United States Air Force - USAF (since 1947)

Captain Francis Quinn and 1st Lt Robert Errico and a crew of eight took off in SB-29-70BW, 44-69982 from Ernest Harmon Air Force Base, Newfoundland at 12:10 on the morning of March 18, 1953 to search for Convair RB-36H-25, 51-13721. 44-69982 was assigned to the 52nd Air Rescue Squadron of the 6th Air Rescue Group. The SB-29 was modified for the search and rescue role. It carried a 40 ft.aluminum boat under the bomb bay. The boat could be dropped by parachute. It had a 4-cylinder engine and rations for a number of days. It had an inflatable shelter at each end, and a tarpaulin could be zipped into place between the shelters to completely cover any occupants. A search radar was installed in place of the lower forward gun turret. The SB-29 scouted the location of the RB-36H crash and determined that there were no survivors. It returned to Harmon AFB at 7:45 P.M. There were broken clouds at 2,700 feet and and a solid overcast at 5,000 feet. Harmon tower advised Captain Quinn to turn to a heading of 180 degrees and handed him over to GCA. T Sgt. Robert Burgoon was the GCA operator on duty that evening. Captain Quinn reported that he was reading the GCA radio "five-by-five". T Sgt. Burgoon instructed him to descend from 4,000 feet to 3,000 feet and maintain a heading of 180 degrees. T Sgt. Burgoon read off the emergency procedure and current weather to Captain Quinn. Quinn acknowledged those transmissions, but when Burgoon read off the standard rate of turn, a different SB-29 crew member responded over the radio. When the SB-29 appeared on the GCA radar scope about seven miles from Harmon AFB, it was flying on a heading of 220 degrees. T Sgt. Burgoon instructed Captain Quinn to turn right to a heading of 30 degrees to avoid losing the Superfortress' radar return in the ground clutter during a left-hand turn. Quinn read back the heading as 300 degrees. Burgoon repeated that the proper heading was 30 degrees. Quinn read back something that Burgoon was not able to understand, so he reiterated his command to turn right to a heading of 30 degrees yet again. Quinn stated that he was initiating a left turn to 30 degrees, and Burgoon repeated that the turn was to be made to the right. Captain Quinn started his right turn and the SB-29 disappeared into the blind spot of the GCA radar. When the Superfortress appeared on radar again about 11 miles from the base, it was inbound on the proper heading of 30 degrees. T Sgt. Burgoon read off the runway condition, landing runway, and braking action to Captain Quinn, but received no reply. He requested acknowledgement of his transmission twice with no response from Quinn. Burgoon commanded Quinn to turn to a heading of 300 degrees to determine whether he was still receiving the GCA transmissions. Burgoon repeated the command twice but received no response from the Superfortress, and it continued on a heading of 30 degrees. The SB-29 was over St. George's Bay about ten miles from the base on a bearing of 240 degrees when it disappeared from the radar scope at 7:51 P.M. It did not get lost in ground clutter. It just disappeared from a location where it should have continued to be visible. On one pass the blip was there, on the next pass it was gone. T Sgt. Burgoon made several calls to the SB-29 in the blind, but no further transmissions were received from it. Pilot Captain Francis Quinn, Co-pilot 1st Lt Robert Errico, Navigator Captain William Roy, Navigator 1st Lt Rodger Null, A/3c James Coggins, A/3c Sammy Jones, A/2c Michael Kerr, S/Sgt David Kimbrough, A/1c David Rash, A/1c Robert Montgomery were lost in the crash. At 8:15, an Air Force rescue vessel was dispatched to the area where the radar return had disappeared. De Havilland of Canada L-20 Beaver, 51-16490 took off at 8:44 to search for any signs of survivors at the crash site. Sikorsky H-5G Dragonfly helicopter, 48-553 took off to conduct a search at 8:46. It was going on midnight when three more vessels joined the search. An oxygen tank from the SB-29 was spotted floating in St. George's Bay at 5:09 the next morning. Search teams found fuel cells, the radio operator's table, air scoop dust covers, hydraulic fluid, an oxygen tank, the navigator's brief case, a partially inflated six-man life raft, and other small debris from the SB-29. The few pieces of structure that were recovered showed evidence that the SB-29 had suffered major damage when it impacted the water. A total of fifty-three pieces of debris were recovered during the first day of searching. A buoy was placed at the oil slick where the debris was found. Two L-20 Beavers searched the bay all day on March 19th. The local countryside was scoured for witnesses. The H-5 Dragonfly was used to visit residences along the shoreline of the bay that were otherwise inaccessible. Civilian John Walters of Kings Head reported that he heard a loud explosion and saw a bright flash, "kinda like a red flame" about two to three miles offshore about 7:45 that evening. His was considered to be the most reliable eyewitness account. The Dragonfly was flown to the location where the SB-29 had disappeared from radar. It made a series of descents and ascents. It was noted that it disappeared from the radar as it descended through about 800 feet. Dragging and diving operations began on March 20. Forty square miles of ocean floor were dragged. Divers made sixty-one dives with negative results. The divers and dragging gear were unable to search below a depth of 200 feet. The U.S.S. Salvager was dispatched from Norfolk, Virginia to search the bay with SONAR equipment. It arrived at the station on March 27, but it did not have suitable gear for locating the wreckage. UOL equipment and personnel arrived on April 5 and started searching for the SB-29 wreck on April 6. The UOL equipment was disabled by contact with rocks on the bottom of the bay on April 9. The main wreckage of SB-29, 44-69982 and the bodies of her crew were never found.
Source:
http://www.air-and-space.com/b-36 wrecks.htm#51-13721

Capt. Jacob Pruett Jr., Capt Orion Clark, Brigadier General Richard Ellsworth, Major Frank Wright and a crew of nineteen took off in RB-36H, 51-13721 of the 28th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing (Heavy) from Lajes Airdrome in the Azores at 0000 Zulu (11:00 PM Azores time) on March 18, 1953. Their destination was their home base of Rapid City Air Force Base, South Dakota. Their flight path took them across the Atlantic Ocean and over Newfoundland. The flight was expected to take 25 hours. The pre-flight weather briefing indicated that their flight path would take them to the south of a low pressure zone. The counter-clockwise rotation of the low would produce headwinds that were forecast to average 17 knots from 300 degrees. General Ellsworth and Major Wright were not current in take-offs and landings, so Capt. Jacob Pruett Jr. and Capt Orion Clark were probably at the controls during the take-off. Major Wright then moved into the pilot's seat on the left and General Ellsworth got into the co-pilot's seat on the right. Major Wright and General Ellsworth flew the over water portion of the flight about 1,000 feet off the water for best range performance. They monitored their altitude above the water with the radar altimeter as they flew through the darkness. The navigator intended to turn on the mapping radar an hour before the time that he expected the RB-36H to reach land. The pilots planned to climb to an altitude that would carry the RB-36H safely over the mountains of Newfoundland while they were still 20 miles from land. Most of the flight was flown in overcast conditions that prevented the navigator from using the sextant for a celestial observation to determine the true position of the airplane. The low pressure zone moved south of its predicted position before the RB-36H reached its vicinity. The airplane passed to the north of the low. Instead of the anticipated headwinds, the airplane encountered tailwinds that averaged 12 knots from 197 degrees. Ocean station delta received a position update from the RB-36H at 0645Z. The navigator reported that the ground speed of the airplane was 130 knots. The position was in error by 138 nautical miles, and the true ground speed was closer to 185 knots. The RB-36H reached Newfoundland about 1-1/2 hours earlier than expected. The crew made no attempt to contact air defense when they were fifty miles off shore. The navigator did not turn on the radar. The pilots continued to fly at low altitude. In the last twenty minutes of the flight, the ground speed averaged 202 knots. The visibility was less than 1/8-mile as the airplane flew straight and level through sleet, freezing drizzle, and fog. At 0740Z (4:10 AM Newfoundland time), thirty miles after crossing the coastline the RB-36H struck an 896-foot tall ridge at an elevation of 800 feet. The six whirling propellers chopped the tops off numerous pine trees before the left wing struck the ground. The left wing ripped off of the airplane, and spilled fuel ignited a huge fireball. The fuselage and right wing impacted 1,000 feet beyond the left wing. The entire crew was killed on impact. Wreckage was strewn for 3/4-mile across the hillside. U. S. Air Force 1st Lt Dick Richardson heard the RB-36H approaching his cabin at Nut Cove. The sound of the engines stopped suddenly, to be replaced by a loud explosion. Richardson reported that, "Everything lit up real bright". He could see a fire burning on the hillside above. He woke up the other men on the hill. They boiled up the kettle and sent a search party up to the crash site through deep snow. They found no survivors. Following this tragedy, the Rapid City airbase will be renamed Ellsworth AFB to honor the general.
Crew:
Cpt Jacob Pruett Jr.,
Cpt Orion Clark,
Br Gen Richard Ellsworth,
Maj Frank Wright,
Cpt Stuart Fauhl,
Cpt Harold Smith,
Cpt William Maher,
1st Lt Edwin Meader,
1st Lt James Pace,
Maj John Murray,
1st Lt James Powell Jr.,
A2cC Robert Nall,
1st Lt Clifford Bransdor,
M/Sgt Jack Winegardner,
A2cC Morris Rogers,
T/Sgt Walter Pinski,
A1c Burse Vaughn,
S/Sgt Ira Beard,
S/Sgt Robert Ullom,
A2c Phillip Mancos Jr.,
A2c Keith Hoppons,
A1c Theodore Kuzik,
T/Sgt Jack Maltsberger.
Source:
http://www.air-and-space.com/b-36 wrecks.htm#51-13721

Crash landed at Goose Bay-Ernest Harmon Airport for unknown reason. There were no casualties but the aircraft was written off.

While flying over the region of Daejeon on a cargo flight from Japan to Seoul, the left engine exploded and detached from its mount. In such conditions, the occupants bailed out and abandoned the aircraft that dove into the ground and crashed 10 km southeast of Daejeon. All four crew members were unhurt while the aircraft was destroyed.

On final approach, the airplane was too low and crashed short of runway threshold. There were no casualties but the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

On Saturday, February 28th 1953 at 1749 Hours a Douglas B-26B Invader [44-34183A] aircraft assigned to the 3902 Air Base Wing at Offutt Air Force Base, crashed in a cornfield 2.25 miles southeast of Springfield or 3 miles south of Richfield, Nebraska. The pilot, flight engineer and the sole passenger were fatally injured. The exact cause of the accident was never fully determined and there is no suggestion of pilot error. The B-26B aircraft, piloted by Colonel James R. Luper, was returning to Offutt from Ent AFB (Peterson Field) Colorado after attending a three-day TDY security briefing. Colonel Luper was the Deputy Inspector General of Security assigned to the Strategic Air Command Headquarters at Offutt AFB. Upon arriving over the Weeping Water Homer, the aircraft was cleared to descend from the en-route altitude of 9,000 feet to 3,500 feet. Offutt GCA (Ground Controlled Approach) took over at a range of 8 miles on an inbound heading of 020 from Weeping Water and further descended the aircraft to 3,000 feet. Because the aircraft was too close to the field to attempt a straight-in approach, a short box pattern to the left for a landing on Runway 03 was employed. The aircraft was turned on a cross-wind leg, then to the downwind leg and descended to 2,500 feet. The request for initial cockpit check, runway information, emergency procedures, etc., was transmitted at that time. The aircraft was then given instructions to turn to the base leg and descend to 2,000 feet. All of the radio transmissions were acknowledged by the pilot and no indication of any difficulty was reported. The acknowledgment for the turn to base leg was the last radio contact and up to that point, all procedures were normal. Search Controller, S/Sgt Michael Mullins, 1911 AACS Squadron, Offutt AFB, observed the aircraft complete the turn to base leg on radar and followed the aircraft for approximately 20 seconds when the blip suddenly disappeared from the radar screen. When the pilot did not respond to radio calls, S/Sgt Mullins notified Senior Controller S/Sgt John R. Nelson and Chief Air Traffic Controller Lt. Elman N. Sandell who initiated base emergency procedures. The aircraft wreckage was located in a cornfield owned by Mrs. Annie Bowser, 9 miles southwest of Offutt AFB. Today, the location is approximately one-tenth of a mile east of the intersection of 111th Street and Whitney Road. According to Weather Station Officer, Major David A. Adams, local cloud conditions at the time reported 5/10 fracto cumulus bases 1,800 feet MSL. 10/10 strato cumulus bases at 2,000 feet MSL with tops estimated at 3,000 MSL. The ground temperature was 33°F and the dew point 30 degrees. At 2,000 feet the temperature was 28°F and at 3,000 feet it was 26°F. The wind was from the northeast at 17 knots and barometric setting was 30.01. Visibility was 3 miles restricted by light snow grains and fog. Local farmer, Arthur Carstens, who was located 5 miles south-southwest of Papillion, Nebraska; heard the aircraft pass overhead while it was in the clouds. Shortly thereafter, he saw it emerge from the cloud-deck about 1.5 miles south of his position. Mr. Carstens reported that he saw the aircraft "going straight down with the engines roaring and suddenly, all was silent." He did not see or hear the actual collision with terrain and no smoke or fire was observed. Inspection of the crash scene indicated that the B-26B struck the ground in a flat altitude from a steep trajectory, estimated between 45 to 60 degrees. The impact gouged the frozen earth 35 feet wide and 23 feet long. Although totally destroyed, the aircraft did not catch fire. The majority of the aircraft was piled on top of itself immediately adjacent to the crater. Smaller parts of the aircraft were thrown forward and scattered from the point of impact for a distance of 250 feet. The bodies of the pilot, flight engineer and passenger were located 95 feet in front of the wreckage and all within 19 feet of each other. The cockpit was completely demolished. The aircraft clock displayed a time of 1749 Hours. The altimeter read 1,400 feet and the Kollsman window indicated 30.00 InHg. The main fuel line was on and the two engine magneto switches were set on "both." The fuel selector valves were set for main tanks. Approximately two hours of fuel remained in the tanks. The landing gear was down. Flaps were set at approximately 10 degrees. Trim tabs and control surfaces although badly mangled appeared normal. No prop blades remained on the right engine hub. Investigation of the dome indicated a prop blade angle of 35 degrees. The left prop had one blade remaining on the hub indicating that the engine was feathered. Due to the steep angle of descent, but relative flatness of the angle of attack, there was some reason to believe the aircraft was stalled at the time of impact. Both engines were sent to the Ogden Air Material Area, Hill AFB, Utah for a Disassembly Inspection Report. The subsequent inspection report issued on May 12th 1953 declared that both engines were developing power at the time of impact. No evidence could be found indicating any mechanical failure or malfunction. Neither carburetor nor structural icing were considered to be a contributing cause. Approximately 20 minutes prior to the accident, another B-26B aircraft piloted by Lt. Colonel Wayne J. Seward also arriving from Ent AFB, had landed safely at Offutt AFB with the assistance of GCA. Lt. Colonel Seward testified at the investigation board inquiry that he did not encounter any adverse weather conditions that placed his aircraft in jeopardy. Interestingly, the US Army Air Force accepted delivery of B-26B Invader 44-34183A from the Douglas Aircraft Company on Wednesday, February 28th 1945, exactly eight years in prelude to the date of the crash.

Colonel James R. Luper, (1448A) joined the US Army in 1933 and graduated in 1938 from the US Military Academy at West Point. He served as the Commanding Officer, 457th Bombardment Group, 8th Air Force, during World War II. He received his initial Pilot rating on August 25th 1939 and Senior Pilot rating on September 10th 1944. Colonel Luper acquired 136 combat hours as a co-pilot and pilot in the Boeing B-17 type aircraft while stationed in the ETO. He was awarded the Silver Star Medal for gallantry in action and the Legion of Merit (posthumously) for meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. Col. Luper had acquired a total of 3,038 career flight hours with 74.25 hours as a Pilot In Command of the B-26 type aircraft. Colonel Luper had completed his 60-2 Instrument and Proficiency check ten days prior to the fatal accident with an excellent grade. He was considered an above average pilot. On March 6th 1953, Colonel James R. Luper was interred at the US Military Academy Cemetery, West Point, NY. Crew Chief/Engineer on the flight was Technical Sergeant James R. Armstrong, (AF15067847) 3902 Periodic Maintenance Squadron, 3902 Air Base Wing. He was stationed in Europe during WWII and had 11 years of combined service in the US Army Air Force and US Air Force. During his overseas service, he had been awarded a Good Conduct Medal, European Theater of Operations ribbon with four battle stars, the Air Medal with eight Oak leaf clusters and Presidential Unit Citation. Sergeant Armstrong had 907 total flying hours and for the past 30 months had been a Crew Chief on the Douglas B-26 type aircraft. He was considered a well above average Crew Chief and Flight Technician. On March 3rd 1953, Technical Sergeant James R. Armstrong was interred at Hillcrest Cemetery in Omaha, Nebraska. Lieutenant Colonel George R. Groves, (O-357534) was a US Army Infantry Officer assigned to Colonel Luper's office and was the sole passenger aboard the aircraft. Colonel Groves had served in the Texas National Guard (36th Infantry Division) during WWII and was also a Korean War veteran. In March 1953, Lieutenant Colonel George R. Groves was interred at Southland Memorial Park in Grand Prairie, Texas.

The FBI Laboratory toxicology examination report submitted on March 27th 1953, found no signs of alcohol, drugs or poisons present in the autopsy specimens of the three decedents.

Frank R. Vondra (source of all text above) would like to recognize and thank his USAF retired friends, Brigadier General Regis "Reg" Urschler, former 55th Wing Commander, Offutt AFB; Colonel Roger Craig former Commander of the Kirtland AFB, New Mexico; Master Sergeant Richard Shively, Security Forces, Offutt AFB; Mr. Ben Justman, Executive Director, Sarpy County Museum and Lieutenant Russ Zeeb, Sarpy County Sheriff's Office who provided valuable research assistance in this endeavor.

Special thanks to Frank R. Vondra for his contribution.

Immediately after liftoff, while climbing, the crew declared an emergency when control was lost. The aircraft crashed and was destroyed. The captain was rescued while both other occupants were killed.
Crew:
Cpt Francis S. Bond,
A2c Ronald J. Foglietta, †
1st Lt Charles P. Jackson. †

Last radio contact at 0235LT while on a night reconnaissance mission. No trace of the aircraft nor the crew was found.
Crew:
Cpt Gene A. Culbertson,
1st Lt Alfred H. King,
A1c Robert R. St Mary.

On landing, the undercarriage collapsed and punctured the fuel tank. The aircraft slid on its belly for dozen yards and came to rest in flames on the runway. All 22 occupants evacuated safely before the aircraft would be destroyed by fire.

En route, weather conditions deteriorated and the pilot decided to bail out and abandoned the aircraft that dove into the ground and crashed in Roswell. While the airplane was destroyed upon impact, the pilot was unhurt.