The American flag is flying on North Barrule to mark the anniversary today (Thursday) of the worst air disaster on the Isle of Man's hills.
All 31 people on board an American Flying Fortress bomber were killed when the warplane flew into the side of North Barrule at full speed 70 years ago. The men had been on their way from Essex to Ireland for a few days' leave and the cause of the crash remains a mystery.
Mike Corlett (pictured) from Laxey remembers the crash from when he was a boy and makes an annual pilgrimage to the site.
Ivor Ramsden of the Manx Aviation and Military Museum said: 'I’ve been to the crash site several times with Mike when he’s been raising the flag and it is a very moving occasion. It is such a beautiful, peaceful spot; on Monday there was only the sound of Skylarks and sheep and it’s impossible to imagine that it was a place of devastation and horror seventy years ago, with 31 young lives snuffed out in an instant. Nature has hidden most of the scars but here and there you can find twisted pieces of metal which provide vivid reminders of that terrible accident.'
It's not known why the plane was so far off course. Ivor said: 'Judging by the position of some of the debris and marks which can still be seen on the ground, it is possible to deduce that the pilot may have seen the hillside at the last minute and tried in vain to lift the aircraft’s nose. Charles Ackerman was no novice pilot, having been flying operationally since February 1944 he had completed 25 missions, been home to the United States and returned to his squadron to have another go at the enemy by flying 27 more missions, many as lead pilot of his squadron.
'The reason why Captain Ackerman was some way off his planned route will never be known for certain but it is possible that he had asked his Navigator, 1st Lieutenant Martin Matyas, to plot a course for North Barrule because a fellow pilot from the same squadron had been killed there in a crash the previous July. Could this tragedy be the result of a sightseeing diversion?'
Relatives of the victims have visited the site over the years. Artefacts from the crash along with photographs and names of the victims are on display at the aviation museum next to Ronaldsway Airport.
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