Boeing B-52 Stratofortress

A Boeing B-52D-75-BO Stratofortress registered 56-0595 and carrying a crew of six and a Boeing B-52D-80-BO Stratofortress registered 56-0627 carrying a crew of seven departed Andersen AFB, Guam, on a bombing mission over the A Shau Valley. While approaching the coast of South Vietnam, both aircraft collided and crashed into the mouth of the Mekong River, about 100 km south of Saigon. Three crew members on board the first aircraft were found alive as well as three others on board the second aircraft. It is believed the collision occurred when one of the crew wanted to modify his position in the formation.

Crew (56-0595):
Cpt George Westbrook, pilot,
Cpt Harold Dean Thompson, copilot,
Cpt Charles Herman Blankenship, navigator, †
1st Lt George Emerson Jones, radio navigator, †
Cpt Toki Endo, EWO,
M/Sgt Olen Burke McLaughlin, air gunner. †

Crew (56-0627):
Maj John Suther, pilot,
Cpt William Creedon, copilot,
Lt Rod Gable, navigator,
Maj Gen William Joseph Crumm, air cdr, †
Maj Paul Andrew Avolese, radio navigator, †
Cpt David Fritz Bittenbender, EWO, †
Sgt Lynn Chase, air gunner.

A Boeing B-52D-75-BO Stratofortress registered 56-0595 and carrying a crew of six and a Boeing B-52D-80-BO Stratofortress registered 56-0627 carrying a crew of seven departed Andersen AFB, Guam, on a bombing mission over the A Shau Valley. While approaching the coast of South Vietnam, both aircraft collided and crashed into the mouth of the Mekong River, about 100 km south of Saigon. Three crew members on board the first aircraft were found alive as well as three others on board the second aircraft. It is believed the collision occurred when one of the crew wanted to modify his position in the formation.

Crew (56-0595):
Cpt George Westbrook, pilot,
Cpt Harold Dean Thompson, copilot,
Cpt Charles Herman Blankenship, navigator, †
1st Lt George Emerson Jones, radio navigator, †
Cpt Toki Endo, EWO,
M/Sgt Olen Burke McLaughlin, air gunner. †

Crew (56-0627):
Maj John Suther, pilot,
Cpt William Creedon, copilot,
Lt Rod Gable, navigator,
Maj Gen William Joseph Crumm, air cdr, †
Maj Paul Andrew Avolese, radio navigator, †
Cpt David Fritz Bittenbender, EWO, †
Sgt Lynn Chase, air gunner.

After takeoff from Ramey AFB, Aguadilla, while climbing to a height of 3,000 feet, the airplane adopted a nose-down attitude then plunged into the sea off Jobos Beach. Three crew members who were able to bail out before impact were found alive while four others were killed. The aircraft was destroyed.
Crew:
Cpt Donald Foster, pilot, †
Cpt Erwin Cowart, copilot, †
Cpt Taivo Patajan, navigator,
1st Lt Paul Grimm, navigator,
1st Lt Richard St. George, EWO, †
S/Sgt Leroy Spencer, crew Chief, †
T/Sgt Ronald Hagis, gunner.

The crew departed Barksdale AFB, Louisiana, at 1500LT on a training flight to Kenneth Ingalls Sawyer AFB (K. I. Sawyer AFB), Wisconsin. The goal of the mission was to test the performances of a new ground reconnaissance radar. While cruising by night at low altitude, the airplane struck trees, stalled and crashed in a dense wooded area located south of Stone Lake. The aircraft was totally destroyed and all nine crew members were killed.
Crew:
Cpt Curtis E. Robertson, pilot,
1st Lt Darrick R. Negron, copilot,
Lt Col Jack Atherton, pilot instructor,
Cpt Edward E. Kamph, radio navigator,
1st Lt Jerome P. Calligari, navigator,
Maj James H. Crook, navigator instructor,
Cpt Michael J. Dunlap, early warning operator,
A1C Gerald D. Turney, air gunner,
M/Sgt Lonnie Woodard, flight engineer.

Collided in midair with a USAF KC-135 registered 61-0273 while performing a refueling mission during 'Operation Chrome Dome'. Crashed near Palomares, killing four of the seven crew members. Four nuclear weapons fell from the wreckage, one of them was 2 1/2 months later into the Mediterranean Sea.
Crew:
Cpt Charles Charlie Wendorf, pilot,
Maj Larry Messinger, pilot,
Michael Rooney, copilot,
Cpt Ivan Buchanan, radar navigator,
1st Lt George J. Glesner, †
1st Lt Steven G. Montanus, †
T/Sgt Ronald P. Snyder. †

While cruising over the South China Sea in formation with a second USAF B-52, the aircraft was completing a holding circuit awaiting a KC-135 for refueling. Doing so, both aircraft collided and crashed into the South China Sea about 400 km off the Vietnam coast. Five crew members on board 57-0179 were killed while a six occupants was rescued. On board 57-0047, three crew members were killed while three others were evacuated.
Those killed were:
1st Lt James A. Marshall,
Maj James M. Gehrig Jr.,
Cpt Tyrrell G. Lowry,
Cpt Robert L. Armond,
M/Sgt Harold J. Roberts Jr.,
Cpt Frank P. Watson,
Cpt Joe Carrol Robertson,
T/Sgt William Edward Neville.

While cruising over the South China Sea in formation with a second USAF B-52, the aircraft was completing a holding circuit awaiting a KC-135 for refueling. Doing so, both aircraft collided and crashed into the South China Sea about 400 km off the Vietnam coast. Five crew members on board 57-0179 were killed while a six occupants was rescued. On board 57-0047, three crew members were killed while three others were evacuated.
Those killed were:
1st Lt James A. Marshall,
Maj James M. Gehrig Jr.,
Cpt Tyrrell G. Lowry,
Cpt Robert L. Armond,
M/Sgt Harold J. Roberts Jr.,
Cpt Frank P. Watson,
Cpt Joe Carrol Robertson,
T/Sgt William Edward Neville.

Crashed while on night low‑level mission in Montana. Mission was to make two low-level entry points for training a new navigator and testing ground avoidance equipment. The first entry point was the Flint Rock Oil Burner Run where plane was flying a most level flight path missing the first knoll at 2550' elevation, continued until contacting a second knoll approximately 300' farther on the line of flight where plane disintegrated. The wreckage was found near Jordan, about 60 miles south of Glasgow.
Crew:
Cpt Guido J. Pizzeck Jr., pilot,
Cpt Willis C. Morris, copilot,
Cpt John H. Pulliam, navigator,
Cpt Jerry W. Berendzen, navigator,
1st Lt Daniel C. Woodward, EWO,
1st Lt David L. Harlan, navigator,
T/Sgt Edwin Fonzy Arlington, air gunner.

The crew was engaged in a mission from Castle AFB and while in cruising altitude, a fire erupted in the hydraulic system. All seven crew members ejected and abandoned the aircraft that dove into the ground and crashed in a rice field located in Tranquility. All seven crew members were found alive while the aircraft was destroyed.

While cruising in a blizzard at an altitude of 30,000 feet, the crew encountered severe turbulences and the airplane started an uncontrollable descent. Both pilot were able to eject while three other occupants were killed when the airplane crashed in a snow covered and wooded area located on the Savage Mountain. The aircraft was totally destroyed.
Crew:
Maj Thomas W. McCormick, pilot,
Cpt Parker C. Peedin, copilot,
Maj Robert E. Townley, bomb aimer, †
Maj Robert L. Payne, navigator, †
T/Sgt Melvin F. Wooten, tail gunner. †