Last Flight Home

Last year we helped my folks prepare to move from their Arizona home to a new place in Montana. In the course of sorting through boxes I came across some what of a time capsule which was closed in May of 1945. In a box full of Dads' service papers was his Navigators Log Book. The Log Book contained his final Navigation / Flight Plan from his final flight.

(Click on image to enlarge) This is the Flight Plan logging their flight from Goose Bay Labrador to Bradley Field. The ATC (Air Transport command) aircraft was a B-24M Serial # 44-50884. The plane was piloted by Melvin Westbrook from crew #553. Their final flight was on May 22nd. 1945. Tracing this aircrafts serial # I found that the plane ended its' life at Kingman AZ, landing there on December 20th, 1945. I imagine the plane was scrapped there. I've found that some of the final model B-24M's only flights were from the factory to the scrap yards as there was no need for the aircraft towards the end of the war.

This is an in-flight photograph taken by Lt. J.W. Smith from the flight deck on the B-24M en route from Goose Bay to the United States on May 22nd. 1945.

This is the flight line at Goose Bay Labrador before take off on the final flight to the U.S.