Crash of a De Havilland L-20A Beaver in Highland Falls: 1 killed

Date & Time: Sep 30, 1953
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
51-16559
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
MSN:
365
YOM:
1952
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
1
Circumstances:
The pilot was killed when the aircraft crashed in unknown circumstances in Highland Falls.

Crash of a Douglas C-47A-40-DL near Mantet: 4 killed

Date & Time: Sep 26, 1953
Operator:
Registration:
42-24067
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Site:
MSN:
9929
YOM:
1943
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
4
Circumstances:
Crashed in unknown circumstances on the slope of a mountain at the altitude of 2,270 meters near the village of Mantet. All four crew members were killed.

Crash of a Boeing B-50D-90-BO Superfortress near Caprock

Date & Time: Aug 27, 1953
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
48-092
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Schedule:
Walker - Walker
MSN:
15901
YOM:
1948
Crew on board:
0
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
While performing a training flight, the aircraft suffered an engine failure. The captain attempted an emergency landing in a desert area located 12 miles south of Caprock. The airplane was damaged beyond repair but there were no casualties.
Probable cause:
Engine failure.

Crash of a De Havilland L-20A Beaver near Vega: 1 killed

Date & Time: Aug 24, 1953
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
51-16562
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
MSN:
368
YOM:
1952
Location:
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
1
Circumstances:
Crashed in unknown circumstances five miles west of Vega. The pilot, sole on board, was killed.

Crash of a Fairchild C-119B Flying Boxcar off Laiya

Date & Time: Aug 23, 1953
Operator:
Registration:
48-0348
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
MSN:
10330
YOM:
1948
Location:
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
0
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
Following an engine failure, the crew ditched the aircraft about five km off Laiya. There were no casualties but the aircraft sank and was lost.
Probable cause:
Engine failure.

Crash of a Boeing B-50A-35-BO Superfortress on Picacho Peak: 2 killed

Date & Time: Aug 20, 1953 at 0205 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
47-116
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Schedule:
Davis-Monthan - Davis-Monthan
MSN:
15800
YOM:
1947
Location:
Crew on board:
12
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
2
Circumstances:
Few minutes after takeoff from Davis-Monthan AFB, while cruising at an altitude of 15,000 feet, the crew encountered an unexpected situation. Immediately, the captain ordered his crew to bail out and all 12 occupants abandoned the aircraft that dove into the ground and crashed in a huge explosion on the slope of the Picacho Peak, southeast of Picacho. The airplane disintegrated on impact and debris were found on a wide area. Ten crew members were injured while two others were killed.
Crew:
Cpt John D. Winters, pilot,
1st Lt William H. Montgomery, copilot,
William Reale, flight engineer,
Cpt John A. Barnes, navigator,
S/Sgt David Fry, radio operator,
William P. Cooke, gunner,
A1c Richard W. Dickey, gunner
A3c Charles R. Stewart, gunner,
Cpt Charles D. Bostick, †
S/Sgt Herbert G. Emberton, †
Cpt Lee F. Aubechon 1.
Probable cause:
It was reported that a sudden and heavy fire erupted on the right wing, maybe from an engine.

Crash of a Fairchild C-119C-22-FA Flying Boxcar near Gharyan

Date & Time: Aug 9, 1953
Operator:
Registration:
51-2542
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Schedule:
Udine – Tripoli
MSN:
10500
YOM:
1950
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
18
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The crew was performing a flight from Udine to Wheelus AFB in Tripoli (today Mitiga). For unknown reason, the airplane continued to the south and following a fuel exhaustion, all 24 occupants decided to bail out and abandoned the aircraft that dove into the ground and crashed in a desert area located about 48 km south of Gharyan. All 24 occupants were rescued while the aircraft was destroyed.
Probable cause:
Aircraft abandoned following a fuel exhaustion.

Crash of a Convair RB-36H-45-CF Peacemaker into the Atlantic Ocean: 19 killed

Date & Time: Aug 5, 1953
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
52-1369
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Travis – Lakenheath
MSN:
303
YOM:
1952
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
23
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
19
Circumstances:
An engine caught fire in flight. Control was lost and the aircraft crashed into the Atlantic Ocean about 800 km northwest of the British coast. Six crew members were rescued while 17 others were killed. Later, two of the survivors died from their injuries.
Probable cause:
Engine fire in flight.

Crash of a Boeing RB-50G ELINT Superfortress off Askold Island: 16 killed

Date & Time: Jul 29, 1953 at 0617 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
47-145
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Yokota - Yokota
MSN:
15829
YOM:
1947
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
17
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
16
Circumstances:
At 06:15 local time, the RB-50G 'Little Red Ass', temporarily attached to the 91st SRS, was intercepted by two MiG-15 of the 88 GvIAP in 42°38'3"N, 132°20'9"E at 20,000 feet over the Sea of Japan after it had violated the Soviet air space near Cape Gamov. What happened next is disputed, according to Soviet reports the fighter pilots instructed the aircraft to land but the gunners opened fire and hit the MiG flown by 1st Lt. Aleksandr D. Rybakov, who subsequently attacked the RB-50 together with his wingman 1st Lt. Yuri M. Yablonskiy and shot it down with cannon fire. US reports claim that the interceptors opened fire first, disabling the #1 engine and the gunners then only returned fire in self-defense, but could not prevent another attack that set #4 engine on fire. The RB-50 went in a sharp dive, but parts of the damaged right wing and tail assembly tore off and the aircraft disintegrated and crashed into the sea about two minutes after being fired upon. At least seven crew members succeeded in bailing out, but only the copilot was rescued after 22 hours by the US destroyer USS Picking (DD 685) from a liferaft that had been dropped for him by a SB-29 about 12 hours after the crash. The destroyer also recovered the body of the pilot who had died of injuries and exposure and the body of a flight engineer was later located on the coast of Japan, while the remaining 13 were reported missing in action. It was suspected that at least some of them were taken prisoner by Soviet PT boats observed to be operating in the area, but it is not known if this was actually the case.
Crew:
Cpt Stanley Keith O'Kelley, pilot,
Cpt John Ernst Roche, copilot,
Cpt John Cyrus Ward,
Maj Francisco Joseph Tejeda,
1st Lt Frank Ernest Beyer,
1st Lt Edmund Joseph, navigator,
1st Lt James Gordon Keith, navigator,
1st Lt Lloyd Clayton Wiggins, navigator,
1st Lt Warren John Sanderson,
1st Lt Robert Elbon Stalnaker,
M/Sgt Francis Luther Brown, flight engineer,
S/Sgt Donald Wayne Gabree,
S/Sgt Donald George Hill,
A1c Roland Edgar Goulet,
A2c Earl Wilbur Radelin Jr.,
A2c Charles Joseph Russall,
A2c James Edwin Woods, tail gunner.
Source:
http://documents.blackvault.com/documents/dod/readingroom/11/384.pdf
Probable cause:
Shot down by two Soviet MiG-15 fighters.

Crash of Boeing B-50A-25-BO Superfortress in the San Juan Mountains: 8 killed

Date & Time: Jul 17, 1953
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
46-049
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Schedule:
Williams - Williams
MSN:
15769
YOM:
1947
Crew on board:
11
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
8
Circumstances:
The crew was performing a local training flight from Williams AFB. En route, the heavy bomber collided with a second USAF Boeing B-50 registered 47-101. Following the collision, the crew of 47-101 was able to land safely while 46-049 went into a dive. Four crew members parachuted to safety, one was killed in the parachute attempt and seven were unable to bail out and were killed when the plane crashed in the San Juan Mountains, south-east of Chandler. The exact circumstances of the collision remains unclear.