12/15/2015. Remarks by Jim Cunningham: "B-17E 41-9055 crashed on Sierra Grande Mountain, near the town of Des Moines, New Mexico on October 17, 1942; all on board were lost. Based on information through accident reports, newspapers, firsthand accounts the flight was the last crew training exercise before shipping out to the European Theater.
The destination was El Paso, Texas, but high winds blew the aircraft off course approximately 115 mls (185 km). Two sheepherders found the wreckage and summoned Union County officers and state patrollers to the scene. The sheepherders said the plane crashed about 3 a.m. (mountain war time). Wittiness said the mountain was shrouded in fog that morning making the search difficult.
Scouts from four Clayton, New Mexico Boy Scout groups visited the crash site on October 21 to honor the servicemen. The scouts formed a circle around the wreckage and honored the eleven aviators with eleven American flags. They left a plaque to leave a permanent memorial. The tribute ended with prayers from a local minister and taps played by a Scout bugler.
Members of the crew were listed as: