. Szemetko and Sgt. Kincaid were watching the "Sight Gauge", which indicated that fuel was, in fact, being transferred.  The same test was completed on all four bomb bay tanks, and then the system was shut off.

 After the fuel transfer test was completed, Sgt.  Robbins, and Sgt. Kincaid turned their attention to other areas of concern within the aircraft.  Not only was the fuel system to be tested, but the entire aircraft was to be inspected and checked out prior to the overseas delivery.  The only problem found, was a small hydraulic leak in the rear area of the bomb bay.  Sgt. Robbins proceeded to that area to check it out.  Everyone else went up to the flight deck to gaze at the scenery before  beginning the leisurely flight back to base.