Training

The crew was engaged in a bombing training mission when a bomb exploded too early after being released. The airplane crashed near the Salinas de Bebedero lake, about 40 km southwest of San Luis, and all ten occupants have been killed.

The crew (269th Squadron) was engaged in a training sortie. During the takeoff run, the pilot-in-command started the rotation but the aircraft did not respond. The captain decided to abandon the takeoff procedure and started an emergency braking maneuver. Unable to stop within the remaining distance, the aircraft overran and came to rest dozen yards farther. While all seven crew members were unhurt, the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

While completing a training sortie, the crew encountered a double engine failure and attempted an emergency landing. The aircraft belly landed in a field located near Fenton and came to rest in a river. While both crew members were uninjured, the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

The heavy bomber was engaged in a training mission out from Biggs AAF in El Paso, Texas. While cruising by night in light rain conditions, the airplane went out of control and entered a dive. Three crew members were able to bail out before the aircraft crashed in a field located about three miles southeast of Willows. They were found alive as well as a fourth crew member who was found seriously wounded in the wreckage. All 13 other occupants were killed.
Crew:
Maj John M. Wirt, †
Cpt Keith B. Wright, †
Maj Park B. Herrick, †
M/Sgt Charles M. Ford, †
A2c Daniel A. Baca, †
M/Sgt Clarence Foster, †
A2c Eddie L. Wynne, †
M/Sgt Junior Townsend, †
Cpt Otto Robinson, †
1st Lt John T. Vaughn, †
M/Sgt Howard J. Hansen, †
A2c Williams S. Myers, †
1st Lt John Swisher, †
T/Sgt Natividad Vasquez,
S/Sgt Joseph E. Wittens,
A1c John B. Patton,
Sgt Frank M. Imely.

Shortly after takeoff from Pope AFB, while climbing, an engine failed. The aircraft stalled and crashed on a barrack under construction. Two crew members were killed while ten other occupants were injured as well as two workers on the ground.

Shortly after takeoff from RAF Middle Wallop, an engine failed. The aircraft stalled and crash landed in a field located one mile west of the airfield. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair and the pilot, sole on board, was unhurt.

The four engine airplane left RAF Thorney Island at 0944LT on a navigation exercice via Cosham, Bude, Trowbridge, Northampton, Spalding, Petersfield and back to Thorney Island at an assigned altitude of 6,000 - 7,000 feet. Enroute, the aircraft went out of control and entered a dive. Passing through the clouds, apparently at an altitude of 1,000 feet, both outer wings separated. At 300 feet, the aircraft made a last turn to the right before crashing in a near vertical position in a field. The aircraft was destroyed and all five crew occupants were killed.
Crew:
Sgt Henry P. S. Fowler, pilot,
P/O James Henry Hurlstone Green, staff navigator,
F/O Eric Arthur Dench, student navigator,
P/O Sumair Persad, student navigator.
Passenger:
Sgt Gordon H. E. Davies, air gunner.
Source & photos: http://f-86.tripod.com/xa271.htm

The crew was completing approaches and landings at Biggs AAF, El Paso, Texas. On final approach by night, the engine lost power. The airplane lost height and crashed 1,300 feet short of runway threshold and came to rest in flames. A crew member was killed.

Aircraft Commander Lt Col Wray Cotterill, Pilot 1st Lt Roger Bumps, Co-pilot Captain Neal Williams and a crew of twenty-four took off in RB-36H, 51-13722 of the 77th Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron of the 28th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing from Ellsworth AFB at 4:15 in the morning on August 27, 1954. The crew had just returned from a thirty day leave. Captain Williams had finished a 20-hour mission just 32 hours earlier. Their flight took them to Kansas City, Missouri; Little Rock, Arkansas; Dallas, Texas; and back to Little Rock for radar bombing practice. They flew to Kansas City again and then returned to Ellsworth AFB after flying 3,594 air miles. At 9:00 in the evening the pilots began to practice Planned Position Indicator Ground Control Approaches (GCA PPI) using Air Surveillance Radar. They entered the pattern for Runway 12. GCA PPI was not as precise as GCA precision approach. The minimum altitude for GCA approach was 3,864 feet. The approaches were flown at 145 miles per hour. The landing gear remained retracted. The flaps were lowered to 20 degrees and the landing lights were extended. The night was clear and visibility exceeded 15 miles. During the first four approaches, Lt Bumps flew from the right seat and Captain Williams observed from the left seat. A pair of North American F-86D Sabre Dogs took off from Runway 30 at 9:30. Their pilots noticed that the red obstruction lights on a low range of hills 1-3/4 miles northwest of the runway were not working. The lead pilot notified the Ellsworth tower that the obstruction lights were out. It was not known at the time that they had been disabled by a lightning strike the night before. The civilian Senior Electrician of Air Installations was called shortly before 10:00 P.M. and notified that the obstruction lights needed to be repaired. He assembled a crew at the AIO electrical shop and prepared to drive out to the lights. On the fourth approach, ground control advised Lt Bumps that the obstruction lights northwest of the field were not working. After the fourth pass over the airfield, Col Cotterill moved into the left hand seat to fly the next approach. Col Cotterill flew the approach higher than the glide path specified by the GCA operator. Before the sixth approach, Captain Williams replaced Lt Bumps in the right hand seat. It is believed that Col Cotterill flew the next approach. The RB-36H was flying at 145 miles per hour on a heading of 147 degrees (true), descending at 750 feet per minute when the left wing struck one of the inoperative obstruction lights. Seventy feet beyond the obstruction light the lower fuselage struck the ground 8,777 feet short and 225 feet right of the centerline of Runway 12 at 10:11 P.M. Mountain Standard Time. The impact point was at an elevation of 3,394 feet, 148 feet higher than the runway. The tail section broke away from the fuselage and came to rest 275 feet from the first point of impact. E.C.M. Captain Philip Toups, 1st Lt Roger Bumps and E.C.M. A/1C John Harvey were rescued from the wreckage while 24 other occupants were killed. Cpt Toups died five days after the crash. A/1C Harvey succumbed to his injuries after six days. Eventually, only 1st Lt Roger Bumps survived the crash.
Crew:
Lt Col Wray Cotterill, pilot,
Cpt Neal Williams, copilot,
1st Lt Roger Bumps, copilot,
Maj Martin Margolin, navigator.
Passengers:
Maj Harold Chambers, photo navigator,
Cpt James MacDaniel, radar navigator,
Cpt Roy Wegner, engineer,
M/Sgt William Ratagick, engineer,
A1c Glenn Kerri, ECM,
T/Sgt Charles Briggs, ECM
Cpt Philip Toups, ECM,
A1c John Harvey, ECM,
M/Sgt Carl Boyd, radio operator,
A1c James Swanson, radio operator,
A1c Russell Wilson, photo,
A2c Allen Jenkins, photo,
M/Sgt Dean McKever, gunner,
A1c John Baker, gunner,
A1c George Gross, gunner,
S/Sgt Dennis Murphy, gunner,
A2c George Hertnecky, gunner,
A2c William Lynch, radio operator,
2nd Lt Richard Crittenden, navigator,
2nd Lt Joseph Mullan, engineer,
A2c Marcel Herbert, photo,
A2c Billy Campbell, photo,
A2c Donald Wolf, gunner.
Source & photos: http://www.air-and-space.com

While completing a local training sortie at RAF Chalgrove, the instructor decided to shot down an engine but was unable to feather its propeller. The aircraft lost height and eventually crash landed in a field located one mile east of the airfield. All three crew members were uninjured while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.