When glamorous Carole Lombard died in a 1942 plane crash while raising funds for WWII, theories swirled that it wasn’t just an accident. A tragic twist of fate — or sabotage?
Carole Lombard was the queen of screwball comedy and a patriotic icon. Married to Clark Gable, she was beloved for her wit, beauty, and loyalty to America in wartime. On January 16, 1942, she boarded TWA Flight 3 after a war bond rally in Indiana that raised over $2 million. She was supposed to take a train back but chose to fly — and the plane crashed into a Nevada mountainside, killing everyone aboard.
The official cause? Pilot error. The aircraft veered off course and slammed into Potosi Mountain. But almost immediately, whispers of sabotage began.
Lombard had insisted on traveling quickly to be with Gable, who was filming in Los Angeles. Some believe Nazi sympathizers in the U.S. may have targeted her because of her outspoken patriotism. Others point to a possible mechanical failure deliberately overlooked, or an insider at the airline with a grudge.
Clark Gable was devastated. He joined the military shortly after, taking on dangerous missions as a WWII gunner. According to friends, he never truly recovered from her death.
To this day, no concrete evidence supports the sabotage theory, but the mystique of Carole Lombard’s death still hangs over Hollywood as one of its most tragic losses — and one of its eeriest what-ifs.