kin. Heavy rains in August fouled water systems in the upper San Bernardino Valley as ash, cinders and silt from this fire zone washed downstream. 18 July Consolidated TBY-2 Seawolf BuNo 30414 overshot the runway while landing at Convair Field in Allentown, Pennsylvania, killing two crew members. 24 July Major Paul A. Conger bailed out of Bell TP-63A Kingcobra 42-69054 (built as a P-63A-6-BE) of the 234th CCTS, Clovis AAF, New Mexico, after wing failure; the plane crashed three miles west of Clovis. "Major Paul Conger, 27-year-old Army pilot and grandson of Joe Majors, retired Santa Fe employee in San Bernardino, miraculously escaped death last week in New Mexico when his plane crashed after a wing ripped off during a flight. The young flyer, veteran of 160 missions during 28 months service in the European theater, parachuted to safety, although he was seriously injured, according to word received by Mr. Majors from Major Conger's wife. Major Conger has been serving as an instructor at Clovis Army Air field, N. M. The son of Mr. and Mrs. Albert Conger, former San Bernardino residents and now of Piedmont, the young major was credited with destroying 186 enemy planes during his service in the European theater. [Conger is credited with 11.5 kills with the 56th Fighter Group. - Ed.] His wife reported that the accident which resulted in serious burns and bruises for Major Conger occurred last week when he was diving his plane from an altitude of 10,000 feet. At 1,500 feet, a wing came off and tore through the canopy. Despite his serious injuries, Major Conger somehow got his parachute open and landed safely. He was rushed to a hospital where he is believed recovering." 28 July US Army Air Forces North American B-25D-20 Mitchell bomber 41-30577 ("Old John Feather Merchant") crashed into the 79th floor of the Empire State Building in fog at 9:49 am, killing three on the plane 11 on the ground and causing over US$1 million in damage. A Ford CG-4A-FO glider, 45-16072, of the 809th Base Unit, Camp Atterbury, Indiana, crashes at Paducah-McCracken County Airport, Paducah, Kentucky, killing the two crew. "Airport officials said that the plane towing the glider was forced down in a rain storm and that the pilot, seeing that the glider could not clear a clump of trees, cut it loose from the plane." KWF are pilot Major George S. Branson, 33,