On July 4th, 1944 the crew of Pandora's box was flying a different aircraft (#688) because repairs to their plane (Pandora's Box) had not been completed. After bombs away the aircraft was hit by shrapnel from a burst of flak. The shrapnel tore through the bulkhead of the cockpit and seriously injured LT Pearson, pilot, and LT Orlasky, co-pilot. Pearson lost consciousness leaving Orlasky in control of the aircraft. Orlasky was bleeding very badly and fighting to remain conscious. A tourniquet, fashioned from an interphone cord, was applied to stem his bleeding.
The engineer replaced the pilot to help Orlasky fly the plane. The flight engineer also helped by handling the throttles. The aircraft was losing altitude, but the crew managed to keep the plane airborne. LT Orlasky, with the help of his flight crew, was able to put #688 down on an emergency field in a "wheels up" landing. #688 would not fly in combat again. LTs Pearson and Orlasky would recover from their injuries. The remainder of the crew finished their tour in other aircraft. "Pandora's Box" would be given to another crew.
| CREW INFO | |||||
| Name | Rank | Position | First Mission | Last Mission | Status |
| Thomas J. Pearson | 2nd LT | Pilot | 05/09/44 | / /44 | |
| John D. Orlosky | 2nd LT | Co-pilot | / /44 | ||
| Howard T. Wilcox | 2nd LT | Navigator | / /44 | ||
| Frank A. Prete | 2nd LT | Bombardier | / /44 | ||
| Max L. Neiden | SGT | FE/Top | / /44 | ||
| Robert D. McCadden | SGT | Radio | / /44 | Finished tour. | |
| Roy A. Jorgenson | SGT | Gunner | / /44 | ||
| Richard C. Hartman | SGT | Gunner | / /44 | ||
| Arthur B. Kluge | SGT | Gunner | / /44 | ||
| Gatch N. Maxey | SGT | Gunner | / /44 | ||
| Victor Newman | Gunner | ||||
| Charles E. Sokoll | Crew Chief | / /44 | |||
| MISSION INFO | |||||
| MISSION | DATE | NAME | ID | S/N | TYPE |
| 003 | 05/09/44 | Pandora's Box | TN | 42-52714 | B24H |
| 004 | 05/11/44 | Pandora's Box | TN | 42-52714 | B24H |
| 005 | 05/20/44 | TC | 42-52688 | B24H | |
| 008 | 05/25/44 | Pisces | DG | 41-29517 | B24H |
| 010 | 05/28/44 | TR | 44-40300 | B24H | |
| 011 | 05/29/44 | Sagittarias | DH | 41-29400 | B24H |
| 013 | 05/31/44 | Twentieth Century Wolf | TN | 42-52483 | B24H |
| 015 | 06/06/44 | TN | 42-52682 | B24H | |
| 018 | 06/07/1944 | TR | 44-40300 | B24H | |
| 019 | 06/08/44 | TR | 44-40300 | B24H | |
| 021 | 06/12/44 | Black Panther | TG | 42-52664 | B24H |
| 022 | 06/14/44 | Sagittarias | DH | 41-29400 | B24H |
| 023 | 06/15/44 | TR | 44-40300 | B24H | |
| 024 | 06/16/44 | Funny Face | PT | 42-52673 | B24H |
| 025 | 06/17/44 | Black Panther | TG | 42-52664 | B24H |
| 028 | 06/22/1944 | Black Panther | TG | 42-52664 | B24H |
| 030 | 06/25/1944 | Black Panther | TG | 42-52664 | B24H |
| 036 | 07/01/1944 | Black Panther | TG | 42-52664 | B24H |
| 037 | 07/02/44 | Black Panther | TG | 42-52664 | B24H |
| 038 | 07/04/44 | TC | 42-52688 | B24H | |
| Completed 19 Missions | |||||
| Created 04/09/99 | Modified 05/24/07 |
© Copyright by the 486th Bomb Group Association