Desert

While performing a routine training flight from March AFB, the crew encountered an unexpected situation and all 14 occupants were forced to abandon the aircraft that dove into the ground and crashed in a desert area located 20 miles northeast of Desert Center. There were no injuries but the aircraft was destroyed.

An engine failed in flight, forcing the crew to abandon the aircraft and to bail out. Out of control, the airplane dove into the ground and crashed in a desert area located in the region of Winslow. The aircraft was destroyed upon impact while all crew members were found uninjured.

The Boeing B-50 was completing a training mission out of Davis-Monthan AFB and was carrying a crew of 13. While cruising at an assigned altitude of 9,000 feet, the aircraft collided with a USAF Boeing B-50 that was engaged in a refueling mission out of Davis-Monthan with 10 crew members on board. Both aircraft went into a dive and crashed in a desert area located in the region of Comobabi, about 50 miles west of Tucson. On board the B-29, six crew members were killed while four others were injured. On board the B-50, seven crew members were killed while six others were injured. The exact circumstances of the collision remains unclear.

The KB-29M aircraft was engaged in a refueling mission out of Davis-Monthan and was carrying a crew of 10. While cruising at an assigned altitude of 9,000 feet, the aircraft collided with a USAF Boeing B-50 that was completing a training sortie from Davis-Monthan with a crew of 13 on board. Both aircraft went into a dive and crashed in a desert area located in the region of Comobabi, about 50 miles west of Tucson. On board the B-29, six crew members were killed while four others were injured. On board the B-50, seven crew members were killed while six others were injured. The exact circumstances of the collision remains unclear.

The four engine aircraft christened 'Star of Maryland' left Cairo-Faruk Airport at 0135LT and was cleared to climb to 14,000 feet. While flying to the northwest at an altitude of 10,000 feet, the engine number three caught fire. The propeller was feathered but the crew was unable to extinguish the fire. the Cairo control tower received a routine position report at 23:55Z "off Cairo 2335 25 miles out of Cairo at 2343 estimated time of arrival Rome 0530" which was acknowledged but the flight did not reply with the customary "Roger". No other message was received from the flight despite frequent attempts to contact it by several stations. At or about the time of the receipt of the above message a number of persons on the desert to the northwest of Cairo saw the aircraft afire in flight. The aircraft turned back as if intending to land at Cairo, but the fire rapidly increased, causing the burning engine to fall free. The crew attempted a night emergency landing in a desert area located about 100 km northwest of Cairo. The aircraft crashed and disintegrated on impact. All 55 occupants were killed, among them tourists, engineers and US diplomats.

The crew was performing a local training flight from George AFB when the twin engine aircraft collided in unknown circumstances with a second USAF Douglas B-26B Invader registered 44-34677. Out of control, both aircraft crashed into the El mirage desert area located about 12 miles northwest of George AFB. One pilot survived while the second crewman was killed. On the second aircraft, both crew members were killed.

The crew was performing a local training flight from George AFB when the twin engine aircraft collided in unknown circumstances with a second USAF Douglas B-26B Invader registered 44-34174. Out of control, both aircraft crashed into the El mirage desert area located about 12 miles northwest of George AFB. Both crew members were killed. On the second aircraft, a crewman survived while the second occupant was killed.

The aircraft left Aoulef Airfield at 0245LT bound for Bidon V. During the next 15 to 30 minutes, the crew maintained few radio contacts with the ground and eventually, the contact was lost around 0300LT. SAR operations were conducted and the crew of a GLAM Douglas DC-4 found the wreckage about 30 hours later, around 1815LT some 50 km west of the trail leading from Reggan to Bidon V. The debris were scattered on more than 2 km about 106 km southwest of Aoulef and all 26 occupants have been killed. Most of the passengers were locals from Bamako flying back home for vacations after studying in France. It is believed that an explosion occurred in the left wing in flight, most probably in the fuel tank, causing the left wing to detach. In such conditions, the aircraft was uncontrollable. The exact cause of the detonation remains unknown.
Crew:
Cpt Le Monigou 3.

The crew was engaged in a navigational exercice from Davis-Monthan AFB. About 19 minutes after takeoff, while cruising at the assigned altitude of 12,700 feet, a propeller blade failed on the engine number three. The engine vibrated and detached from its mount. It then struck the right wing and the fuselage, causing a fire. Out of control, the aircraft dove into the ground and six of the ten crew members were able to bail out before the aircraft crashed in a desert area located about 44 miles northeast of Davis-Monthan AFB.
Crew (43rd BW):
Cpt Vaughn S. Lautenschlager, pilot,
Lt Jerome McCarville, copilot,
Cpt Patrick Montoya, navigator,
Cpt Alvin Tonne, bombardier,
Sgt Earl Hornbuckle, flight engineer,
Lt Arthur Weisberg, observer,
Sgt Robert Jones, radio operator, †
Sgt Harold Martin, gunner, †
Sgt Robert O'Daniel, gunner, †
Cpl James Adcock, gunner. †

The crew was engaged in a local training sortie from Fāyid AFB and was carrying a crew of ten that should simulate a combined attack with a RAF Vampire. Registered VZ188, the Vampire was carrying one pilot. In flight, while cruising at low height, both aircraft collided, dove into the ground and crashed 11 miles northeast of the Fāyid airbase. All 11 occupants on both aircraft were killed. It was reported that most of the crew members were cadets on vacation in the region.