USAAF Consolidated B-24 Liberator, Fairy Lochs, Gairloch, crash date 13/06/45


[Picture from wikipedia.org]

OS 10-figure grid refs (GPS):

NG 80829 71134
NG 80829 71092
NG 80866 71100
NG 80845 71020

 Google Maps display showing wreckage locations

This USAAF B-24 was flying from Prestwick to the USA when it crashed in Wester Ross towards the end of the Second World War. 15 US servicemen died in the accident.

The wrecksite is well-known and is located near Gairloch in Wester Ross at a place called the Fairy Lochs. It is not at a very high altitude (about 160m), but is in a fairly wild and remote location amongst small lochs and crags. There is an easy walk on a path of about 1km from the village of Shieldaig to the site, which is in a remarkably beautiful location on and next to a small loch with views of the sea and the Torridon mountains. The contrast of this with the sombre wreckage scattered about and a memorial plaque fixed to a rock face (2nd photo below) is striking.

There is a large amount of wreckage in a small area. Parts of the engines and propellors are easily visible and some parts are partially submerged in the loch (Lochan Sgeireach). There are some pictures of the remains in the loch on the TFDACSS website here and the ACSS website here (which claims that the B-24 struck the 980m summit of Slioch before it crashed, almost 20km due east of the crash site, which would give the aircraft an unusual final route if it was coming from the south, the debris field is also aligned in a north-south direction). The PDAAR website has some pictures of the site and information about the crash here. The WYACU website has some pictures of the site and information about the crash here.

The last picture in the set below is something of a mystery; the location is about 1km away from the main crash site and the object in the photograph is in a different loch (Lochan Fuar). The object may be wreckage that came off the aircraft before it finally came down, or it may be something unconnected.

These pictures were taken in June 2006.