This is a list of notable accidents and incidents involving military aircraft grouped by the year in which the accident or incident occurred. Not all of the aircraft were in operation at the time. Combat losses are not included except for a very few cases denoted by singular circumstances.
Information on aircraft gives the type, and if available, the serial number of the operator in italics, the construction number (c/n), also known as the manufacturer's serial number, exterior codes in apostrophes, nicknames (if any) in quotation marks, flight call sign in italics, and operating units.
1955
1955
On its 205th flight, the first prototype
Cessna XT-37-CE, 54–716, c/n 40001, first flown 12 October 1954, becomes uncontrollable during spin tests and crashes in Kansas, Cessna test pilot Robert S. "Bob" Hagan[1] ejecting successfully.[2]
5 January
Two
Boeing B-47E Stratojets of the
44th Bomb Wing from
Lake Charles AFB, Louisiana, collide over the
Gulf of Mexico during refuelling Wednesday night, causing one to crash and the other to limp home to base with damage, sans its observer who bailed out over the Gulf. Air-sea rescue teams began a search of the Gulf in an area some 30 miles (48 km) SE of
Cameron, Louisiana, on the Gulf coast.[3] B-47E-5-DT, 52-029, is lost with all three crew. The observer who bailed out was also never found.[4] The pilot of the recovered bomber stated that the lost plane apparently smashed down on his aircraft from above, "leaving wheel tracks on the cabin before it spun off to crash in Gulf waters. Capt. Morris E. Shiver, 29, of
Albany, Ga., said, 'We never knew what hit us,' as the two six-jet bombers crashed together Wednesday night about 30 miles (48 km) southeast of Cameron, La. An armada of planes and ships searched Thursday for the four airmen missing after the crash. Three of them were aboard the B-47 which plunged into the Gulf, while the fourth, 1st Lt. Matthew Gemery, of
Lakewood, Ohio, an observer, could have returned on his limping plane had he waited another minute before ejecting himself. They identified Maj. Sterling T. Carroll, 33, of
Port Arthur, Tex., as the commander of the plane that returned, and Shiver as the pilot. The other three missing airmen were Maj. Jean S. Pierson, of
Danville, Ind., aircraft commander; Capt. David O. Crump, of
Albemarle, N.C. [sic], copilot, and father of six children, and 1st Lt. Rodney P. Egelston of
Levelland, Tex., observer-bombardier."[5]
6 January
"
BRAMAN, Okla. (
AP) – A crippled
B47 six-engine jet bomber barrel-rolled, crashed and exploded in a wheat field a mile east of here Thursday, killing all three crewmen aboard. The plane, from
McConnell Air Force Base,
Wichita, Kan., disintegrated into hundreds of pieces after the explosion in this farm area of North Central Oklahoma near the Kansas border. Maj. Lawrence Tacker of McConnell AFB identified the dead as: Capt. Wayne E. Andrew of
Yellow Springs, Ohio, commander of the plane; 1st Lt. Joseph C. Cook, co-pilot, Sunland, Calif.; Capt. William C. Berry, observer,
Dayton, Ohio. The wives and families of the men are living temporarily in Wichita. O. O. McMasters, who lives here, said he heard the plane coming from the north and in distress. McMasters said it suddenly barrel-rolled and crashed. A crater 10 to 12 feet deep (4 m) was left in the pasture. Bits of the crewmen's bodies and the plane were scattered for hundreds of yards. The plane landed on the Horne farm and the explosion was so great it rocked Bramen a mile away."[6] B-47B-30-BW Stratojet, 51-2086, of the 3520th Flying Training Wing lost.[4][7]
The crash of a
Lockheed T-33A Shooting Star in the
Shadow Mountains in the
Mojave Desert, while en route from
Perrin Air Force Base, Texas, to
George Air Force Base, California, kills two crew just 18 miles (29 km) short of their destination. "The plane crashed as the pilot lost radio contact with George AFB,
Victorville, in a heavy snowstorm while approaching from
Williams AFB,
Phoenix, Thursday. A George helicopter sighted the wreckage on the east side of snow-covered Shadow Mountain, 18 miles northwest of Victorville, and a search party reached the plane later Friday. The Perrin trainer was on a routine flight. It had stopped at Williams to refuel." Perrin officials identified the dead as Capt. Donald McLaren, 30, and 2d Lt. Richard Delehanty, 24, both of
Sherman, Texas.[12] Ground parties had set out from
March Air Force Base,
Riverside, on Thursday to search for the plane and its crew as bad weather delayed an air search.[13] Shadow Mountain, an isolated peak, is located about 6 miles (9.7 km) due east of the main chain of the range. It has a peak elevation of 1,279 meters (4,196 ft).[14] T-33A-1-LO, 51-9115,[7] was involved.[11]
6 January
"Tokyo (
AP) – Two planes, presumably U. S. jets, collided high over
Tokyo Bay Friday night in a blinding flash of light that startled thousands of residents.
U. S. Far East Air Force headquarters said a
Sabre jet fighter and a jet trainer from nearby
Yokota Air Base were missing."[15] "Tokyo (AP) – The U.S. Air Force today released the names of three Air Force pilots killed Thursday night when two jet planes collided over Tokyo Bay. The pilots were identified as 2nd Lt. Kenneth E. Heeter, son of Mr. and Mrs. Floyd E. Heeter of
Emlenton, PA.; 2nd Lt. William O. Edwards, son of Mrs. E.D. Edwards of
Beaucoup, Ill., and Capt. Milan Mosny, son of John Mosny,
Little Falls, NY. Heeter was piloting an F86 Sabre jet and Edwards and Mosny were in a
T33 trainer when their planes collided during a night training mission. After the collision the planes plummeted into Tokyo Bay. Two of the bodies have been recovered and search is continuing for the third. The Air Force did not say which bodies have been recovered.[16] F-86D-45-NA Sabre, 52-3983, and T-33A-1-LO Shooting Star, 52-9749, were involved.[11][17]
7 January
A pilot suffered first and second degree burns when his
North American F-86D Sabre crashed on takeoff from
Norton AFB, California, when the engine flamed out as he departed the runway at 16:19. 1st Lt. Robert L. Buss, from
Selfridge AFB,
Mount Clemens, Michigan, reached an altitude of c. 400 feet (120 m) after leaving the west end of the east-west runway and a speed of c. 160 knots (300 km/h; 180 mph) when the engine failed. It crashed about 400 yards (370 m) from the air strip 140 feet (43 m) west of Alabama Street and south of 3rd Street, near the
Santa Ana River Wash. The plane was headed for Alabama Street, which was carrying heavy north-south traffic. "Officials at Norton praised the young pilot for his courage in making a 45-degree right turn with the dead plane to avoid crashing on the thoroughfare. Lt. Buss said he first struck a small embankment causing the fuel tank to explode before the plane began grinding to a halt 200 yards away. One wing was ripped from the craft on impact. The pilot's clothing caught fire when the fuel tank exploded. After crawling from the blazing craft he tore off his outer garments and rolled in the sand, saving his own life." Floyd K. Smith, chief of Office for Information Services at the
San Bernardino installation, said that the pilot, rushed immediately to the base hospital, was from the
13th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron at Selfridge AFB. He is single and believed a resident of that base. Smith stated that Buss was on his way to the
Fresno Air Terminal and had stopped for fuel at Norton earlier in the day.[18] F-86D-40-NA, 52- 3794,[17] was involved.[11]
9 January
A U.S. Navy
Beechcraft JRB-4 with three aboard goes missing while on a flight from
Monterey, California, to
Norton AFB, California. On board were LT Marshall Hand, of
La Mesa Village, Monterey, pilot; LT Lasley K. Lacewell Jr., of
Carmel, California copilot; and a sailor passenger, Haskel Lewis Reichbach, fireman of the
USS Badoeng Strait (CVE-116), berthed in
San Diego. Still missing by mid-week, despite the search efforts of the Air Force, Navy, Coast Guard, Civil Air Patrol and Army National Guard, "At dawn Thursday, 51 military planes coordinated by the
42nd Air Rescue Squadron at
March Air Force Base will continue the search." Wreckage discovered near
Corona in
Silverado Canyon Wednesday turned out to be from another accident several years ago. According to
CAA officials at
Ontario International Airport who were the last to hear from the missing craft, the plane is believed to be down somewhere in the snow-covered
San Bernardino Mountains.[19] The
SNB-2 Navigator, BuNo 67260, crashed into a ridge on
Cajon Mountain above
Cajon Pass in a rugged area of
chaparral. All on board killed.[20][21] The crash site was discovered on 13 January at about the 5,000-foot (1,500 m) level of Cajon Mountain.
13 January
Former Navy pilot, now a test pilot for
Douglas Aircraft Company,
James B. Verdin, 36, is killed this date when he bails out of
A4D Skyhawk, BuNo 137815, at 30,000 feet (9,100 m) during a test flight near
Victorville, California, and his parachute fails to open. Douglas company officials said that he radioed that he was bailing out shortly before the fighter-bomber crashed and burned. The wreckage was sighted at dusk 25 miles (40 km) northwest of Victorville between
Haystack Butte and
Highway 395 by helicopters from
Edwards AFB. Verdin's body was not in the wreckage. The Los Angeles Sheriff's Office said a parachute was reported in the northeast section of the county shortly after the crash. Search parties were dispatched to the area, which is partially snow-covered. Temperatures were near freezing.[22] The pilot's body was spotted at 15:00 Friday 14 January, on the desert floor eleven miles (18 km) south of Kramer Junction, about a mile east of Highway 395. It was found c. three miles (5 km) northeast of the aircraft wreckage by a ground party composed of personnel from
Camp Irwin,
Edwards AFB and
George AFB. "Aiding in the widespread search by several thousand men afoot, on horseback and automobile was a posse from the
San Bernardino County sheriff's office under the direction of Capt. Jack Miller of the
Victorville substation." Scores of military and civilian planes were also involved. Confirmation that it was Verdin's body was made by Edwards AFB officers who landed at the scene in a helicopter a few minutes after the discovery. Verdin's helmet and part of his canopy were found about a mile south of where his body fell. Coroner R. E. Williams said that the body was removed from the scene by Air Force personnel.[23] YA4D-1 Skyhawk, BuNo 137815, the third pre-production airframe, written off.[24] Verdin, as a Navy lieutenant commander, had set an absolute speed record of 752.9 miles per hour (1,211.7 km/h) on a three-kilometer course over the
Salton Sea in an
F4D Skyray on 5 October 1953. He left the service in June 1954 to take a test pilot job with Douglas.
15 January
The U.S. Air Force grounds its
Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcars for a fleetwide engine inspection after incidents and accidents led to four forced or crashed landings within a week. A total of 145 paratroopers and air force crew were involved in the four accidents in which two men were killed. "Thirty-five airborne infantrymen and three crewmen parachuted to safety when an engine burst into flames Tuesday shortly after a C-119 took off from
Sewart Air Force Base, Tenn. The pilot and co-pilot were killed in that crash. Just hours before the Tennessee crash, 33 paratroopers bailed out when an engine caught fire on their plane near
Miles City, Montana. Pilot – Capt. T. G. Johnson, of Sewart AFB then guided the plane to the
Miles City Airport without incident. Thirty-three paratroopers jumped to safety over
Fairbanks, Alaska, Thursday when one engine of their plane failed. Lt. Robert Bruckner, pilot; Lt. Herbert T. Kurse, co-pilot, and six crewmen rode the plane to safety at
Ladd AFB. Another C-119 engine failed Saturday shortly after the twin-engined Flying Boxcar took off from
Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota, but the pilot safely landed the plane, which was carrying 33 paratroopers and three other crew members." Officers at
Anchorage said that "Exercise Snowbird" schedules on troop and other aircraft movement would not be affected by the inspection, which is relatively simple. Sixty C-119s involved in the exercise arrived at
Elmendorf AFB, Alaska, from Sewart AFB, and 16 more were en route. Officers said that engine inspections were being performed at stations along the way as well as at Anchorage.[25] The airframe lost in the fatal Sewart AFB incident was C-119G, 52-5949, c/n 11136, which crashed five miles northeast of the base.[17][26]
16 January
"
EL TORO (
AP) – A 30-year-old
Long Beach policeman, on weekend flying duties with the Navy, was killed Sunday when his prop-driven fighter plane crashed in a muddy field near here. The
Los Alamitos Naval Air Station identified the pilot as LTJG Robert Everett Hagen, 5039 Rose Avenue, Long Beach. Hagen, who flew one weekend a month in a reserve squadron, had just taken off on a routine training flight in the
Vought-Corsair plane. He leaves his wife, Betty, and four daughters; Mary Lou, 12, Patricia Ann, 6, and twins Jennifer Joan and Jane Margaret, 8."[27]
17 January
U.S. Navy
Lockheed C-121J Super Constellation, BuNo 131639, c/n 4140,[28] departs
Harmon AFB,
Newfoundland, at 04:22 for a "routine transport flight" to its home-station,
NAS Patuxent River, Maryland. At 0500, while over
Prince Edward Island, two engines fail. The flight attempts to return to Harmon and a
Boeing B-29 is dispatched to escort the crippled C-121, rendezvousing with it at 0504 over
Cabot Strait, between
Newfoundland and
Cape Breton Island,
Nova Scotia. Twelve minutes later, the Constellation shut off its lights and other electrical equipment to facilitate the dumping of excess fuel. Within minutes the bomber lost radar contact with the transport and it vanished. The Constellation went into a stormy sea amidst clouds and fog. The B-29 circled the area and finally spotted five life rafts and life jackets amidst wreckage at 06:45, but no survivors. The six crew and seven passengers, twelve men and one woman, were lost. The plane's pilot was identified as LCDR L. R. Fullmer Jr., of
Little Rock, Arkansas. The woman aboard was identified as Seaman Jeanette W. Elmer, 22, of
Syracuse, New York.[29]
19 January
"
OXNARD (
AP) – An Air Force
T33 jet trainer made a successful forced landing in soft mud after its engine quit at 8,000 feet. Marine Maj. Edward LeFaivre, 33,
Baltimore, Md., on temporary duty at
Oxnard AFB, and Lt. Stanley Green, 23,
Inglewood, were in the plane. Neither was injured, the Air Force said. The landing was made in a field about three miles (5 km) south of the base."[30] T-33A-1-LO, 52-9760,[11] was repaired and placed back in service, finally being retired to MASDC on 1 February 1985.[17]
19 January
"
TRIPOLI,
Libya (
AP) – Lt. Stanford Nall, 28, of Meridian, Calif., was killed Wednesday when his
F86F Sabre jet crashed into the
Mediterranean eight miles northwest of
Wheelus Field, the U.S. Air Force said Friday."[31]
19 January
"
HONOLULU (
AP) – The Navy said Friday night the transport
Fred C. Ainsworth rescued all seven survivors of a twin-engined Navy amphibian forced down Wednesday night in the
Central Pacific. The transport radioed that it had picked up the men at 06:50 (08:50 PST), the
Hawaiian Sea Frontier said. Only a few hours before the rescue, the seven airmen had transferred from their life raft to a
33-foot lifeboat dropped by an air force plane. The lifeboat was about 665 miles northwest of
Kwajalein, destination of the plane which developed engine trouble while flying from
Johnston Island. The survivors reported by a
walkie-talkie dropped to them that there were no casualties but some fever had developed. Coast Guard LT Martin W. Flesh was commander of the search plane which sighted the survivors. In Washington, the Navy identified the seven as LT James Gotfray Measel, pilot,
Norfolk, Va.; ENS Harrison Bernard Nordstrom, ENS Robert Nason Gardon, navigator,
Watertown, Mass.; Aviation Electronics Technician 2nd Class Robert D. Frame,
Memphis, Tenn.; Aviation Machinist's Mate 2nd Class Edward James Nowark,
Buffalo, N. Y.; Aviation Machinist's Mate 1st Class William Clement Pavey,
Warwick, R. I.; and Aviation Electronics Technician 2nd Class Jerome Joseph Warras,
Detroit, Mich."[32]
20 January
"
SAN DIEGO (
AP) – A Navy
F9F2 Panther jet fighter crashed into a
Navy Retraining Command prison area near here Thursday, killing the pilot. He was identified as LT Douglas Mosser, 31, of
La Jolla, Calif. He is survived by his wife, Ann; a son, Bruce, 1; and his mother, Mrs. Anna S. Mosser,
Chinook, Mont. Parts of the exploding craft struck a warehouse and set it afire. A wing was seen to fall from the plane as it came in for a landing at
Miramar Naval Air Station, across
U.S. Highway 395 across from the Retraining Command's
Camp Elliott. It rolled over and struck between the warehouse and another building, about a mile from the Miramar runway. The Navy said none of its personnel, including the 900 Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard prisoners confined for various offenses, was in the immediate area of the crash."[33]
"
STUTTGART, Germany (
UP) – A crippled U. S. Army helicopter and a second helicopter racing to its rescue both crashed in flames Thursday night, killing all six aboard, the
7th Army announced Friday. German police said one of the helicopters developed trouble over an open field and cracked up in an emergency landing shortly before midnight. It burst into flames. A second helicopter on night maneuvers dropped down to rescue the three crewmen but also piled up and caught fire."[36] These may have been either
Bell H-13 Sioux or
Sikorsky H-19 Chickasaws;
Sikorsky H-34 Choctaws were not delivered to the Army until later in 1955.
28 January
"
WARNER SPRINGS, Calif. (
AP) – A Navy jet fighter crashed Friday four miles north of here, killing the pilot. A second Navy man was fatally injured in a helicopter accident at the crash scene. The pilot was ENS L. R. Nelson, 23, stationed at
Miramar Naval Air Station at
San Diego, 60 miles southeast of here. The second man was not immediately identified. He was an enlisted man stationed at a Navy fliers' mountain survival school near here. Nelson's
F9F5 Panther jet hit the top of a knoll while making a low-level pass on routine maneuvers. The Navy said a Coast Guard helicopter called to the scene from San Diego began to roll down a slope on landing. Its tail rotor hit the ground and flew apart. A piece of the rotor struck the enlisted man."[37]
22 February
Fifth of 13
North American X-10s, GM-19311, c/n 5, on X-10 flight number 13, out of
Edwards AFB,
California, has supersonic flight aborted when
afterburners fail. Automated landing fails when chute deploys during radio controlled approach, causing the vehicle to plunge into the desert and be destroyed.[38]
2 March
Two
Panther F9F-5 jets were destroyed in a mid-air collision over a remote area of Southern California. The jets crashed near the ghost town of
Ogilby, California while one of the airmen was joining a formation during a gunnery training mission. US Naval Reserve pilot LTJG William Edward Nichols was killed while US Marine Corps Captain J. C. Gardner, 33, of Waldorf, Maryland ejected and parachuted to safety. Nichols was attached to
Fighter Squadron 93 at
Moffett Field but was on temporary duty to
El Centro Naval Auxiliary Air Station. Gardner was based out of the
Marine Air Base at El Toro, California and attached to squadron
VMAT-102. Nichols, 24, was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Barney Nichols of San Pablo, California.[39][40]
9 March 1955
William Edward McLaughlin crashed fighter jet while taking off an aircraft carrier off the coast of California.[citation needed]
11 March
Third of 13
North American X-10s, GM-19309, c/n 3, on X-10 flight number 14, out of
Edwards AFB,
California, first flight of refitted c/n 3, the static test article. Vehicle exploded on gear retraction two seconds after lift-off – it was found that the destruct package was wired to the gear circuit instead of the engine circuit.[38]
The first significant
Nike Ajax missile accident occurs at
Fort George G. Meade,
Maryland, on a rainy afternoon this date, when, at 12:35, Battery C, 36th AAA Missile Battalion, located south of Maryland 602 (now
Route 198), was "practicing Nike procedures" when the rocket booster on an Ajax which was being elevated on its launcher suddenly ignites and the missile takes off. Crewman SFC Stanley C. Kozak, standing seven feet away, is caught in the flareback from booster ignition and suffers minor burns. Initial reports stated that the missile exploded about three miles (5 km) away, "several thousand feet in the air." Later accounts state that the missile, which was not in the fully upright launch position when it unexpectedly left the rail, suffered structural damage as it took off, "coupled with rapid initial acceleration, rendered the missile aerodynamically unsound and led to the break up. The fact the crew had not removed the propulsion safety pin during the drill contributed to the failure of the sustainer motor to start. And, since the launch was unintended, the missile was not under radar control. Neither the missile nor the booster exploded in flight. The booster separated and fell onto Barber's Trailer Court more than a mile from the launch site. Fuel tank fragments fell on the
Baltimore-Washington Expressway where the fuel and oxidizer caused a fire but little or no damage. The missile nose section was found 500 yards from the launcher with the guidance assembly still attached." The Army board of inquiry isolated the cause as an electrical short caused by rain water in the junction box on the outside rear of the launcher control trailer. This condition defeated the crew's pre-launch safety checks.[43]
18 April
Second prototype
Lockheed XF-104A Starfighter, 53-7787, c/n 083-0002, is lost when airframe sheds the bottom ejection seat hatch fairing during 20 mm gun firing causing an explosive decompression. Test pilot
Herman R. "Fish" Salmon ejected as aircraft broke up, injured landing in rough country.[44] Joe Baugher cites date of 14 April for this accident.
28 April
Ten crew are "killed while flying" (KWF) when a
Boeing B-29A-40-BN, 44-61677,[45] piloted by Victor C. Marston,[46] of the
581st Air Resupply Group,
20th Air Force, on a routine low-level training mission, strikes a hill on the south end of
Okinawa,[47] three miles (5 km) from
Naha Airport, as it gropes through overcast.[48] This was the 581st's first major accident.[47] Sp3C Lee L. Bean, Artillery, U.S. Army, on duty with the First Composite Service Unit, is awarded the
Soldier's Medal for his attempts to rescue any survivors when he voluntarily enters the fiercely burning wreckage in which oxygen bottles are exploding and removes several victims with no regard for his own safety before abandoning his efforts when it becomes clear that there are none alive.[49]
3 May
Four U.S. Army personnel are killed in a nighttime crash of a helicopter on main post at
Fort Benning, Georgia.[50] A
Sikorsky H-19 Chickasaw crashed and burned in a heavily wooded area half a mile from a housing development while on a routine training flight at Fort Benning. Killed were: Capt. Earl J. Scott, pilot; Capt. Robert F. Carter, pilot; SFC. Herman W. Punke; and Sgt. Horace G. Connor.[51]
5 May
A twin engine target tow plane,
Douglas JD-1 Invader,[52] the U.S. Navy variant of the Air Force
B-26, crashes six miles south of the Jackson Creek Ranch[53] in the
Black Rock Desert. A
McDonnell F2H Banshee cut the tow cable, the target plane went into a dive and crashed. One enlisted man bailed out and survived, three others killed. The Banshee returned to
Fallon Naval Auxiliary Station with a gash in its wing.[54]
8 May
An
Ohio Air National Guard pilot, Maj. Charles C. Cook, 30, of
Dayton, stays with his ship in order to give other crew a chance to bail out of their
Douglas C-47A-10-DK, 42-108869, c/n 12538,[55][56] when it developed engine trouble en route from
Friendship Airport, south of
Baltimore, Maryland, to
Columbus. Of the 15 aboard, 11 elect to parachute. Three others stayed with the pilot or did not have time to jump, all of whom survived the crash landing with relatively minor or no injuries when the plane came down in the
Belmont County Hills near
St. Clairsville. One of the men who took to the chute was killed. He is identified as Sgt. Thurl Warren Starcher, 46,
New Philadelphia. Five others were admitted to the
Barnesville, Ohio, General Hospital; one with serious injuries. The plane was carrying 11 members of the all-Ohio National Guard rifle team on a return flight from Friendship Airport, Air National Guard officials said.[57]
13 May
On seventh and final flight of
Northrop N-69A test vehicle for the
Northrop XSM-62 Snark, only two of which were successful, mission was cut short when the missile collided with its
T-33A photo plane.[58]
17 May
"
PORTSMOUTH, England
AP – A navy fighter plane crashed into the funnel of the 36,000-ton British aircraft carrier
Eagle today during deck landing exercises in the
English Channel. The pilot was seriously injured. The admiralty said the plane was given a signal to make another circuit as it came into land. The pilot increased speed but the engine stalled and the plane plowed into the rear of the funnel, burying the engine in the steam pipes."[59] First cruise for full-scale training exercises without operational restrictions for the
Westland Wyvern S Mk. 4, deployed aboard
HMS Eagle with Nos. 813 and 827 Squadrons, begins inauspiciously when
Wyvern, VZ785, '135/J', of
827 Naval Air Squadron,[60] attempting a go-around after misjudged approach, strikes ship's funnel, forcing the carrier to return to Portsmouth to have
Armstrong Siddeley Python turboprop engine extracted from funnel "in which it was stuck like a dart." Repairs delay cruise by a fortnight.[61] An article published in the 1976 debut issue of Air Enthusiast Quarterly, by William Green and Gordon Swanborough, with Harald Penrose, incorrectly gives the accident date as 30 September 1955.
18 May
McDonnell Aircraft Corporation engineering test pilot Robert H. Strange is killed in the crash of an
F3H-1N Demon naval fighter, BuNo 133495, after the
J40 engine flamed out. He had just completed a dive from 40,000 feet, above
Mach, to test dynamic pressure in the radar compartment under these conditions. The engine died above 25,000 feet. The pilot tried repeated restarts with no luck until he had descended to 5,000 feet,[62] at which point he radioed that he was abandoning the plane and attempted to eject. The McDonnell-designed seat failed and Strange was killed as the jet impacted a cornfield near
Carrollton, Illinois, about 55 miles northeast of
St. Louis, barely missing a farm home "as it plowed a 15-foot furrow in the earth. Strange's body was about 100 feet from the wreckage."[63] Strange was born in
Sumter, South Carolina, in 1922. He joined the U.S. Navy as an aviation cadet in June 1942, and ended up flying with Marine air, 1943–1946. He was awarded the Air Medal, with two gold stars, and the Distinguished Flying Cross. He graduated from
Clemson Agricultural College of South Carolina with a degree in mechanical engineering in 1948, and did engineering work for
Curtiss-Wright and
Frigidaire for three years. He then served with the
Marines again from 1951 to 1953. Strange joined the McDonnell Corporation as a design engineer in November 1953, becoming a test pilot in October 1954. He is survived by his wife Shirley, and four children, David, Douglas, Susan and Jeffrey.[62]
25 May
Convair B-36J-5-CF Peacemaker, 52-2818A, c/n 374, of the
6th Bomb Wing, call sign Abbott 27, on a routine training flight, crashes at c. 23:05. CST, in the southwest corner of
Glasscock County, Texas, on the Drannon Ranch, c. 18.5 miles (29.8 km) southwest of
Sterling City, Texas. The aircraft had apparently disintegrated due to thunderstorm or tornadic activity, losing its outer wing panels and all tail control surfaces, and impacted in a flat attitude with little forward motion. Aircraft wreckage was found in a 25 x 3-mile (4.8 km) path on a heading of 66 degrees true. None of the 15 members of crew L-22 were able to escape the damaged bomber and all hatches and ports were found still in place. The wings and forward fuselage burned on impact, with only the rear fuselage remaining. The aircraft had been preparing to land at
Walker AFB, New Mexico, when it was lost. Due to the extended period that the crash site was kept secured while crew remains were recovered and identified, and wreckage from the disintegration was searched for (almost a week), there was some question as to whether the B-36 was armed with a nuclear weapon, but there is no evidence to support this.[64]
27 May
A
Boeing B-47E-10-DT Stratojet, 52-054, returning from a night navigation training mission after slightly more than two hours aloft crashes on the runway at
Lincoln AFB, Nebraska, at 02:54 while landing.[65] Brake parachute failed and it overran the runway – no injuries. Joe Baugher cites date of 24 May. John Kodsi, aircraft commander, and Sgt. Edward Seagraves, plus two other crew survive.[66]
While approaching
USS Oriskany (CV-34) for a night landing in the
Sea of Japan, U.S. naval aviator LT
John R. C. Mitchell's
McDonnell F2H Banshee begins to sink. Mitchell turns but fails to clear the ship and crashes into the ship's fantail. The rear half of the airplane falls into the ocean in flames, but Mitchell sustains only minor injuries. Five sailors sleeping on the fantail are injured. When Mitchell calls the ship's ready room to report his status, the officers to whom he speaks initially refuse to believe that he is still alive. The incident will be immortalized in The Right Stuff by
Tom Wolfe, which refers to Mitchell by the alias of "accident-prone Mitch Johnson".[72][73]
5 July
Sole prototype
Supermarine Type 529, VX136, crashes while flying out of
Boscombe Down, this date.[74] Aircraft entered a spin at 10,000 ft which deteriorated into a flat spin from which the pilot, Lt. Cdr. Rickell, could not recover. Late ejection due to problems with jettisoning the canopy and operating the ejector seat – the seat did not have time to separate, nor did the parachute have time to fully deploy – Pilot killed on impact with the ground. The aircraft was completely destroyed.[75]
14 July
Vought F7U-3 Cutlass, BuNo 129595, 'D 412', of
VF-124, suffers
ramp strike on landing aboard
USS Hancock during carrier qualifications off the California coast,[77] disintegrating airframe spins off portside; pilot LCDR Jay Alkire, USNR, executive officer of VF-124, killed when airframe sinks, still strapped into ejection seat; also killed are two boatswain's mates, one photographer's mate, in port catwalk by burning fuel.[citation needed] Dramatic footage shot from port catwalk exists showing burning fighter going over the side. Footage:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CT670dAzfo
4 August
Avro AshtonWB492 is damaged beyond repair at
RAF Pershore,
Worcestershire, United Kingdom, when a fire in the undercarriage causes severe damage to a main spar in one of the wings. The aircraft is Struck Off Charge on 30 November.[78]
8 August
Internal explosion aboard
Bell X-1A, 48-1384, while being carried aloft by
Boeing B-29 mothership, forces
NACA pilot
Joseph Albert Walker to exit aircraft back into the
Superfortress, which is then jettisoned due to the full fuel load it carries, the rocket-powered test craft coming down on the
Edwards AFB,
California bombing range.[79]
Sixth of 13
North American X-10s, GM-19312, c/n 6, on
Navaho X-10 flight number 16, out of
Edwards AFB, California, demonstrates planned automated landing on first AFMTC flight, but drag chute does not deploy after landing. The vehicle overruns the skid strip, the nosewheel collapses in the sand in the overrun, the tanks rupture, and the vehicle burns.[38][83]
Vought F7U-3 Cutlass, BuNo 129592, of
VF-124, misses all the wires during a landing aboard
USS Hancock, operating off of
Hawaii, and hits the barrier. "Although reported to have suffered only slight damage, it was struck off charge and never flew again."[84]
8 September
Boeing B-29A, 44-62264, from Kadena AB, Okinawa, Japan crashed into the water approximately 275 miles south-west of Okinawa after eight hours of flying on a routine low-level round robin training flight from Kadena, AB. Rescuers found an oil slick in the water along with life rafts and equipment from the aircraft, but unfortunately, they found no survivors or remains. Lost in the crash were: Pilots 1st Lt Wendell Von Bobber, Capt Walter Prolisco, and Maj Hubert Karcher, AOB 1st Lt Frank Mills, Navigators 2d Lt Robert George and Capt Richard Jones, VO 1st Lt Joseph Jelinek, FE's Maj Robert McConnell and TSgt LeRoy Nelson, Radio Operators SSgt Harold Matheis and A1C Bernard Hurteau, and Aerial Gunners A1C Maurice O'Shea and SSgt Thomas Steele. The cause of the crash remains unknown.
9 September
Douglas B-66 Destroyer, from
Hurlburt Field crashed near
Alvin, Texas. Three crew members aboard the plane bailed out after their plane developed trouble at 37,000 feet. Capt. Arthur J. Manzo, radar observer-navigator, was critically injured and died of his injuries 11 September 1957. Other crew members included 1st Lt. David E. Moore, pilot, and S/Sgt. Robert J. Newland, gunner.[85]
13 September
Six people were killed when a
North American B-25 suffered engine failure on takeoff from
Mitchel AFB, New York, and crashed into Greenfield Cemetery,
Hempstead, New York, five minutes after departure. Three of the victims were crew members, and three were passengers. The names of the dead were withheld pending notification of next of kin.[86] B-25J-35/37-NC, 45-8822, modified to TB-25N, then to VB-25N,[87] was piloted by James D. Judy.[88]
14 September
USAFDouglas A-26B-45-DL Invader, 44-34126, loses starboard engine on take off from 5,142-foot-long runway 12/30,
Mitchel AFB,
New York, runs through perimeter fence on southeast side of field, comes to rest on the
Hempstead Turnpike. Port undercarriage leg collapses, port prop blades bent. No injuries.[89] Another source identifies this airframe as A-26B-66-DL, 44-34626, and the pilot as John E. Mervyn.[88]
6 October
McDonnell Aircraft company test pilot George Shirley Mills bails out of
McDonnell F3H-2N Demon, BuNo 133549,[90] over
Carrollton, Illinois near
St. Louis, Missouri after what appears to be a massive systems failure, including the
J40 engine. Instead of crashing, fighter circles over two states for more than an hour sans canopy, ejection seat and pilot. It eventually impacts in cornfield near
Monticello, Iowa, 250 miles (400 km) from ejection.[91] Mills will pass away on 25 May 2007.[92] The whole J40 project, upon which
Westinghouse had staked their engine division's future, suffered developmental delays and never lived up to the performance expectations anticipated, and the engine was considered unusable due to reliability problems, especially in the development of a functional afterburner. The J40 project was cancelled entirely in 1955, and aircraft designed to use it were either cancelled outright, like the
Grumman XF10F Jaguar, downgraded in performance expectations like the F3H Demon (six airframes and four pilots lost out of the initial production run), with Time Magazine calling the Navy's grounding of all Westinghouse-powered F3H-1 Demons a "fiasco", with 21 unflyable planes that could be used only for Navy ground training at a loss of $200 million.[93] The
A3D Skywarrior and
F4D Skyray had been designed to permit replacement powerplants of a larger diameter and length and were subsequently fitted with the
Pratt & Whitney J57 in lieu of the troubled J40, but the F3H required an enlarged fuselage and revised wing to accommodate an
Allison J71, the only viable substitute, but even this combination was underpowered. The
Westinghouse Aviation Gas Turbine Division would shut down shortly thereafter.
13 October
A
Boeing B-47B-40-BW Stratojet, 51-2231, of the
320th Bombardment Wing,[94] crashes while taking off from
March Air Force Base, California, coming down in what is now the Sycamore Canyon Wilderness Park, northwest of the base. Capt. Edward Anthony O'Brien Jr., pilot, Capt. David James Clare, co-pilot, Major Thomas Francis Mulligan, navigator, and Capt. Joseph M. Graeber, chaplain, are all killed.[95] Crew chief Albert Meyer, of
Westchester, California, was not flying with his aircraft that day because he had already exceeded his flight hours. In the accident report, Col. Frederic Huish, investigation board president, concluded the primary cause of the accident was unknown, due to lack of positive evidence.[96][97]
A
Lockheed T-33A-1-LO Shooting Star trainer, 51-9227, crashes into
Santa Monica Bay.[100] Pilot Richard Martin Theiler, 28, and co-pilot Paul Dale Smith departed Los Angeles International Airport at 0215 PST aboard the T-33A, bound for
Yuma, Arizona. This was an
IFR departure, with instructions to report 2,000 feet (610 m) on top of overcast. The Los Angeles weather at the time was 1,200 feet (370 m) overcast, 4 miles (6.4 km) visibility, in haze and smoke. After they were given clearance for takeoff they were never seen nor heard from again.[101] Plane was found in 2009[102] by aviation archaeologist G. Pat Macha and a group of volunteers, in 100 feet of water.[95]
24 October
Eleventh of 13
North American X-10s, GM-52-4, c/n 11, on
Navaho X-10 flight number 17, out of
Cape Canaveral,
Florida, an engine problem results in a mission abort. After autolanding the nose wheel develops a shimmy, the vehicle runs off the skid strip, catches fire, and is destroyed.[38]
25 October
Boeing WB-29A-35-BN Superfortress, 44-61600, c/n 11077, of the
53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, out of
RAF Burtonwood, experiences multiple problems including failed fuel feed pump, head winds, while returning from "Falcon" mission to polar region; pilot orders bail out of crew shortly before midnight as fuel exhaustion becomes critical, all eleven survive, with only one minor injury. Aircraft comes down near
Kirkby Lonsdale,
Lancashire, England, burns, only rear fuselage and tail remaining intact.[103][104]
2 November
Air Force
Douglas B-26C-45-DT Invader, 44-35737, crashed into houses on Barbara Drive in
East Meadow,
Long Island,
New York. An aerial photograph of the crash scene, "Bomber Crashes in Street", by George Mattson, of the New York Daily News, earned him, and 25 of his newspaper colleagues, the 1956
Pulitzer Prize Photography Award.[105] KWF are Captain Clayton Elwood and Sergeant Charles Slater.[106]
4 November
While operating in the Pacific with the
7th Fleet,
USS Hancock flies aboard
Vought F7U-3 Cutlass, BuNo 129586, 'D',[107] of
VF-124, but tailhook floats over all wires, jet hits barrier, and ejection seat is jarred into firing when nose gear collapses.[108][109] Pilot LTJG George Barrett Milliard,[110] in his seat, is thrown 200 feet down the deck and suffers fatal injuries when he strikes the tail of an
AD Skyraider. Airframe written off.
17 November
Douglas MC-54M Skymaster, 44-9068A, c/n 27294/DO240, tail number O-49068, built as a C-54E-5-DO and later converted to an MC-54M, attached to the 57th Air Transport Squadron,
1700th Air Transport Group, of the
Military Air Transport Service, at
Kelly AFB,
Texas, piloted by 1st Lt. George Manuel Pappas Jr., 27, and co-piloted by 2d Lt. Paul E. Winham, 24, crashes into
Mount Charleston,[111] c. 20 miles (32 km) WNW of
Las Vegas, Nevada, at c. 08:19, while on a routine flight with technical personnel from the
Lockheed "
Skunk Works" at
Burbank, California, where it had picked up passengers after departing
Norton Air Force Base, California.[112] Aboard were a mixture of military staffers and civilian subcontractors, engineers and technicians. It was en route to
Groom Lake, Nevada, the secret Area 51, when it was blown off course by a severe storm, killing all 14 on board, nine civilians and five military.[113] A 60-knot crosswind had pushed the C-54 into a canyon towards the mountain. The aircraft was climbing, using rated military power, with 10–15 degrees of flaps to get on top of the overcast, when it impacted, skipped about 60 feet, and slid another 20 feet before partially burning, coming to rest almost at the crest of the ridge.[114] Because of the secrecy involved with the
Lockheed U-2 project, the C-54 crew was never in contact with Air Traffic Control, and, off course and lost in clouds, an error in plotting the position of the Skymaster in relation to the
Spring Mountains range resulted in the crash only 50 feet below the crest of an 11,300-foot ridge leading to the peak of
Mount Charleston. Military guards prevented newsmen from approaching the crash area, and a cover story was issued that this was a business flight to the
Atomic Energy Commission's
Nevada Test Site.[114] Lockheed subsequently assumes responsibility for the flights to "Watertown", using a company-owned
C-47.[115] Pappas had logged 1,383 hours flying C-54s, and co-pilot Paul Winham, 682 hours. Pappas was posthumously promoted to the grade of Captain, USAF, effective 15 September 1955, as announced in Department of the Air Force Letter Orders dated 2 December 1955.[116] Also KWF were Flight Engineer Tech S/Sgt. Clayton D. Farris, 26; and Flight Attendant Guy R. Fasolas, and ten others: S/Sgt. John Hamilton Gaines, USAF, 1007th Air Intelligence Service Group, 23; Harold Silent, 59, of the Hycon Manufacturing Company that produced the U-2 camera; Fred Hanks, USAF, 35, of Hycon Mfg. Co.; Rodney Kreimendahl, 38, Lockheed Company; Richard Hruda, 37, Lockheed; James Francis Bray, 48, of the Central Intelligence Agency; Terence O’Donnell, 22, CIA Security Officer; James William Brown, 23, CIA Security Officer; Edwin Urolatis, 27, CIA Security Officer; and William Henderson "Bill" Marr, 37, CIA Security Officer.[117]
B-47 crash occurred just after Thanksgiving 1956. Barksdale B-47 tail No. 52-3360 of the 301st Bomb Wing, commanded by Major Robert Slane, was deep into an ORI (operational readiness inspection) mission, flying over Canada and preparing to refuel, when the airplane experienced aileron power unit problems and went into an uncontrollable spin. Slane ordered a bailout and survived, but the other crew members – pilot 2nd Lt. Richard J. Martin, copilot 2nd Lt. Donald S. Petty and observer 1st Lt. Max Workman – perished. The plane crashed near Seagull lake about 45 miles north of Port Arthur now Thunder Bay. Slane was recovering 19 further south at Ray Lake the morning after the crash.
First prototype
Martin XP6M-1 Seamaster, BuNo 138821, c/n XP-1, first flown July 14, 1955, disintegrates in flight at 5,000 feet (1,500 m) due to horizontal tail going to full up in control malfunction, subjecting airframe to 9 G stress as it began an outside loop, crashing into
Potomac River near junction of
St. Mary's River, killing four crew, pilot Navy Lieutenant Commander Utgoff, and Martin employees, Morris Bernhard, assistant pilot, Herbert Scudder, flight engineer, and H.B. Coulon, flight test engineer.[121]
9 December
A
USAFRepublic F-84F-45-RE Thunderstreak, 52-6692,[122] based at
RAF Sculthorpe, suffers flame-out and after several failed attempts at a relight, the pilot, Lt. Roy G. Evans, 24, ejects at 3,500 feet. The fighter comes down on the
Lodge Moor Infectious Diseases Hospital on the outskirts of
Sheffield at 17:00, striking two wards, killing one patient, Mrs. Elsie Murdock, 46, of South Road, Sheffield, and injuring seven others. Fires are under control by 19:30.[123][124]
15 December
An RAF
Bristol Sycamore helicopter, XG501, crewed by Flight Sergeant P. A. Beart and Sergeant E. F. Hall, departed from
RAF Leuchars,
Scotland at 09:35 to perform a sea winching exercise at the
Bell Rock lighthouse. At approximately 10:00, the helicopter's tail rotor struck the
anemometer on the top of the lighthouse, and as a result, the aircraft crashed into the sea. The incident was witnessed by a second helicopter which immediately transmitted a distress call and flew to the scene of the crash. In response to the distress signal, four aircraft, a further two Sycamore helicopters, an RAF rescue launch and three lifeboats searched the area, recovering the body of XG501's navigator. The body of the pilot was not recovered. The lighthouse was damaged, including the loss of its light, but its keepers remained uninjured. Due to bad weather, the lighthouse could not be repaired until after 20 December, when conditions permitted delivery of supplies.[125]
16 December
Republic YF-105A-1-RE Thunderchief, 54-0098, the first prototype, crash lands at
Edwards AFB, California. Republic test pilot Russell M. "Rusty" Roth was forced to make an emergency landing after the right main landing gear had been torn away after having been inadvertently extended during high speed flight. Pilot uninjured. Although the airframe was returned to the factory, it was deemed too costly to repair.[126][127][128]
1956
5 January
Sole
Piasecki YH-16A Turbo Transporter helicopter prototype, 50-1270, breaks up in flight at c. 15:55.[129] and crashes near
Swedesboro, New Jersey, near the
Delaware River, while returning to
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from a test flight over
New Jersey. The cause of the crash was later determined to be the aft
slip ring, which carried flight data from the instrumented rotor blades to the data recorders in the cabin. The slip ring bearings seized, and the resultant torque load severed the instrumentation standpipe inside the aft rotor shaft. A segment of this steel standpipe tilted over and came into contact with the interior of the aluminum rotor shaft, scribing a deepening groove into it. The rotor shaft eventually failed in flight, which in turn led to the aft blades and forward blades desynchronizing and colliding. The aircraft was a total loss; the two test pilots, Harold Peterson and George Callaghan, were killed. This led to the cancellation not only of the YH-16, but also the planned sixty-nine-passenger YH-16B version.[130]
10 January
The most notorious incident of aircraft pitch-up known as the "
Sabre dance" was the loss of brand new
North American F-100C-20-NA Super Sabre, 54-1907, flown by Lt. Barty R. Brooks, a native of
Martha, Oklahoma, and a
Texas A&M graduate, of the 1708th Ferrying Wing, Detachment 12,
Kelly AFB,
Texas, during an attempted emergency landing at
Edwards AFB, California, which was caught by film cameras set up for an unrelated test. The aircraft was one of three being delivered from North American's
Palmdale plant to
George AFB, California, but the nose gear pivot pin worked loose, allowing the wheel to swivel at random, so he diverted to Edwards which had a longer runway.[131] The pilot fought to retain control as he rode the edge of the
flight envelope, but fell off on one wing, hit the ground, and exploded with fatal results. These scenes were inserted in the movie The Hunters, starring
Robert Mitchum and
Robert Wagner.[127][132] The incident was also commemorated in the fighter pilot song "Give Me Operations" (set to the tune of the California Gold Rush song "What Was Your Name in the States?"):[133]
Reports that the pilot was asphyxiated by throwing up into his mask are untrue. His helmet and oxygen mask were not on his head when rescuers found him. Both were found in the wreckage. Lt. Brooks was interred in Round Grove Cemetery,
Lewisville, Texas. Film of this accident has been used as a training aid by both the Air Force and the Navy.[131] Footage:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZL0x-gEDM8Archived 2017-05-11 at the
Wayback Machine
“
ENID, Okla. (
UP) – Three officers from
Vance Air Force Base were killed Thursday when a
B25 bomber disintegrated in air and crashed in a field southwest of here. The Air Force identified the victims as 1st Lt. Peter F. Schermerhorn,
Piedmont, Calif., as instructor, and 2nd Lt. James Fuller Glass,
Durham, N.C., and 2nd Lt. Donald Russell Zynda,
Detroit, student pilots.â€[137]
27 January
“Tokyo (
AP) – Five U.S.
Sabre Jets crashed in the Far East Friday – four after they ran out of fuel near
Okinawa and one in Japan. The pilots escaped unhurt. The loss, running to about two million dollars, was the costliest single day’s toll of Sabres in the Far East since the Korean War. An Air Force spokesman said four Sabres were returning to Okinawa from a brief training flight when they changed course to skirt bad weather and ran out of fuel. The fifth bounced into a field of radishes on takeoff and started to burn. The four F86Fs of the
44th Fighter-Bomber Squadron based at
Kadena, Okinawa, were on a ‘routine training mission,’ the Air Force said. It said one pilot landed on Okinawa near
Okuma and three others were rescued from the
East China Sea, which is between Okinawa and
Red China. The pilots were identified as Lt. George E. Tims,
Wyandotte, Mich.; Lt. Walter H. Fears,
Crewe, Va.; Lt. Leonard M. Weeks Jr.,
Milwaukee, Wis.; and Lt. John Bradick III,
Flossmore, [sic] Ill.â€[138]
30 January
"
PORTERVILLE (
UP) – A
Navy guided missile launched from the
Mojave Desert in Southern California broke away from its guiding aircraft Monday and crashed into an orange grove 400 yards from a farm house near here. Fragments of the craft, which plowed a furrow 25 feet long and 10 feet deep through the grove, were scattered over a 100-yard area. There were no reports of injuries or property damage. A piloted control plane, probably a jet, was flying a ‘close wing position’ to the craft when it got away due to bad weather conditions encountered 'during a routine training mission or a test', the navy said. Navy spokesmen said the craft carried no explosives. They would not immediately release an exact description of the craft, saying it was classified information. But they said it was considered to be a radio-controlled ‘drone’ aircraft. Spokesmen said the pilot of the control craft ‘did all he could’ to control the drone before it crashed.â€[139]
31 January
USAF
North American TB-25N Mitchell, 44-29125, "converted for passengers", on cross country flight from
Nellis AFB,
Nevada to
Olmsted AFB,
Pennsylvania, after departing
Selfridge AFB,
Michigan suffers fuel starvation northeast of
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in mid-afternoon, attempts to divert to
Greater Pittsburgh Airport, ditches in the
Monongahela River at the 4.9-mile (7.9 km) marker, west of the
Homestead High-Level Bridge, drifts c. 1.5 miles (2.4 km) downstream in 8–10 knots current, remaining afloat for 10–15 minutes. All six crew evacuate but two are lost in the 35 °F (2 °C) water before rescue. "Police, a heroic truck driver and rivermen combined to pull the four survivors from the stream, swollen by recent rains and melting snow. None of the survivors suffered serious injury. 'I felt like a block of ice when I was brought into shore,' said M.Sgt. Alfred J. Alleman, 36, of
Las Vegas, Nev. 'I was hanging on a log with the others but it couldn't support all of us and I set out for shore because I guess I'm an above-average swimmer. I'm sure glad I was. That river was mighty chilly and the current (about 15 miles an hour) was strong.'" The other survivors were Maj. William L. Dotson, 33, pilot, of
San Antonio, Texas, commander of the Nellis AFB Weather Office; Capt. John F. Hamieson, 32,
Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania; and Airman 2d Class Charles L. Smith, 18,
Philadelphia. S.Sgt. Walter E. Soocey, 32, of
Palmer, Alaska, was listed as missing, along with an unidentified passenger whose name was withheld pending notification of next of kin.[140] Search for sunken bomber suspended 14 February with no success – aircraft is thought to have possibly settled in submerged gravel pit area in 32 feet (9.8 m) of water, c. 150 feet (46 m) from shore, possibly now covered by 10–15 feet of silt. This crash remains one of the
Pittsburgh region's unsolved mysteries.[141]
First crash of a
Boeing B-52 Stratofortress when B-52, 53–0384,[145] of the
93rd Bomb Wing,
Castle Air Force Base, suffered an explosion of an electrical power panel located on the alternator deck blowing off the cover and causing a fire. The cover jammed the regulator valve of the left hand forward alternator disabling the over speed protection and resulting in an over speed failure. Wreckage comes down near
Sacramento, California. Four crew eject, four killed. The failure mode was determined later when another B-52 experienced a similar incident that blew off the rear right hand electrical power shield cover but did not cause a fire and Boeing pilot, Ed Hartz, landed safely at Boeing Field in
Seattle.
17 February
Douglas R5D-2 Skymaster, BuNo 39116, 'WC 116', on flight from
MCAS El Toro, California to
NAS Alameda, in low overcast and drizzle, strikes
Sunol Ridge on ranch c. 3.5 miles (5.6 km) north of
Niles, California at 13:45. Aircraft broke up and burned, killing 35, all but one of them Marines.[146]
24 February
USAF
Douglas C-124C Globemaster II, 53-021, en route from
Goose Bay, Labrador, to
Upper Heyford in the United Kingdom, lost power in number one and four engines (port and starboard outer). Restricted data cargo was jettisoned over the
North Atlantic, including nuclear weapon firing and maintenance sets from an altitude of 8,000 to 9,000 feet (2,700 m). The Air Force assumed that the cargo packaging ruptured and sank after impact with the sea. Impact area searched, nothing recovered. On its return flight to
Robins AFB,
Warner Robins, Georgia, in the U.S. on 2 March, the aircraft crashed in the Atlantic c. 225 nmi (417 km) southwest of
Keflavik, Iceland. The aircraft and 17 crew were lost in 3,000 feet (910 m) of water.[147] "The plane ran into difficulty on the northbound trip when two motors failed and it was thought that the ship would have to be ditched. However, it was shepherded into a safe landing with the assistance of the air-sea rescue planes from
Keflavik base in
Iceland. The two motors were replaced and the ship thoroughly inspected before starting the return trip. Just after midnight of Friday the plane radioed three of its four engines were dead and it was losing altitude rapidly. Then the radio went dead. Later Saturday morning [3 March] search planes found only two bits of wreckage – a flame-scarred oxygen bottle and a shattered piece of plywood – picked up near the position from which the final message had been radioed." One of the victims was T/Sgt. Joseph Kaltner, 32, of
Crestview, Florida, a 14-year veteran of the Air Force who had seen action as a gunner in
WW II and in the
Korean campaign. He was assigned at
Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. He is survived by his widow, the former Roslyn Clary, of Crestview; one child, Keitha, 1; his mother, Mrs. Anna Kaltner, and two sisters, Mrs. Theresa Lampman and Mrs. Anna Sapp, all of
Trenton, New Jersey, Sgt. Kaltner's home prior to his marriage.[148]
2 March
Two
F-89D Scorpions, 53-2641 and 53-2647, of the
321st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron,
326th Fighter Group,
25th Air Division, out of
Paine AFB, Washington, crash into Sheer Rock-Granite Spires on
Whitehorse Mountain, near
Darrington in an attempt to 'thread the needle' while flying advanced maneuvers in mountainous terrain. All four airmen perish high on a rocky cliff and deep in the wilderness.[149] Killed in 53-2641, the last of fifty block D-65-NO Scorpions built, is 1st Lt. Hal Nathan Williams, although no second crewman is listed in the accident report. Killed in 53-2647, the sixth of 25 block D-70-NO Scorpions built, are 1st Lts. Wilford H. Taylor and Norman Dean Petersen.[145][150]
3 March
"
TACOMA, Wash., March 3 (
AP) – A huge, crippled refueling aerial tanker was nursed in to a safe landing by its pilot today after 10 other members of the crew parachuted to safety. The plane was a
KC96 [sic] Boeing Stratocruiser converted to feed fuel aloft to big jet bombers. The tanker was flying near
McChord Air Force Base south of here when the crew leaped to safety. McChord officials said all 10 men had been accounted for."[151]
4 March
"
HALSINGBORD, Sweden, March 4, (
AP) – Four
Swedish jet fighters flying in close formation crashed on a fog-shrouded hill near here today and exploded. The air force said all four pilots perished. A spokesman said the three trailing jets in the formation apparently followed the leader into the 600-foot hill. The spokesman blamed a failure of instruments in the leading plane. The four
(J 28) Vampire jets were engaged in a local maneuver."[152] The J28B aircraft, all of F14, on a local flight out of
Halmstad, departing there at 07:23 local time, were flying over the waters of
Skälderviken in foggy conditions when, due to an incorrect scale in reading maps, they struck the north side of
Kullabergsvägen, near
Kullaberg, scattering wreckage and body parts over a 300 x 500-meter area. Some parts hung from trees and one engine was found on the other side of the mountain, having been thrown more than a kilometer. The flight impacted Gregers Hill, a high point of
Eastern Kullaberg with three peaks of which the northernmost is the highest. With its 174.8 meters above sea level, it is also Kullaberg's second highest point after
HÃ¥kull.[153] Post-crash fires were extinguished by the snow cover. "The last radio contact with the planes was when they passed
Bjärehalvön, they reported an altitude of about 130 meters when they announced that the weather had cleared up slightly."[153] Captain Nils Ahlqvist left a widow and two daughters, but the other three pilots (identities not yet found in the archives) were younger and unmarried.[154][155][156][157] The original mission plan called for 12
Svenska Flygvapnet J28s from Halstad to participate in this exercise in southern Sweden but the foggy conditions caused that to be cut back to just the four Vampires lost in this accident, considered to be one of Swedish aviation history's worst tragedies.[153]
"
WACO, Tex. (
AP) – A
B25 missing overnight from
Connally Air Force Base was found wrecked in a pasture about 50 miles (80 km) southeast of here Thursday. Highway patrolmen said the six airmen aboard were killed. There was a possibility turbulent weather figured in the crash. Winds with gusts to 35 miles per hour (56 km/h) an hour and some tornadoes lashed through central Texas Wednesday night. None of the victims was from California."[161]
22 March
Douglas AD-5N Skyraider, BuNo 132525, '95', one of a pair on a low-level navigational flight out of
NAS North Island, San Diego, California, crashes into Martinez Mountain in the
Santa Rosa Mountains, possibly due to a fuel management problem, killing all 3 Navy crew members from Squadron VC-35.[162][163] "
SAN DIEGO (
AP) – The Navy said one of its AD5 Skyraider planes crashed and burned Thursday 12 miles southeast of
Palm Springs. There was no evidence the pilot survived, the pilot of another Skyraider that was flying wing to the formation reported. The flight was from
San Diego Naval Air Station. A ground rescue party was dispatched to the scene, in rugged terrain at the 5,000 foot level on the side of a mountain. Identity of the pilot was withheld, pending notice to relatives. Capt. Henry Erwin, of the
42nd Air Rescue Squadron of
March Air Force Base,
Riverside, reported sighting smoking wreckage from the air at a level of about 5,000 ft (1,500 m). The country is too rough for dropping parachutists. The
Riverside County sheriff's office at
Indio started a posse to the scene and four men of the 42nd left March AFB for the area. A
Palm Desert woman, Leah Jones, who was out gathering cactus, reported she saw the two planes, then saw smoke rising from the side of a mountain."[164] "
RIVERSIDE (AP) – A search party, after a five-hour hike Friday through barren desert mountains, reached the wreckage of a crashed Navy attack bomber and reported finding three bodies. The Navy identified the dead as Lt. (j.g.) Richard H. Haffner, the pilot, whose widow, Jane, lives in San Diego; Donald D. Leeper, 36, aviation machinist 2.C, whose widow, Elizabeth Marie, lives in San Diego; John M. Cooper, 20, aviation electronics man 3.C, unmarried, whose father, John T. Cooper, lives in
Jacksonville, Fla. The AD5 from San Diego Naval Air Station crashed Thursday on the slope of a steep canyon at the 4,000-foot level in the remote Santa Rosa Mountains. The scene is about 60 miles (97 km) southeast of here, with the closest town the desert resort of
La Quinta. A sheriff's posse radioed the news of finding the bodies. The terrain is so rugged, the report said, that helicopters probably will be required to remove the bodies. The downed plane was flying with another out of San Diego when the crash occurred."[165]
22 March
NACABoeing P2B-1S Superfortress, BuNo 84029, (built as B-29-95-BW, 45-21787), "Fertile Myrtle",[166] with seven crew aboard, carrying the second
Douglas D-558-2 Skyrocket, BuNo 37974, NACA 144, for airdrop from 30,000 ft (9.1 km), experiences runaway starboard outer propeller while climbing over
Palmdale. Pilot Stanley P. Butchart immediately noses over and releases the rocket plane early, pilot John B. "Jack" McKay dumps rocket propellants before landing on
Rogers Dry Lake, whereupon the number four prop disintegrates, throwing blades into the starboard inner engine, through the fuselage, and into the port inner engine. "Butchart's aileron controls were useless. Copilot
Neil A. Armstrong nursed the bomber home on the other three engines and made a perfect landing. All of the fliers are NACA personnel based at nearby
Lancaster."[167]
23 March
On 1 February 1957, an
Escondidio, California, rancher filed suit against the government for damages caused by the crash of a Navy jet plane on this date. "His Federal Court complaint, asking $6,230.50, said as a result of the crash, his hens stopped laying, his crops were trampled and a fissure in his well caused it to dry up."[168]
25 March
First prototype
Martin XB-51, 46-0685, crashes in sand dunes near
Biggs AFB,
El Paso, Texas, killing both crew. Pilot was Maj. James O. Rudolph, 36, who was dragged from the crash site with severe burns and conveyed to Brook Army Hospital at San Antonio where he succumbed to his injuries 16 April 1956. Eddie Wilkerson, a high school tennis coach, whose car was narrowly missed by the bomber, stopped and pulled the pilot from the wreckage.[169] The flight engineer was S/Sgt. Wilbur R. Savage, 28, of Rte. 3,
Dawsonville, Georgia.[79] The aircraft was staging to
Eglin AFB, Florida at the time of its crash for filming of scenes for the motion picture Toward the Unknown.[170] After stopping for refuelling, the bomber began its take-off run at 10:30, but smashed through the fence at the end of the southwest runway and then began to disintegrate, spreading wreckage along a 250-yard trail. There was some initial confusion about the aircraft type as rescuers found the "Gilbert XF-120" name applied to the airframe for the film on the wreckage.[171][172][173]
26 March
"
MASONTOWN, Pa. (
AP) – A twin-engine Navy plane carrying a crew of three crashed Monday into the
Monongahela River. State police said there was no sign of any survivors."[174]
26 March
"
PENSACOLA, Fla. (
AP) – Three fliers were killed and a fourth is missing in a fiery collision of two naval trainer planes over
Baldwin County, Alabama, Monday. The planes were from
Saufley Field, an auxiliary of the
Naval Air Station."[175]
Pre-27 March
"
SAN DIEGO (
UP) –
Ryan Aeronautical Co. spokesmen Tuesday disclosed three company employes [sic] were burned when fire damaged a secret vertical-takeoff jet aircraft. The fire occurred in a hangar at
Edwards Air Force Base, the spokesmen said. Those burned were Walter Kirby,
Cardiff, John Howard, San Diego, and Howard Bianchi,
Escondido."[176] This was the
Ryan X-13 Vertijet.
28 March
A
Boeing B-47B-35-BW Stratojet, 51-2175, of the 3520th FTW,
McConnell AFB, Kansas, suffers explosion in bomb bay fuel tank and sheds its wings over
East Wichita, Kansas,[66] crashing four miles (6 km) northeast of the city, killing three crew. The office of information services at
McConnell Air Force Base, said the explosion occurred after takeoff, probably at about 2,000 feet (610 m) altitude. Lt. Maurice Boyack, pilot of a Navy
Lockheed P2V Neptune bomber, out of
Naval Air Station Hutchinson, Kansas, said the explosion occurred in a climbing turn. He flew his bomber to a point where he could see the wings rip off the B-47. He said it appeared there was a fire in the midsection, followed by the explosion. Firefighters battled the blaze at the crash scene for more than an hour. The plane crashed within 1,000 feet (300 m) of two large suburban houses. Officials at McConnell AFB identified the pilot and instructor as Capt. William C. Craggs of Wichita. He is survived by his widow and two sons. The students were Lt. Col. William H. Dames, 39, of
Oconomowoc, Wisconsin whose wife and two sons are reported to be living in
Milwaukee; and 1st Lt. John C. Leysath, 24, of
North, South Carolina.[177]
The 300-ton motorship Motul suffers an engine room explosion and fire while c. 60 miles off the coast of
Yucatán in the
Bay of Campeche early this date. A
Mexican NavyConsolidated PBY Catalina responds, and takes aboard some of the 35 survivors of the sunk Motul who took to life rafts, but as it attempts takeoff one of its propellers breaks, disabling it. The following day, the lost ship's 14 crew, 21 passengers, and three naval aviators are all rescued by the Mexican coast guard cutter Virgilio Uribe, which also takes the PBY in tow as it makes its way to
Progreso, Mexico.[180]
30 March
Three crew are killed and two seriously injured as a
Norton AFB, California,-based
Beechcraft C-45 Expeditor on a training flight to
McNary Field,
Salem, Oregon, rams a rocky hilltop in squally weather on Friday night and catches fire seven miles south of
Klamath Falls, Oregon. The survivors who were thrown clear of the wreckage, PFC Leroy D. Wigglesworth, of
Gladstone, Oregon, and A2C Virginia F. Bowman, of
Portland, Oregon, were taken to a hospital suffering from shock, burns and broken bones. It took rescuers 2 1/2 hours to work their way up a steep hillside to reach the wreckage. They reported three bodies were burnt. The air force withheld the identities of the dead pending notification of next of kin.[181] C-45H, 52-10957. The plane was coming in for a refueling stop when it struck the 4,785-foot high ridge. The three victims were: Lt. Col. Frank Loughary, of 250 5th Street,
San Bernardino, chief of military personnel division for the San Bernardino Air Materiel Area, survived by a brother in South America; Lt. Col. Mabry Simmons, who was taking graduate studies at Norton related to his Air Force post at
University of Southern California, survived by his widow at 865 Morado Place,
Altadena; and S/Sgt. Ray Matzinger, unmarried, his mother Velma Govera lives 11557 Eldridge Street,
San Fernando, California. A2C Bowman was catching a ride home from
Eglin AFB, Florida, where she is stationed, as was PFC Wigglesworth, stationed at
Fort Ord, California.[182]
3 April
A
Boeing B-29 Superfortress departs
Randolph AFB,
San Antonio, Texas, and heads northwest on a training mission. Shortly thereafter, at 15:12, it strikes the
WOAI-AM radio mast, knocking it down, and crashing into a cornfield north of the tower. Five of six crew survive.[183][184]
3 April
USAF
Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar with five aboard goes missing on a flight between
Tachikawa Air Base and
Ashiya Air Base, Japan. Wreckage sighted on 5 April at the 6,000 foot level of a 6,100-foot peak on
Shikoku Island, 20 miles (32 km) south of
Saijo, and more than 400 miles southwest of
Tokyo. "An attempt will be made Friday to reach it with a rescue team dropped by parachute."[185]
5 April
Grumman test pilot Ernie von der Heyden bails out over
EdwardsFlight Test Center, California, when his
Grumman F11F Tiger develops trouble of an undisclosed nature while on a routine test flight. "He landed at the edge of a dry lake in uninhabited
desert country 10 miles (16 km) from Edwards Air Force Base. He was picked up by helicopter and taken to the Edwards hospital for treatment of what the Air Force called non critical injuries. The plane crashed in the lake bed." Von der Heyden lives in
Lancaster with his wife and three children.[186] F11F-1, BuNo 138608, lost due to engine failure, loss of control.[187]
6 April
A
Boeing B-47E-130-BW Stratojet, 53-4209, c/n 4501233,[145] of the
307th Bomb Wing departs
Lincoln AFB, Nebraska, at c. 11:25 on a northern heading. Approximately 15 minutes later, it exploded and burst into flames at c. 2,000 feet (610 m) altitude, crashing three miles (5 km) south and 3/4 miles east of
Ceresco, Nebraska. The crew of four, one over the normal crew complement, was killed.[65]
6 April
A USAF
Douglas C-124C-DL Globemaster II, 52-1078, c/n 43987, of the
1501st Air Transport Wing, crashes just after takeoff from
Travis AFB, California, killing three of the seven crew on board. Aircraft stalled at 100 feet (30 m), dropped one wing and plunged to the ground just southwest of the base. Airframe splits into three sections, burns. The cause is attributed to incorrect assembly of the elevator and aileron control cables.[188][189]
6 April
A
Northrop F-89C Scorpion crashes in flames between
Great Falls, Montana, and
Malmstrom Air Force Base, just after a 16:30 takeoff from that base, killing both crew. The navigator was identified as 2d Lt. Alton A. Nelson, 22, of
West Sacramento, California. He had been assigned to the 1708th Ferrying Wing, Detachment 1, at
McClellan AFB, California. The name of the pilot was withheld. The plane was being ferried to a base in Alaska.[190]
19 April
A U.S. Navy
Grumman F9F-6 Cougar,[191] out of
NAS Glenview, Illinois, loses control at 19,000 ft (10 km) over
Lake Michigan. Reserve pilot ejects but his chute apparently fails to deploy. The plane falls into shallow water about a half mile off of
Fort Sheridan and the canopy from the aircraft is recovered by personnel at the fort but there was no sign of Lt. Cmdr.
Gordon Arthur Stanley (13 July 1921 – 19 April 1956),[192] 35, assigned to the staff of the chief of naval air reserve training. Stanley, formerly of
Oakridge, Oregon, lived with his wife and three children in
Arlington Heights. "Officials at Glenview said the plane was one of two on a training flight. The flyer who returned reported that a few seconds after the planes went into clouds at 19,000 feet, Stanley reported by radio that he was 'losing control'. Glenview sent out a helicopter and flying boat
PBY air-sea rescue unit, and within a few minutes both reported seeing the lost plane in shallow water half a mile off the fort. Neither saw any trace of the pilot." Navy officials said that the accident occurred at 13:30 and that they were notified by phone from Fort Sheridan within five minutes. The rescue units were airborne at 13:40.[193] Stanley was an
ace, having scored eight victories with VF-27[194] while flying from the
USS Princeton.[192][195]
19 April
A
Lockheed TV-2 Shooting Star from an auxiliary field of
Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, Texas, with one aboard, and a twin-engine Beechcraft from NAS Corpus Christi, with three aboard, collide over the outskirts of
Corpus Christi, killing all four, and scattering wreckage over an area of a square mile. There was only minor property damage on the ground and no injuries reported. All the bodies are recovered.[196]
Ninth of 13
North American X-10s, GM-52-2, c/n 9, on
Navaho X-10 flight number 21, out of
Cape Canaveral, Florida, ground control system failure results in missile crashing at sea at
Mach 1.25 200 km from the Cape.[38]
2 May
A USAF
Boeing B-47E-85-BW Stratojet, 52-0450, c/n 450732,[198] of the
98th Bomb Wing (also reported as of the
372d Bomb Squadron,
307th Bomb Wing), crashes short of runway,
Lincoln AFB,
Nebraska. One account states that it was on instrument approach. Another states that it came down "three miles short of the Northwest runway after departing on an evening training mission. Eyewitnesses said the plane appeared to be trying to belly in for a landing, crashed, then exploded and burned. The crash site was on farmland owned by Edmund Nelson, ½ mile west of 79 Hi-way and 2 ½ miles north of
U.S. 34."[199] KWF are Captain Marion J. Perdue, aircraft commander, 33,
San Antonio, Texas; 2nd Lieutenant Linwood M. McIntosh, co-pilot, 22,
Dallas, Texas; Captain Charles H. Stonesifer, navigator/bombardier, 35,
Maricopa, California; and Staff Sergeant William F. Rockholt, crew chief, 24,
Fellows, California. All crew were from the
345th Bomb Squadron.[66]
8 May
A USAF
Martin B-57C-MA Canberra, 53-3858, crashes on the Ship Shole island bombing range near
Langley AFB, Virginia, killing both crew. From the accident report: "Cause of accident – Undetermined: The aircraft was observed to be flying in a northeasterly direction at an estimated 500 feet altitude and traveling at a high rate of speed. It was probable that the speed was 425 knots indicated, because this was the prebriefed airspeed since the aircraft was on the run-in route on the
LABS bombing range. Witnesses observing the aircraft reported that everything appeared to be normal. The aircraft was then seen to abruptly dive and disappear; this was followed by an immediate explosion. The instructor pilot and the pilot of this dual control B-57C received fatal injuries."[200]
10 May
A USAF
Lockheed T-33, crashes while attempting to conduct an emergency landing at
Quonset Point Naval Air Station in
Rhode Island. The aircraft departed
Suffolk County Air Force Base in
Westhampton, New York for an instrument check flight, during which the aircraft's radar compass malfunctioned. At approximately 12:30 P.M. the aircraft ran out of fuel over
Block Island, three miles off the Rhode Island Coast. The crew ejected and landed safely in the water several miles apart from each other. Navy and Air Force helicopters were immediately dispatched and located the pilots due to the yellow dye markers each pilot carried. During the recovery attempt of the observer, Lt. William J. Reichard, the helicopter's hoist failed and the airmen fell back into the water, suffering fatal injuries. Capt. Howard M. Blanton was found lifeless by a Coast Guard boat, attempts to revive the pilot failed.[201]
15 May
A
RCAFAvro CF-100 Mk. IVB Canuck, 18367, of 445 Squadron, out of
CFB Uplands, falling from 33,000 feet (10,000 m) crashed into Villa St. Louis, a convent of the
Grey Nuns of the Cross in
Orleans, Ontario, Canada between roughly 22:15 and 23:00 (reports vary). "[T]he million dollar brick building...was demolished."[202] 15 people were killed; both crewmen of the aircraft, a priest, 11
nuns and one other woman.[203][204] "Mrs. Marie Flora, who lives nearby, said the plane swooped over her home in flames and crashed into the three-story convent building between the second and top floors. There was a big explosion. 'They never had a chance,' she said."[202]
15 May
Fifth
Lockheed U-2A, Article 345, 56–6678, delivered to the
CIA on 16 December 1955, crashes at
Groom Lake, Nevada, killing Agency pilot Wilburn S. "Billy" Rose. Aircraft had just departed Groom with a full fuel load, but an underwing pogo hung up. Pilot attempted to return to try to shake it loose, but let angle of bank increase too much and fully fueled starboard wing kept dropping.[205]
A
Grumman F9F-4 Panther, BuNo 125945,[207] of
VMF-213, flown by a
USMC Reserve pilot crashes into a row of houses near
Wold-Chamberlain Field, striking the home at 5820 46th Avenue South,
Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. In addition to killing the pilot, Maj. George E. Armstrong, the crash kills five and injures twelve on the ground, most of whom are young children. This is the second time in five days that a military jet operating from this airport crashes and kills multiple civilians on the ground.[208]
9 June
Shorts chief test pilot, New Zealand-born, ex-
RNZAF,
RAF, and
ETPS-trained
Squadron Leader Walter J. "Wally" Runciman, flying
Short SB.6 Seamew, XE175, the fourth Seamew prototype, in a demonstration at the Sydenham Air Display,
Sydenham Airport,
Belfast, Northern Ireland, is killed when the exhibition "went wrong" and the aircraft crashed.[209] The aircraft entered a slow roll. The nose fell and the pilot seemed to be trying to finish with a half loop, but with insufficient height, the aircraft struck the runway nose first, with fatal result.[210] This airframe had been flown by Runciman for a series of sales tours in 1956 to Italy (March), Yugoslavia (April) and West Germany (May).
16 June
A USAF
MATSDouglas C-124A Globemaster II, 51-5183, inbound to
Enewetak Atoll, Pacific Ocean, carrying nuclear test device components (possibly for the EGG device fired during the
Operation RedwingMohawk test) crashed 421 feet (128 m) short of, and eight feet below, the runway at
Enewetak Island, shearing off its landing gear and coming to rest 2,000 feet (610 m) from the southeast end of the runway. Fire ensued, extinguished within three hours. No loss of life – most of the cargo, although damaged by water and foam, was recovered. The runway was cleared of wreckage and reopened to normal traffic before noon on 17 June:. Salvage of certain aircraft components was accomplished by a team from
Hickam AFB, Hawaii.[211]
26 June
A
USAFBoeing KC-97 of the
509th Air Refueling Squadron,
509th Bomb Wing, crashes shortly after an 18:50 take off from
Walker AFB, New Mexico, coming down in an open field 10 miles (16 km) south of the base near
Roswell, killing all eleven crew. The tanker caught fire shortly after departure on what the Air Force described as a training flight. Observers on the base flight line said that it spun into the ground and exploded. "Word of the crash was not released by the Air Force until more than three and a half hours after the flaming tragedy, on orders of Col. George W. Porter, the base commander."[212]
"
ST. JOHN'S, Nfld. (
UP)-A U.S. Air Force
tanker exploded and crashed in flames Friday in a desolate mountain area 45 miles east of
Goose Bay air base in
Labrador. All six crew members apparently were killed. Helicopters braved dangerous winds to hover over the crash scene. Only scattered wreckage was seen from the air. The pilot of an accompanying Stratotanker said he did not see any parachutes after the four-engined KC97 exploded and fell. The Air Force said the plane was one of four Stratotankers from
Lake Charles Air Force Base on temporary duty at Goose Bay."[214]
6 July
"
HONOLULU (
AP)-A Marine helicopter rescue team Friday identified from the air the wreckage of a two-engine Marine plane which crashed in rugged
Oahu mountains with four men aboard. The Navy said the rescue team, which apparently was unable to land near the wreckage immediately, reported 'the tail section is still smouldering.' There were no reports of whether anyone is alive the Navy said."[215]
The pilot of a
North American F-86F Sabre out of
Norton AFB, California, is killed when he crashes in
San Dimas, California, on Sunday afternoon, on W. Allen Street, digging a hole six feet deep and 30 feet wide. The aircraft, which one witness said came across San Dimas in a southeasterly direction, passed over a park and narrowly missed a group of 200
Little League players picnicking there before striking power and telephone lines and exploding in the street where it ruptured a gas main and set fire to trees in the yard of Mr. and Mrs. Arnold Bayer. Several grass fires were extinguished as well. Air Force officials withheld the pilot's identity pending notification of the next of kin. His body was not immediately recovered.[219]The Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, reported on 10 July that the pilot was identified as Lt. Oliver L. Dillingham, 23, from
Williams AFB, Arizona. He entered the Air Force in 1950 and saw service in Korea in 1954. The story also adds that the explosion after the crash set a house alight and slightly burned two girls.[220]
13 July
USAF
Douglas C-118A Liftmaster, 53-3301, c/n 44671, encountered windshear after takeoff at c. 16:00 from
McGuire Air Force Base, lost altitude and crashed in pine-wooded swamp near
Fort Dix, New Jersey, 46 killed, 20 survivors.[221] The aircraft broke into several pieces as it landed on its belly but did not burn. The aircraft, carrying 10 crew, 41 enlisted men, nine officers and six civilians, was bound for
Burtonwood, England, and was taking servicemen and military dependents to foreign posts. Weather was described as rain and a hail storm. "Capt. Tom Hamrick, information officer at Dix, said the pilot apparently tried to level off and crash land. The plane cut a swath through the brush and pines for 300 yards."[222]
13 July
A USAF
Boeing B-47E-100-BW Stratojet, 52-0572,[17] of the
40th Bomb Wing[4] crashes and explodes at the end of the runway on take off from
Smoky Hill Air Force Base, Kansas, killing all four crew. "Witnesses said the plane just got off the runway and cleared a fence before crashing and bursting into flames. The explosion followed."[223]
13 July
Two
North American F-86 Sabres, of the
82d Fighter Squadron, collide in mid-air c. eight miles east of
Dixon, California, and crash in an open field, the
California Highway Patrol reports. Both pilots eject and parachute safely and are recovered by state officers, a patrolman said. The pilot of Gov.
Goodwin J. Knight's plane, flying in the vicinity, spotted the chutes and radioed their position and then served as an observer until the CHP located the pilots. They were found to have suffered only minor injuries. "A spokesman at
Travis Air Force Base identified the pilots as 1st Lt. Albert C. Mitchell and 1st Lt. Albert F. Crews of the 82nd Fighter Squadron at Travis."[224]
13 July
"
EL CENTRO (
AP)-The pilot of an
AD6 Skyraider was killed Friday when his plane crashed on the desert 25 miles (40 km) northwest of here during a practice dive bombing mission. The Navy said he was attached to a fleet air gunnery unit at the
El Centro Naval Auxiliary Air Station. His name was withheld pending notification of the family."[225]
13 July
"
Belington, W. Va., July 13,
UP – A navy
Fury jet fighter plane en route from
Patuxent, Md. naval air test center to
Columbus, O., crashed, exploded and burned on a farm north of here today, killing the pilot Lt. Cmdr. Horatio Gates Sickel Jr."[226] Aircraft was FJ-3, BuNo 136091.[227]
15 July
"
CLAREMORE, Okla. (
UP)-An Air Force pilot, with both engines gone, 'deadsticked' his
C45 transport to a perfect landing between two underpasses on an uncompleted toll highway near here Sunday. The pilot, Capt. Charles Bixel, 38,
Riverside, Calif., and his sole passenger, A-2C Josef Grafues,
St. Louis, were not hurt. The plane was undamaged."[228]
16 July
Test pilot Andrey G. Kochetkov attempts first flight in first of three flying prototypes of the ultra long-range, high-altitude single-seat super interceptor
Lavochkin La-250, but encounters an unexpectedly rapid roll moment and loses control. Pilot survives.
17 July
"
FALLON, Nev. (
AP)-The runway arresting gear, plus his own sprinting ability, saved Navy jet pilot Stanley A. Roitz of
Trinidad, Colo., from death or serious injury Tuesday. Roitz, 22, who just made
lieutenant junior grade Monday, was taking off in an
FJ3 fury [sic] jet when it suffered a sudden power failure before leaving the runway, at the
Fallon Naval Auxiliary Air Station. The craft plunged into the net-like arresting gear at the end of the runway and came to a halt as it tumbled over the gear. Roitz dived out head first, somersaulted to land on his feet and took off running. The plane's fuel tanks exploded a moment later, setting a fire that consumed the craft. Roitz is regularly stationed at
Moffett Field, Calif., but was here with his squadron for aerial gunnery practice."[229] FJ-3, BuNo 136139. upgraded to FJ-3M. with
VF-191 in 1956, written off this date.[230]
27 July
A USAF
Boeing B-47E-130-BW Stratojet, 53-4230, of the
307th Bomb Wing from
Lincoln AFB,
Nebraska, crashes while making touch-and-goes at
RAF Lakenheath, skidding off runway and into nuclear weapons storage
igloo holding three
Mark 6nuclear bombs, burns. No weapons in the facility go off and all are later repaired.
Stratojet was unarmed.[231] One of the most common myths about this accident is that the weapons, if they had detonated, would have "turned southeast England into a desert." The three Mark 6 bombs were in storage, and therefore no nuclear capsules were installed, nor stored in the building (the nuclear capsule was manually installed in the Mk 6, and only when airborne and just prior to strike). Each Mk 6 did contain at least 5,000 pounds of high explosives, and depleted uranium. Even if the weapons had detonated because of fire, there would not have been a nuclear reaction (
U-238 is not fissionable through high explosive compression or fire).[232]
31 July
In a high-speed flight, prototype
Folland Gnat, G-39-2, suffers tailplane flutter which breaks away.
Folland test pilot bails out and descends safely, becoming first person to use the Folland/
Saabejection seat in action.[citation needed]
Eighth of 13
North American X-10s, GM-52-1, c/n 8, on
Navaho X-10 flight number 24, out of
Cape Canaveral, Florida, a full-range test with final dive maneuver. Final flight of vehicle eight after three successful recovered missions. During takeoff the vehicle goes aloft, then settles back to the runway with its brakes locked. The tires burst, the gear fails, the gear doors come in contact with the runway, carving grooves in the pavement as they retract. Then, astonishingly, the vehicle rises from the runway, completes a successful full-range supersonic flight with terminal dive into the waters off
Grand Bahamas.[38]
27 August
North American AJ-2 Savage, BuNo 130419, assigned to
Heavy Attack Squadron SEVEN (VAH-7) at
Naval Auxiliary Air Station Sanford, Florida experiences a loss of an engine and crashes into a residential neighborhood approximately 1/2 mile west-southwest of the air station while on an emergency approach to landing. The mishap results in the loss of the entire crew of three plus multiple fatal and non-fatal civilian casualties on the ground.[240][241][242]
31 August
Fourteenth
Lockheed U-2A, 56-6687, Article 354, delivered to the
Central Intelligence Agency 27 July 1956. Crashed at
Groom Lake, Nevada, this date during a night training flight, killing pilot Frank G. Grace Jr.[243] Pilot became disoriented by lights near the end of the runway and flew into a telephone pole.[113]
31 August
Boeing WB-50D Superfortress, 49–315, c/n 16091, "The Golden Heart", (built as a B-50D-115-BO), of the
58th Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, out of
Eielson AFB, Alaska,[244] crashed early in the morning this date on a sandy island in the
Susitna River, 50 miles (80 km) northwest of
Anchorage, Alaska, killing all 11 crew. The flight was last heard from at 03:02 local time, when it was over
Talkeetna, a check-in station 50 miles north of the ten-mile-long island. The wreckage was found about 5 1/2 hours later by a member of the
71st Air Rescue Squadron. "All that remained when helicopters landed at the crash scene was a smoking pile of rubble."[245]
10 September
During first flight of
North American F-107A at
Edwards AFB, California, prototype, 55-5118, experiences problem with engine gearbox differential pressure during a dive, North American test pilot Bob Baker lands on dry lakebed at just under 200 knots (370 km/h), after rolling about a mile, aircraft hits a depression in the lakebed, nose gear collapses. Jet slides c. three-tenths of a mile on its nose, but suffers limited damage, no fire. Total landing roll was 22,000 feet (6,700 m). Airframe repaired in under two weeks.[246]
Sixth
Lockheed U-2A, Article 346, 56–6679, delivered to the
CIA on 13 January 1956, crashes during climb-out from
Wiesbaden Air Base, Germany, when the aircraft of Detachment A, stalls at 35,000 feet (11,000 m), killing Agency pilot Howard Carey. Cause of accident never satisfactorily determined.[205]
21 September
Grumman company test pilot Tom Attridge shoots himself down in a
Grumman F11F Tiger, BuNo 138620, during a
Mach 1.0 20 degree dive from 22,000 feet (6,700 m) to 7,000 feet (2,100 m). He fires two bursts from the fighter's 20 mm cannon during the descent and as he reaches 7,000 feet (2,100 m) the jet is struck multiple times, including one shell that is ingested by the engine, shredding the compressor blades. He limps the airframe back towards the Grumman airfield but comes down at almost the same spot where the first prototype impacted on 19 October 1954. Pilot gets clear before jet burns, suffers broken leg and vertebrae – investigation shows that he had overtaken and passed through his own gunfire.[251][252]
27 September
Test pilot
Mel Apt is killed on the 17th flight of the
Bell X-2, 46–674, out of
Edwards Air Force Base, California, when he attempts a turn at Mach 3.2 (nearly 2,100 mph), and the airframe goes into a vicious case of
inertia coupling. Apt jettisons the escape capsule but runs out of height before he can bail out of the falling nose section.[253]
1 October
The
RAF's first
Avro Vulcan B.1, XA897, which completed a fly-the-flag mission to New Zealand in September, approaches
Heathrow in bad weather on
GCA approach,
crashing short of the runway. Two pilots eject, but four crew do not have ejection seats and are killed. Aircraft Captain
Squadron Leader"Podge" Howard and co-pilot
Air Marshal Sir
Harry Broadhurst survive. Signal delays in the primitive Ground-Controlled Approach system of the time may have let the aircraft descend too low without being warned.
Undercarriage damaged in contact short of runway with control lost during attempted go-around.[254]
Two U.S. Air Force
F-86 Sabre Jets collided over Lake Michigan. The
Lake freighter S/S Ernest T. Weir, Captain Ray R. Redecker, rescued one of the pilots (Lt. Kenneth R. Hughes) after he spent three hours in the water. Several other ships in the area participated in an unsuccessful attempt to locate the second pilot.
Midair collision involving USAF T-33A and civil Cessna 170. Occurred over Midland, Tx.. Seven fatalities. Accident occurred over a Southwest Midland neighborhood, one house burned, seven others damaged. No fatalities or injuries on ground. Dead included 2 USAF aircrew, 5 civilian- all from 1 family. 1 aircrewman ejected from the USAF trainer, based out of
Webb AFB, Texas, but his parachute failed to open.
25 October
First (of two)
Bell XV-3s, 54–147, first flown 11 August 1955, crashes this date when pilot Dick Stansbury blacks out due to extremely high cockpit vibrations when the rotor shafts are moved 17 degrees forward from vertical. Pilot is seriously injured and airframe is damaged beyond repair. Cause was dynamic instability, also known as air resonance. Design was initially designated XH-33.[260]
26 October
A USAF
Fairchild C-119G-FA Flying Boxcar, 51-8026A, c/n 10769, of the
61st Troop Carrier Squadron,
314th Troop Carrier Wing,
Tactical Air Command,
Sewart Air Force Base, Tennessee, on a cargo airlift mission to
Olmsted Air Force Base, Pennsylvania, crashes seven miles north of
Newport, Perry County, Pennsylvania at c. 15:15 ET, killing four crew. The weather at Olmsted was fluctuating rapidly with rain and fog, and at 14:00 the pilot reported a missed approach to the field. After being cleared to altitude over the Lancaster beacon the conditions at Olmsted improved to above minimums and the pilot requested another approach. At 1506 Eastern he was cleared for a straight-in approach from New Kingston Fan Marker to Olmsted. At 15:09 he reported leaving the New Kingston Fan Marker inbound and at 15:11 he reported leaving 3,000 feet. The aircraft crashed in mountainous terrain 22.5 nmi west of the Kingston Fan Marker. KWF are 1st Lt. Robert Siegfried Hantsch, pilot, Walter Beverly Gordon Jr., co-pilot, T/Sgt. Marvin W. Seigler, engineer, and 1st Lt. Gracye E. Young, of the 4457th USAF Hospital, Sewart AFB.[261][262] The Perry County Times reported that the aircraft struck the side of the mountain in
Toboyne Township in the Three Square Hollow of the
Tuscarora State Forest, "one of the most desolate in Central Pennsylvania." Some 150 rescuers had to battle heavy underbrush as well as fog and rain to get to the crash site and did not reach the scene until about 21:00.[263] In 2006, the
Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources erected a plaque near the site in memory of those killed.
A
Boeing B-47E-60-BW Stratojet, 51-2421, c/n 450474,[94] of the
96th Bombardment Wing,
Altus AFB, Oklahoma,[66] suffers engine trouble while on a routine training mission late Tuesday, crashing on a farm near
Hobart, Oklahoma, killing four crew. According to Ranson Hancock, publisher of the Hobart Democrat Chief, the bomber hit the ground about 320 yards west of a barn owned by Charles C. Harris, skidded into the barn and exploded. Officials identified the victims as Maj. Joseph E. Wilford, aircraft commander, Capt. Francis P. Bouschard, pilot, Capt. Lee D. Ellis Jr., instructor-aircraft observer, all having families at Altus, and 1st Lt. Andrew J. Toalson, observer, Bartlesville, Oklahoma.[265]
9 November
Second prototype
Martin XP6M-1 Seamaster, BuNo 138822, c/n XP-2, first flown 18 May 1956, crashes at 15:36 near
Odessa, Delaware, due to faulty elevator jack. As seaplane noses up at c. 21,000 feet (6,400 m) and fails to respond to control inputs, crew of four ejects, pilot Robert S. Turner, co-pilot William Cunningham, and two crew all parachuting to safety. Airframe breaks up after falling to 6,000 feet (1,800 m) before impact.[266]
24 November
A
Boeing B-47E-60-BW Stratojet, 51-5233, c/n 450518,[94] of the
341st Bomb Wing, runs off runway upon landing at
Dyess AFB, Texas, tearing away the port inboard engine nacelle. Aircraft may have been also attempting a go-around. All crew survives.[267]
Avro Shackleton MR.3, WR970, first flown 2 September 1955, and operated by
Avro for stall-warning development, crashes while on local flight out of
Woodford Airport (WFD/EGCD), United Kingdom; spirals into ground near
Foolow, killing all four crew.[268]
Seventeenth
Lockheed U-2A, 56-6690, Article 357, delivered to the
Central Intelligence Agency 21 September 1956, crashes in Arizona this date, Detachment C pilot Bob Ericson successfully bailing out after losing control due to hypoxia caused by a faulty oxygen feed.[270]
30 December
A United States Air Force
Lockheed C-121C, 54–165, of the
1608th Transport Wing, based at
Charleston AFB, South Carolina, crashes on approach to
Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, while flying UN troops into the
Suez Canal zone. It was also slated to carry Hungarian refugees back to
Charleston AFB,
South Carolina. 12 of 38 onboard killed. Air Force headquarters at
Wiesbaden, Germany, said that a manifest showed 38 persons – 27 passengers and only 11 crewmen – were aboard the aircraft. Amongst the fatalities were Major Clyde W. Ellis, aircraft commander; Master Sergeant Frank A. Lorch, flight engineer; 1st Lieutenant La Verne W. Alitz, first pilot; and Sergeant Frank A. Rodgers, flight engineer. All three were residents of North Charleston, South Carolina. As of 1 January, the names of three others reported dead on arrival at the Dharan hospital had not been released. "Seven crew members are listed among the survivors. Their conditions and that of a foreign observer are:" 1st Lieutenant Robert F. Wearley, of Charleston Heights, South Carolina, co-pilot, critical; 1st Lieutenant Peter Goch, of
Jersey City, New Jersey, navigator, critical; 1st Lieutenant Thomas W. Heenan, of
Glen Ellyn, Illinois, navigator, critical. "The condition of the following was listed as fair to good:" 2d Lieutenant Robert L. Saylors, of
Ninety Six, South Carolina, navigator; Airman 2d Class (
WAF) Florence A. Hogan, of
Stanford, Connecticut, flight attendant; Staff Sergeant Robert D. Proctor, of Charleston, flight attendant; Staff Sergeant Robert J. Sanders, of Charleston, flight attendant; and Lieutenant Colonel Ali A. Raft, a transportation observer of
MATS operations, from Iran. "The Charleston Air Base public information officer said the aircraft was on a regular transport mission to the U.S. Air Force Base at Dhahran, which is leased from Saudi Arabia and is one of the global chain of strategic bases."[271] It was one of three flying into Dhahran from
Tripoli, Libya, an eleven-hour flight.[272] The other two aircraft landed at
Muharraq Airport on
Bahrain Island, in the
Persian Gulf, a short distance from the crash site. The C-121 "is reported to have crashed into sand and burned about 1,000 yards from the runway while attempting to land during heavy fog."[271] Captain Irving H. Breslauer, the public information officer at Charleston AFB, said that the aircraft left Charleston on Thursday 27 December with 12 crew members for Dhahran, by way of
McGuire AFB, New Jersey,
Lajes Field in the Azores, and Tripoli. Colonel Clinton C. Wasem, commander of the 1608th Transport Wing, left Charleston for Dhahran on 31 December to conduct an investigation into the cause of the crash.[273]
1957
10 January
A
Boeing B-52D Stratofortress, 55-0082, of the
70th Bomb Squadron,
42d Bomb Wing, crashes near
Loring AFB, Maine, during a training flight. The Instructor Pilot (IP) directed the co-pilot to close his eyes while he put the aircraft into an unusual attitude, and then instructed him to recover. The co-pilot misread the data from the flight instruments and took the wrong corrective action, causing the airframe to disintegrate. There were nine men aboard – the crew plus the IP, and two instructors. The co-pilot survived. It was his third time in a crash, and his third time as the sole survivor. This was the fourth B-52 lost, and the first D-model attrited.[274]
One of two U.S. fighter jets flying over Long Island “disappeared†as both began to descend from a 40,000 foot altitude. The missing pilot was Lt. William J. O’Donnell, a Korean War veteran and a member of the Navy’s 836th Squadron, which was based at the Brooklyn Air Station. He took off from Floyd Bennett on a two hour training mission. Authorities believe O’Donnell’s plane either exploded or ran out of fuel while he was attempting to maneuver back to his base. His plane is believed to have gone down in the ocean 10 miles south of West Hampton Beach. Despite extensive search efforts, no trace or any evidence of the plane were ever found.[citation needed]
14 January
"
LONG BEACH (
AP) – Another death resulted yesterday from a plane crash that already had taken three lives. Mrs. Margaret Willock, 58, died at
Seaside Hospital of burns suffered when a Marine
Skyraider smashed into the bindery where she was working Monday morning. Two other persons working in the bindery were killed in the crash. They were Austin W. Rafferty, 43, of Long Beach, co-owner of the binding firm, and Mrs. Ethyl Foust, 28, of
Wilmington, an employe. [sic] First Lt. Dale Fortine, 26, of
Costa Mesa, the pilot of the single-engine plane, was killed when his parachute failed to open after he bailed out of the diving craft at low altitude. Fortine's radioman, 20-year-old Cp. Joseph P. Licato, parachuted safely from the stricken plane. Capt. John Lippard, public information officer at
El Toro Marine Station, where the plane was based, said the right leg and sleeve of Fortine's flying suit were found to have been burned off. Lippard said the pilot's leg was severely burned. This was seen as an indication that the pilot stayed with the plane as long as he could, said Lippard. Reports from witnesses indicated Fortine was trying to steer the plane away from a schoolyard about a block from the crash scene. The plane plowed through a warehouse before hitting the bindery."[278]
15 January
A major fire guts two maintenance hangars at
McChord AFB, Washington, destroying a
Douglas C-118 Liftmaster, a
Douglas C-124 Globemaster II, and damaging two smaller planes. The fire broke out about 05:30 PST and was brought under control two hours later.[279] C-118A, 53-3263, and Douglas C-124C, 52-1027, were destroyed. Two other planes, a Lockheed T-33 jet and a de Havilland Canada L-20 Beaver were damaged.[280]
17 January
During the second bomber stream of training mission, "WEDDING BRAVO", by 30
Convair B-36 Peacemaker bombers of the
7th Bomb Wing, out of
Carswell AFB, Texas, a jet engine explosion results in one B-36 landing at
Barksdale AFB,
Louisiana, on fire. There was no further damage to the aircraft and no injuries to the crew, commanded by Capt. Robert L. Lewis.[281]
17 January
A
Boeing WB-50D Superfortress, 48-093, c/n 15902, (built as B-50D-95-BO)[282] of the
58th Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, fully loaded with fuel for a 3,700-mile weather reconnaissance flight, crashes two minutes after a pre-dawn takeoff from
Eielson AFB, Alaska, with the wreckage and fuel burning in an inferno 200 yards long and 50 yards wide on the flat land three miles (5 km) north of the base. All twelve crew are killed.[283][284]
A U.S. Navy
Douglas R5D Skymaster, attempting a late afternoon landing at
NAS Sand Point,
Seattle, Washington, skids in snow on its third attempt and flips onto its back, losing the port wing in the process. The 46 aboard escape injury. Transport was out of
NAS Los Alamitos. California.[288]
20 January
As three
Grumman F9F Panthers out of
NAS Glenview, Illinois, manoeuver into the landing pattern at
Kirtland AFB, New Mexico, two collide at c. 1,000 feet, their wings become locked together, and both jets crash. One pilot ejects but his chute fails to function, his body found about a half mile from the wreckage of his plane. The other pilot was found in the burned wreckage of his fighter. Killed are Lt. Cmdr. Charles R. Walton, 38, of
Wheaton, Illinois; and Lt. Jerome Fishel, 33,
Urbana, Illinois. Cmdr. Benjamin G. Preston, executive officer at Glenview, was leading the two pilots on a training mission. He said that they were Navy reserve officers, and that they were en route to
NAS Miramar, California, for a two-week training cruise.[289]
A
Beechcraft C-45 Expeditor on the final leg home to
Nellis AFB, Nevada, strikes a snow-shrouded mountain near
Baker, California, killing the three on board. En route from
March AFB, California, the transport struck 7,933-foot
Clark Mountain, adjacent to the Baker grade at c. 16:00. Visibility was zero with a snowstorm above the 4,500-foot level (1,400 m). The plane impacted at the 5,000-foot level. "The crash scene, near the Nevada state line, was reached first by
California Highway Patrol officer Frederick J. Bosworth. He hiked three miles (5 km) to the crash site after an unidentified truck driver called the CHP station in
Barstow, telling of the crash. At first Nellis authorities did not confirm that a military plane was involved. But a casualty convoy was dispatched from the Las Vegas base and the Air Force asked the San Bernardino County Coroners Office to investigate. Chief Dep. Coroner Edward P. Doyle left
San Bernardino late last night for the
Highway 91 crash site." The C-45 was assigned to the 865th Aircraft Warning Squadron at Nellis. The flight had originated at
Luke AFB, Arizona, with March AFB as a stopover.[291]
22 January
A
Boeing KC-97 Stratofreighter on a training flight from
Westover AFB, Massachusetts to
Griffiss AFB, New York, crashes in a densely wooded section in the
Adirondack Mountains in northern
Herkimer County, about eight miles (13 km) SE of
Atwell, New York, killing all seven crew. The tower at Griffiss had directed the tanker on Tuesday night to leave the approach pattern over the field and let another plane land first. There was no further contact. A helicopter spotted the wreckage on 24 January. "At Washington, the Air Force said the following men were aboard the plane: Maj. Charles D. Mellinger,
Tacoma; Maj. Roland L. Urquhart,
Warwick, R.I.; 1st Lt. Fred V. Defrench,
Bedford, Ohio; 1st Lt. Alsia C. Stewart,
Palestine, Tex.; Sgt. Raymond E. Noah,
Paducah, Ky.; Sgt. Lars I. Bergstrom,
West Caldwell, N.J., and Sgt. Joel V. Blackwell,
Clairton, Pa."[292] KC-97G, 53-0222, c/n 17004, of the
384th Air Refueling Squadron. is involved.[293]
22 January
A U.S. Navy
Douglas R5D-3 Skymaster, BuNo 50869. c/n 10546, carrying a funeral party to
NAS Glenview, Illinois, diverts to
Willow Run Airport, Michigan, due to bad weather over Illinois. Two minutes from landing, at 21:33, the aircraft strikes the ground on vacant land near a gravel pit in a snowstorm and breaks up as it bounces and decelerates. Six of seven aboard crawl or are pulled from the wreckage. One man, a Coast Guard lieutenant commander, is pronounced dead at the
University of Michigan Hospital.[294] The wreckage burns and the casket on board is scorched in the fire. The flight originated at
NAS Miramar, California, with an intermediate stop at
Albuquerque to pick up the body of a Navy pilot who was recently killed. Cause was thought to be faulty altimeter readings due to a frozen drain in the pitot static system.[295]
An F-86D radar training jet on a routine flight crashed southwest of Perrin Air Base in Denison, TX, killing its pilot. The pilot was identified as Air Force Lt. William K. Ryan of Fort Worth, TX.[297]
25 January
The first launch attempt of a
Douglas XSM-75 ThorIRBM, 56-6751, vehicle number 101, delivered in October 1956, fails. As vehicle lifts off from Pad
LC-17,
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, it reaches an apogee of 6 inches (150 mm) whereupon contamination destroys a
LOX supply valve, causing the engine to lose thrust. The Thor slides backwards through the launch ring and explodes on contact with the thrust deflector. Vehicle destroyed by low-order detonation. Serious pad damage occurs.[298]
"A jet pilot parachuted to safety this morning as his
F86A fighter crashed on the desert five miles (8 km) southeast of
Boron. The pilot, 2nd Lt. Jarman A. Lynch, 24, from
San Dimas, was not injured, according to a spokesman at nearby
Edwards Air Force Base. The Air Force said Lynch bailed out at 7,000 feet (2,134 m) about 09:00 after he lost control of the jet. Lynch of the
196th Fighter Interceptor Squadron of the
Air National Guard at
Ontario was on a routine flight from
Vincent, California to Ontario. Lynch landed close to the plane wreckage."[300]
27 January
Douglas C-124C-DL Globemaster II. 50-0088, c/n 43226,[301] of the
1st Strategic Support Squadron,
Strategic Air Command,
Biggs Air Force Base, Texas, departs
Elmendorf AFB, Alaska, with 13 and a load of cargo aboard, bound for
McChord AFB, Washington, and Biggs AFB. An engine catches fire shortly after takeoff and the transport attempts a return to Elmendorf. In heavy fog and freezing temperatures, the pilots crash land at 09:15 AST on the ice of
Cook Inlet very close to shore, the aircraft coming down intact. "Rescue operations were completed 55 minutes later by three helicopters of the
31st Air Rescue Squadron, the Air Force public information office at Elmendorf said. None of the men was believed to be in serious condition. Twelve of the men were 'walking' cases, according to Air Force officials."[302][303]
27 January
Eleven crew successfully bail out of
Lockheed P2V-3 Neptune, BuNo 122983, after it develops engine trouble in a snowstorm, over rugged terrain in north central Arizona. Although they jump over a wide area, the seven crew and four passengers are quickly collected by
Navajo County sheriff's officers. The bomber comes down and burns at 19:00 ten miles (16 km) north of
Joseph City, Arizona. The P2V was returning to
NAS Hutchinson, Kansas, from
NAS Los Alamitos, California, on a cross-country training flight when it developed an engine fire east of
Winslow. Pilot Lt. (jg) Lawrence W. Hansen, of
Chanute, feathered the engine, but while already coping with limited visibility began also to pick up ice. He radioed the
Civil Aeronautics Administration that he was turning back. When the second engine began to cut out and the plane began to drop, bail-out was ordered at 7,500 feet, 2,500 ft (760 m) above the snowy countryside. An Air Force
B-25 in the area got permission to change course and spotted burning wreckage. Sheriff's deputies were dispatched to the scene. Deputy Jim Faucer said it was "by luck" that the crash occurred only a short distance from a seldom-used road near
U.S. 66.[304] The only injury was Arthur M. Lueck, 26, first radioman of the crew who received a broken leg. He is in a hospital at Winslow. "Other crew members were: Lt. (jg) Fred L. Geer, 23, student co-pilot,
Pontiac, Mich.; Ens. John W. Konvalinka, 23, a student,
New Rochelle, N. Y.; Donald P. Marchewka, 21, plane captain and aviation machinists mate 3rd class,
Schenectady N. Y.; Joe L. Johnson, 20, airman apprentice,
Houston, Tex., and Julius B. Fitzgerald, 34, 2nd radioman,
Stillwell. Passengers were Lcdr. Talmadge H. Morrison, 36,
Los Angeles, Calif.; Lt. Herbert C. Phelps, 35,
Wilton N. Y.; Lt. William J. Fath, 33,
Mt. Vernon, N. Y., and Lt.jg) Curtis R. Alien, 34,
Atlanta, Ga."[305][306]
29 January
"
HONOLULUUP – The Navy announced that Marine 1st Lt. James Caffey Jr. of
Newton Center, Mass., was killed when his
AD5N attack bomber crashed and cartwheeled 1,000 feet (300 m) along the runway at the
naval air station on
Maui."[307]
A mid-air collision between a non-commercial test flight of
DC-7B airliner, N8210H, c/n 45192/764,[308] and a
Northrop F-89J Scorpion, 52-1870A, c/n 4447. The Scorpion, coming out of 90-degree turn at 25,000 feet (7,620 m), struck the DC-7B almost head-on at 11:18, severing 8 1/2 feet of the transport's port wing. The DC-7B continued on a westward heading for about 4 miles (6 km) before breaking up and impacting across the street from a junior high school – flying debris killed three students and injured some 74 others. Following the collision, the radarman aboard the Scorpion ejected, and survived despite serious burns. Pilot Roland E. Owen, 36, died in the burning fighter. The collision was blamed on the failure of both aircraft crews to exercise proper "see and avoid" procedures regarding other aircraft while operating under
visual flight rules (VFR). The catastrophe prompted the
Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) to set restrictions on all aircraft test flights, both military and civilian, requiring that they be made over open water or specifically approved sparsely populated areas.[309]
1 February
A
Boeing B-47 Stratojet out of
Portsmouth Air Force Base, New Hampshire, with four crew aboard, crashes in flames into the Atlantic some nine miles (14 km) off of the fishing port of
Gloucester, Massachusetts. Fishermen pick up four life jackets and parts of the plane, but find no survivors. The bomber is reported missing when it fails to return from a routine training flight. Officials at Portsmouth AFB identified three of the crew as Capt. Orrin W. Snyder III, 31; 1st Lt. Stanley D. Jenkins Jr., 28; and Capt. Alexander A. Wawrzyniak.[310]
1 February
"
MOUNTAIN VIEW (
AP) – An Air Force
F84 jet fighter exploded and crashed into a home late yesterday only three blocks from the business section of this San Francisco peninsula community. A woman was rescued from the house. The pilot was killed. The Thunderjet from
Luke Field Ariz., bound for
Hamilton Air Force Base, was coming in for an emergency landing at nearby
Moffett Field, a Navy installation. Luke Field authorities identified the pilot as Capt. Robert Mulvehill, 32, who resided at the air base with his wife. He was on a cross-country training mission. 'I saw the plane coming down from the north,' said W. R. Wollard, Mountain View planning commissioner. 'He was in a pretty steep dive. I thought it was going to pull out but it didn't. There was a big explosion.' The pilot's body was found a block away from the Les Wright residence, which was destroyed. Wright's wife, Opal, 56, jumped out of a window and was pulled to safety before the house went up in flames. Her leg and hip were hurt. The Wright's two children were at
high school only 2 blocks away. Flaming fragments of the fighter showered nearby houses, damaging 12 in varying degrees."[311] Republic F-84G-30-RE Thunderjet, 52-3317, of the 3600th Combat Crew Training Wing,[312] was the aircraft destroyed. The pilot was a native of
Edinburg, Pennsylvania.[313] "The pilot's body landed in the driveway of 445 Bryant St., the home of Mrs. Ruby Rhett." The jet engine fell into the front yard at 420 Franklin Street, Mountain View.[314]
2 February
Two
Boeing KB-29P Superfortresses of three from the
420th Air Refueling Squadron on a weekend training mission out of
RAF Sculthorpe, UK, collide in mid-air over
Normandy, France, and crash, killing 13, injuring five, with one missing. The collision, at 15,000 ft (4,600 m), occurred in poor visibility when the lead plane lost speed and the second plane, unable to avoid it, plowed into it. Gendarmes said that the wreckage of the two tankers fell to earth about two miles (3 km) apart near the village of
Morigny, 20 miles (32 km) from
St. Lo. The third KB-29 returned safely to base. One of the injured found shelter in a farmhouse after parachuting. One airman who jumped from the flaming wreckage died from burns after reaching the ground. Two of those hospitalized were only slightly hurt and were said to be in no danger. One of the planes carried a crew of ten, the other nine.[315] Three of the victims were M/Sgt. Lawrence M. Grigory, A2C Arthur B. Kosier, and A3C Franklin D. Schweigert.[316]
2 February
"
SAN DIEGO (
AP) – A Navy
F7U Cutlass jet fighter exploded in flight and crashed on the
Camp Matthews Rifle Range north of here yesterday, killing the pilot and setting fire to a shed. William Rudolph, a witness, said he saw the plane make several barrel rolls, straighten out and go into a steep glide at 1,000. [sic] He said he saw the pilot eject, but didn't see the parachute open. Wreckage from the plane scattered over a wide area of the range, setting several small brush fires."[317] The pilot and F7U-3M were assigned to
VA-116 at
NAS Miramar, California.[318][319]
2 February
USMC 1st Lt. Ray C. Sorensen, is killed when his
Grumman F9F Panther smacks the snowy slopes of 10,064-foot
Mt. Baldy in the
San Gabriel Mountains while on a training mission out of
MCAAS Mojave, California. The body of the pilot is found in the wreckage at the 8,000-foot level, near
Wrightwood. He is survived by his wife, Susanne, and son, Gregory, 3 months, who live at
MCAS El Toro, California.[320]
2 February
A USAF
North American F-86 Sabre crashes into a hangar on landing at
Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts, killing pilot Capt. Gordon E. DeGroat, 31,
Nutting Lake, Massachusetts.[321] DeGroat had flown from
Bunker Hill AFB, Indiana, in a group of three jets. On his initial landing attempt the landing gear failed to lock down and the pilot aborted to let the tower do a visual check. On the second approach, the left wing dipped and the fighter struck an unoccupied hangar. A blaze broke out but was quickly controlled by fire crews. The hangar was not heavily damaged.[318]
Two U.S. Navy fliers are killed when their
Douglas AD-5 Skyraider goes out of control and crashes on the desert 12 miles (19 km) west of
Naval Auxiliary Air Station El Centro, California. The victims were identified as pilot Ens. James R. Benson, 22, of
College Park, Georgia, and Aviation Electronicsman 3.C Robert A. Rucinski, 20,
Rockford, Illinois.[323]
15 February
Lockheed engineer pilot Joseph "Joe" Watson Ozier, 32, is injured when a
Lockheed F-104 Starfighter crashes on landing at
United States Air Force Plant 42,
Palmdale, California, Lockheed Aircraft spokesmen said the aircraft overturned and caught fire.[324] The accident in JF-104A, 55-2958, c/n 183-1004, proves fatal.[325] Ozier dies late that night from burns and internal injuries.[326]
First
Fiat G.91 prototype, NC.1, suffers serious problem was the elimination of aeroelastic vibrations, leads to its destruction on this date in a high-speed run at low altitude over
Cavour, near
Turin,
Italy. Test pilot Riccardo Bignamini ejected successfully in a
Martin-Baker seat. Although NC.1 was completely destroyed, all the recording equipment which Fiat had installed was salvaged from the crash site. The re-engineering work to cure the problem was very extensive and resulted in the second prototype being fitted with a larger tail, a 6 cm (2 in) higher canopy, a ventral fin and some other modifications.[citation needed]
21 February
A U.S. Navy
McDonnell F3H Demon just misses a high school and crashes into a garage in
Hertford, North Carolina, killing a mechanic. The pilot's body is found hours later in a field some distance from the wreckage.[329]
21 February
A
Martin Matador missile has a mind of its own after launch from
Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, and heads northwest for points unknown with about an hour of fuel on board. Unarmed, it carries test equipment. It also fails to respond to a destruct command.[330]
22 February
A
Douglas C-124 Globemaster II with 159 Americans aboard crashes in the
Han River, South Korea. Five were known dead and 20 were unaccounted for. Minutes after departing
Kimpo Air Base for
Tachikawa Air Base, Japan, the pilot radioed that he had lost his number 3 (starboard inner) engine and was returning to Kimpo. Shortly thereafter the transport came down on a sand bar in the broad Han River. The airframe burned.[331] C-124A-DL, 51-0141, c/n 43475, was involved.[7]
23 February
A
Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star went missing over northern
Placer County, California. Though it was thought to have gone down around Blue Canyon, neither the wreckage nor its two pilots Capt. Paul Omann of North Highlands, CA and 1st Lt. J.C. Sutton of Craig Air Force Base, Alabama, were found.[332]
28 February
"
ENID, Okla. (
AP) – A twin-engine Air Force
C45 plane crashed and burned on takeoff at
Vance Air Force Base here early yesterday, killing two men and seriously injuring another. Vance authorities said the plane was based at
Shaw AFB near
Sumter, S.C. Names of the plane's three occupants were withheld."[333]
"
KANSAS CITY (
AP) – A Navy jet yesterday carried its pilot to his death, crashing only 50 yards from a home where a grandfather was babysitting with his 5-year-old grandson. The
Olathe, Kan., Naval Air Station identified the pilot as 1st Lt. Samuel M. Kenney, 26, U.S. Marine Corps, an instructor at the base. Survivors include his wife, of
Olathe, Kan., and his mother, Mrs. Bessie Kenney, 6243 Satsuma St.,
North Hollywood, Calif."[338]
U.S. Navy
Lockheed P2V-6M Neptune departs
Naval Auxiliary Air Station Chincoteague (now
Wallops Flight Facility), Virginia, in breezy, overcast and rainy conditions, and crashes at c. 06:55 in a potato field on the north side of Nocks Landing Road, about one mile east of Atlantic Road near
Powell’s Bay, c. 2 miles south of the base runways, killing all 11 crew. The plane and its crew were on a routine flight to the Navy’s
Cherry Point fleet readiness center in North Carolina. KWF were:
CIALockheed U-2, Article 341, (no military serial), the first U-2, is lost in a crash north of the Nevada Test Range during a Project Rainbow test flight, killing test pilot Bob Sieker. Engine fails at 65,000 feet (20,000 m). As pilot's pressure suit inflates, the faceplate clasp fails, pilot suffers hypoxia, loses consciousness. Aircraft goes into descending flat spin. Pilot recovers somewhat at lower altitude and bails out, but too late – parachute does not have time to fully deploy. Airframe hits flat with only small fire. Crash site, 40 miles (64 km) north of the
Ranch, takes four days to find by air. Pilot and aircraft are only 200 feet (61 m) apart.
Kelly Johnson calls for new faceplate design, a dual oxygen regulator, and an
ejection seat that can be used interchangeably with existing design.[344]
The left-hand wing of a
Royal Air ForceVickers Valetta C.1, VW832, fails during flight 25 miles (40 km) northeast of
Aqaba, Jordan at an estimated altitude of 5,000 feet (1,500 m); the transport's 24 passengers and 3 crew, all British servicemen, perish in the ensuing crash. The accident is attributed to structural failure caused by the imposition of loads in excess of the wing's design strength; the suspected cause is the pilot's attempt to recover from a loss of control in severe
clear-air turbulence.[345]
1st Lt. David Steeves departs
Hamilton AFB, California for
Craig AFB, Alabama, in
T-33A-1-LO Shooting Star, 52-9232,[122] and disappears without a trace. Declared dead by the Air Force, he emerges from the
Kings Canyon National Park in the Sierra Nevada mountains 54 days later, having ejected from the jet after an in-flight emergency. He stumbled on a ranger cabin during his ordeal where he found fish hooks, a canned ham and a can of beans. Unable to locate the downed trainer, officials eye him with suspicion and rumors that he traded to jet to the Russians, or flew it to Mexico, dog the pilot and ruin his military career. He returns to civilian life and eventually dies in an aircraft accident in 1965. Finally, in 1977,
Boy Scouts hiking in the national park discover the canopy of his T-33, too late to vindicate the pilot's story and reputation.[347]
During the first test flight of the Russian
R-7 Semyorka (Russian: Р-7 «Семёрка»), (
GRAU index 8K71) vehicle M1-5,[350] the world's first
intercontinental ballistic missile, from
Baikonur Cosmodrome,
Kazakhstan, a fire in a strap-on rocket leads to a catastrophic failure 90 seconds into the flight and an unintended crash 400 km (250 mi) from the launch site. The accident was caused by a ruptured fuel pipeline.[351]
21 May
First
Sud-Aviation (
Sud-Ouest)
SO.9050 Trident II -001, rocket-powered short-range interceptor, is destroyed during a test-flight out of Centre d'Essais en Vol (Flight Test Center) when its highly volatile fuels,
Furaline and
nitric acid, accidentally mix and explode, killing test pilot Charles Goujon. Project is discontinued following this accident.[120]
22 May
A
U.S. Air ForceB-36J-5-CF Peacemaker, 52-2816, (c/n 372), ferrying a
Mark 17 nuclear bomb[352] from
Biggs AFB, Texas to
Kirtland AFB, New Mexico, accidentally drops it through closed bomb doors, impacting 4.5 miles (7.2 km) south of Kirtland tower. High explosives detonate creating crater 25×12 feet, but no fuel capsule fitted, no injuries.[353]
29 May
A
Grumman F6F-5K Hellcat drone out of
Naval Air Station China Lake, California, breaks contact with both its mother aircraft and the ground and flies nearly 1,000 miles (1,600 km) north at 250 mph (400 km/h) at 20,000 ft (6,100 m). It dived through a dense thundercloud thus preventing two "shoot down" planes from following it. Finally out of fuel, it crashes into a knoll in a wheat field just west of
Colfax, Washington, digging a small crater and throwing scattered wreckage about. The drone ended its solo flight about 50 miles south of
Spokane after passing over California, Nevada and Oregon. It hit about a quarter of a mile from a farmhouse and burned.[354]
31 May
A
Royal Canadian NavyMcDonnell F2H-3 Banshee fighter jet, BuNo 126313, Sqn. No. 104 of
VF-870, spirals out of control after its right wing breaks in half during a high-speed flyby at naval air station
HMCS Shearwater,
Nova Scotia, Canada. The canopy is observed to separate from the aircraft, but the pilot, Lt. Derek Prout, fails to eject and is killed when the plane slams into
McNabs Island. The crash is attributed to improperly manufactured fittings in the
folding wing mechanism, and most RCN and
US Navy Banshees are grounded until improved fittings can be installed.[355]
4 June
World War II Japanese ace Maj.
Teruhiko Kobayashi (1920–1957), flying with the reconstituted Japanese Self-Defense Air Force, is killed in the crash of a
Lockheed T-33A Shooting Star during a training flight when he crashes in bad weather on approach to
Hamamatsu Air Base. He ordered his back-seater to eject when the aircraft developed problems. He had shot down three
Boeing B-29 Superfortress bombers and two
Grumman F6F Hellcats with the 244th Sentai, although his widow claimed he had twice the number of Superfortress kills, a claim discounted by historian Takashi Sakurai.[356]
7 June
Chance Vought Aircraft pilot James P. Buckner, 32, is killed while performing a high-speed flyby of CVA's tower at
Hensley Field,
Dallas, Texas, while demonstrating a
Vought F8U-1 Crusader for a graduating class from the Navy Post Graduate School there. Executing a zoom climb after his low-altitude pass, he apparently overstresses the fighter and it disintegrates before he can eject.[357] The aircraft's wreckage violently explodes at low altitude over Main Street in adjacent
Grand Prairie, Texas, causing minor injuries to several bystanders, and pieces of the fighter are scattered throughout the floodplain of the nearby
Trinity River; Buckner's body is recovered a few hours after the crash.[358]
In two separate accidents, two newly delivered
Lockheed U-2s of the
SAC's
4028th Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron based at
Laughlin Air Force Base,
Del Rio, Texas, are lost on the same day. At 08:55 Lt. Ford Lowcock is killed when his aircraft, U-2A 56-6699, Article 366, crashes while on the approach to Laughlin. Less than two hours later, Lt. Leo Smith is also killed when his aircraft, U-2C 56-6702, Article 369, crashes in the New Mexico desert. At this time U-2s are not equipped with
ejection seats to save weight, but at around this point this policy is reversed. Three months later on 26 September, the squadron's Commanding Officer, Col. Jack Nole climbs out of his disabled U-2A, 56-6694, Article 361, the first airframe of the initial USAF order, (wing flaps deployed in flight) near
Del Rio, Texas, making the highest ever parachute escape to date, from 53,000 feet.[361][362]
11 July
First
Lockheed F-104 Starfighter prototype, XF-104-LO, 53-7786, c/n 1001, with Lockheed test pilot Bill Park flying chase on an F-104A flown by Bob Matye during a tail flutter test, loses empennage in high speed, low altitude flight, successfully ejects using downward ejection seat. The XF-104 had a lower limit
Mach than the F-104A and apparently reached the flutter limit sooner than A-model.[145][363]
12 July
After missing a scheduled 11 June launch date due to defective engines in the missile's central section, a Russian
R-7 Semyorka (Russian: Р-7 «Семёрка»), (
GRAU index 8K71) lifts off from
Baikonur Cosmodrome,
Kazakhstan, but loses its in-flight stability in the 33rd second of flight and starts to deviate from its preset trajectory. "This particular malfunction was caused by a short-circuited integrator responsible for the missile’s revolution."[351]
Two
Mark 5 nuclear bombs without nuclear capsules installed were jettisoned from a
Douglas C-124 Globemaster II in the Atlantic Ocean c. 100 miles (160 km) SE of
Naval Air Station Pomona,
New Jersey, just outside
Delaware Bay east of
Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, and south of Wildwood and
Cape May, New Jersey. The aircraft was carrying three weapons and one nuclear capsule; the weapons were in Complete Assembly for Ferry (CAF) condition. Nuclear components were not installed; power supplies were installed but not connected. The C-124 was en route from
Dover AFB,
Delaware, to Europe via the Azores islands when its two port engines lost power. Maximum power was applied to the two starboard engines, however, level flight could not be maintained. The crew decided to jettison one weapon at an altitude of 4,500 feet (1,400 m) c. 75 miles (121 km) off the coast of New Jersey. The second weapon was jettisoned soon afterwards at an altitude of 2,500 feet (760 m) at a distance of 50 miles (80 km) from the New Jersey coast.[365] No detonation was seen to occur from either weapon, and both bombs were presumed to have been damaged or destroyed on impact with the sea and to have sunk almost instantly. The C-124 landed at an airfield in the vicinity of
Atlantic City,
New Jersey (probably
Naval Air Station Atlantic City), with the remaining weapon and the nuclear capsule aboard. After a three-month long search, neither the weapons nor any debris were located. By November 1957, the AEC was taking action to issue replacement weapons to the DOD. No public announcement of this incident was made at the time it happened.[366]
8 August
Mikoyan-Gurevich Ye-50, a swept-wing, experimental high-altitude interceptor, the Ye-2 airframe modified to fit Dushkin S-155 rocket motor, with design work started in 1954, first flight in 1956. Programme terminated after crash of Ye-50/3 on this date. Test pilot N. A. Korovin, of GK NII VVS, is killed when the engine explodes, escape system fails.[367]
A
Royal Canadian NavyMcDonnell F2H-3 Banshee fighter jet, BuNo 126306, Sqn. No. 103 of
VF-870, collides on a runway with an RCN
General Motors TBM-3E Avenger, BuNo 53358, of squadron
VC-921, at naval air station
HMCS Shearwater,
Nova Scotia, Canada. A flight of 3 Avengers was cleared for a formation takeoff on Runway 20 while the Banshee was performing
touch-and-go landings on intersecting Runway 16. Due to an inoperable radio, Lt. Ed Trzcinski, Banshee pilot and
U.S. Navyexchange officer, did not hear instructions from the control tower to go around, and apparently did not see red flares launched from the control tower due to patchy
fog over the airfield and a possible lack of
situational awareness. The Banshee collided with the second Avenger, killing Trzcinski and SubLt. Julian Freeman, RCN, pilot and sole occupant of the Avenger.[369]
Douglas C-124A Globemaster II, 51-5173, c/n 43583,[372] en route from
Larson AFB, Washington, crashed while attempting a landing at
Binghamton Airport,
Binghamton, New York. On final approach, just before touchdown, the airplane struck an embankment and crashed on the runway. The plane was delivering 20 tons of equipment for Link Aviation. The crew of 9 survived.[372][373]
5 September
Royal Canadian Air Force
Avro Canada CF-100 Mk.4B, 18455, pulled up, flamed out, went into inverted spin and at the Canadian International Air Show,
Toronto,
Ontario. W/C H. R. Norris and F/O R. C. Dougall were killed.[374][375]
24 September
U. S. Air Force Major James Melancon, 36, of
Dallas, Texas, is killed when the
Douglas B-26 Invader he was piloting crashes in a residential area near
Dayton, Ohio, at 16:59. Coming down at 1843 Tuttle Avenue, the flight, out of
Wright Field, strikes a home, killing the pilot, co-pilot Capt. Wilho R. Heikkinen, 31, and two on the ground, and injuring others. Mildred VanZant, 44, an assistant director of nursing at St. Elizabeth Hospital, was killed when the plane impacted her house. Her brother Walter Geisler, 53, was mowing the lawn behind the house when he was killed. Four houses were struck by wreckage and two were set alight. An investigation determined that a loose engine cowling moved forward into the propeller. The pilot's son, Mark E. Melancon, will die in the
Thunderbirds demonstration team
Diamond Crash in Nevada in 1982.[376][377]
26 September
US NavyDouglas A3D-1 Skywarrior,
BuNo135417, 'AB 7', of Heavy Attack Squadron ONE (
VAH-1) crashes on the deck of the aircraft carrier
USS Forrestal (CVA-59) during
Operation Strikeback in the Norwegian Sea. It was a day landing, second approach, CCA (first approach mode one without); 1.6 km visibility, low, ragged ceiling, intermittent rain showers. After a low approach the aircraft settled at the ramp and the mainmounts and fuselage struck the ramp. The aircraft continued up the deck in flames, crashing off angle. Parts of the plane struck a parked
Douglas AD-5N Skyraider. Only two helmets and one boot were later recovered. It was estimated that one possible contributing factor was that the rain caused the optical illusion of "high ball" (on the landing mirror), combined with low airspeed. This was a fatal mishap for all crewmembers: Pilot, CDR Paul Wilson (71 total carrier landings); Bombardier/Navigator, LTJG Joseph R. Juricic; and third crew member, ADC Percy Schafer. As a sea-based high altitude bomber, the A3D was not equipped with ejection seats in order to save weight for operations from aircraft carriers.[378]
1 October
Aborted takeoff at
Homestead AFB, Florida, causes write-off of
Boeing B-47B-50-BW Stratojet, 51-2317, of the
379th Bomb Wing. Gear collapses, aircraft burns, but base fire department is able to quench flames such that crew escapes – pilots blow canopy to get out, navigator egresses through his escape hatch.[379]
2 October
A
Royal Canadian NavyMcDonnell F2H-3 Banshee, BuNo 126403 of
VF-870, suffers flight control problems during carrier qualifications on
HMCS Bonaventure (CVL 22) off southeast coast of
Nova Scotia. Commanders order pilot Lt. Howard Cooper to return to naval air station
HMCS Shearwater,
Nova Scotia 30 mi (48 km) north for repairs, but Cooper flies out to sea and runs out of fuel; a second Banshee pilot had determined the errant aircraft's approximate heading by tracking Cooper's radio signals, but the missing aircraft and pilot are not found after 4 days of intensive searching. On 2 June 1964, Canadian
fishing trawlerBarbara Dawn snags a wrecked jet in her nets 70 mi (113 km) southwest of
Sable Island; fishermen briefly observe entire aircraft before forward half breaks off and sinks, tail section is recovered, and RCN investigators are able to identify wreckage as 126403 based on serial-numbered parts.[380]
9 October
Boeing DB-47B-35-BW Stratojet, 51-2177A, of the
447th Bomb Squadron,
321st Bomb Wing, taking part in a practice demonstration at
Pinecastle Air Force Base suffers wing-failure during the annual Strategic Air Command Bombing Navigation and Reconnaissance Competition. The aircraft comes down north of downtown
Orlando killing pilot Colonel
Michael N. W. McCoy, commander of the 321st Bombardment Wing, Group Captain John Woodroffe of the
Royal Air Force, Lieutenant Colonel Charles Joyce, and Major Vernon Stuff. Pinecastle AFB is renamed McCoy Air Force Base in McCoy's honor on 7 May 1958. Details of the accident remained classified for five decades, presumably because they would reveal flaws in the aircraft, but an FOIA request resulted in the release that showed that the investigation laid the blame on pilot McCoy.[381][382]
11 October
On takeoff shortly after 00:00 from
Homestead AFB, Florida, a
Boeing B-47B-35-BW Stratojet, 51-2139, c/n 450192,[94] of the
379th Bomb Wing, participating in exercise Dark Night, suffers port-rear wheel casing failure at 30 kn. The bomber's tail hits the runway and a fuel tank ruptures, crashing in an uninhabited area approximately 3,800 feet from the end of the runway, four crew KWF.[383] The aircraft burns for seven hours after the firecrew evacuates the area, ten minutes after the crash.[66] The aircraft was carrying an unarmed nuclear weapon in the bomb bay and fuel capsule in a carrying case in the cabin. "Two low order detonations occurred during the burning."[384][385] The nuclear capsule and its carrying case were recovered intact and only slightly damaged by heat. Approximately one-half of the weapon remained. All major components were damaged but were identifiable and accounted for.[386]
29 October
Boeing KC-97G-27-BO Stratofreighter, 52-2711, c/n 16742, of the
509th Bomb Wing,[198] out of
Walker AFB, New Mexico, crashes 35 miles north of
Flagstaff, Arizona, while on nine-hour low-level survey flight to determine minimum altitude restrictions for
B-47 training routes. Aircraft was seen over
Gray Mountain, Arizona, at altitude of 60 feet shortly after 08:30, and then heard striking a cloud-shrouded cliff face, killing 16 crew and strewing wreckage for 200 yards along mountainside.[387][388]
30 October
DAVID[389] King Hutchins was the pilot of a plane which was reported missing in the Adriatic Sea area on October 30. His Skyraider plane, which took off from the carrier Randolph at O4:00 that day, was due back at 13:00 that afternoon.
USAFBoeing TB-29-75-BW Superfortress, 44-70039, c/n 10871, of the 5040th Radar Evaluation Flight, 5040th Consolidation Maintenance Group,
Elmendorf AFB,
Alaska, crashed 39 miles (63 km) SE of
Talkeetna, Alaska at c. 18:22. Mission departed Elmendorf on a ground radar calibration mission at 0954 under instrument flight rules on flight path to the Aircraft Control and Warning radar stations at
Campion near
Galena and then
Murphy Dome, north of
Fairbanks. Flight covered 1,800 nmi (3,300 km). with c. ten hours in the air.
Superfortress had fourteen hours' fuel and a crew of eight plus an instructor pilot. On final leg of approach to
Elmendorf, bomber came down on glacier now known as "Bomber Glacier", three crew with major injuries and one with a minor injury later upgraded to major, others KWF. Due to remoteness of crashsite, wreckage is still there.[citation needed]
28 November
Second of three flying prototypes of the ultra long-range, high-altitude single-seat super interceptor
Lavochkin La-250, is written off in landing crash, in part due to the restricted view from the cockpit over the very long nose. Third prototype will have its nose dropped by six degrees to improve visibility.
28 November
Lockheed U-2A, 56-6704, Article 371, eleventh airframe of first USAF order, delivered April 1957, moved to
4080th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing,
Laughlin AFB, Texas, June: 1957, crashes at night this date. Capt. Benny Lacombe killed when he unsuccessfully attempts to bail out of crippled aircraft 13 miles SE of Laughlin. Ejection seats had not yet been fitted to U-2s at this point.[391]
6 December
The first launch attempt of the first all-up
three-stageVanguard rocket,
Vanguard TV3, developed by the
Naval Research Laboratory, from
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 18, Florida, fails as the vehicle reaches an apogee of c. four feet (1.2 meters), then suffers a loss of thrust, fails back onto the pad, the fuel tanks rupture and explode, destroying the rocket and severely damaging the launchpad. The 1.36 kilogram satellite is thrown clear, landing near the pad, whereupon it begins transmitting a signal. No exact cause for the failure is determined, but the commonly accepted explanation is that low
fuel tank pressure during the start procedure allowed some of the burning fuel in the
combustion chamber to leak into the fuel system through the
injector head before full propellant pressure was obtained from the
turbopump. The press dubs the failed attempt "Kaputnik". The satellite is now on display at the
National Air and Space Museum, Washington, D.C.
12 December
A
U.S. Air ForceBoeing B-52D Stratofortress, 56-0597[392] of the
92d Bomb Wing, crashes at either c. 16:02 PDT[393] or 17:00.[394] on takeoff at
Fairchild AFB near
Spokane, Washington. All crew members are killed except the tail gunner. The incident is caused by trim motors that were hooked up backwards. The aircraft climbed straight up, stalled, fell over backwards and nosed straight down. Among the dead crewmen was the commanding officer of the
SAC 92d Bomb Wing to which the aircraft was assigned, Col. Clarence Arthur Neely, 42, of
Rockford, Illinois. The tail section broke away in the crash and the gunner, T/Sgt. Gene I. Graye, 25,
Augusta, Kansas, survived a low-level ejection, relatively unscathed. All eight others on board perished, although four attempted ejection.[395] Wreckage was strewn over a radius of more than 1,000 feet (300 m) in a stubble field about a mile west of the airbase. One source states that the crash site was "in a field between the runway (05) and the hospital".[394] Although the Air Force has never indicated whether or not nuclear weapons were aboard the aircraft, this crash was cited in a February 1991 EPA report as having involved nuclear materials[citation needed] This was the seventh B-52 to be lost, and the first that was not serving with a training wing.[395] Also KWF were: Maj. Ralph Romaine Alworth, 38,
Oilton, Oklahoma; Capt. Douglas Earl Gray, 33,
Guthrie, Kentucky; 1st Lt. James Dennis Mann, 33,
Mountain View, California; Capt. Thomas N. Peebles, 33,
Carson, Virginia; Capt. Douglas Franklin Schwartz, 37,
Minneapolis, Minnesota; Capt. Herbert Henry Spiller Jr., 32,
Lowell, Arkansas; and 1st Lt. Jack Joseph Vainisi, 26, of
Oakhill, Illinois.[396]
A U.S. Navy
Martin P4M-1Q Mercator, BuNo 124373,[398] of JQ-3, JQ tailcode, with 12 aboard,[399] loses power in its port reciprocating engine while on final approach to
NAS Norfolk, Virginia, comes down at 22nd Bay Street and East Ocean View Avenue in
Ocean View, "demolishing three small houses and damaging three others. The plane and the last house it struck burned. Four of the airmen were unaccounted for. The eight survivors, of whom only one was seriously injured, were hospitalized. All were suffering from shock. Three civilians – occupants of three of the houses that were struck – were injured, none critically," stated the Associated Press. The aircraft was on a ferry flight from its base at
Port Lyautey,
French Morocco, via
Bermuda, to NAS Norfolk, and had entered the landing pattern when the port engine failed, the pilot, Cmdr. Clyde Curley, 41, reported to Navy officials.[400]
14 January
A U.S. Navy
Lockheed R7V-1 Super Constellation, BuNo 128437, c/n 1049B-4104,[401] of VW-11,
NS Argentia, Newfoundland,[402] practicing instrument landings at
NAS Patuxent River, Maryland, is waved off during an 08:30 approach in what the Associated Press terms "murky weather", crashes into a wooded area and explodes, killing all nine aboard.[403][404] The pilot "had tried to land once before but was waved off because [his] approach to the end of the runway was too low. Visibility was reduced to about a half mile by fog and mist. On the second run, the plane also came in too low and to the left. The tower again waved it off. The pilot gunned his ship as it started over the 'Cinder Block,' the station's name for a housing area for married enlisted personnel. Mrs. Howard Snyder, in one of the one-story, two family buildings, said, 'I looked out the window and all I saw was wings.' The plane cleared the housing area, but clipped treetops as the engines roared. The impact with the trees threw the plane out of control, and it seared a strip through the thin woods a quarter-mile long. Then it struck the ground and erupted into a huge ball of fire. Eight bodies were thrown clear of the wreckage by the exploding gasoline. A ninth was pulled out of the mangled cockpit section while it still smouldered. Of the nine killed, three were officers and six were seamen. A Patuxent spokesman said Cdr. William W. Lamer Jr., of
Charleston, S. C., was the plane commander, while Cdr. Richard H. Hart of
Natchitoches, La., and Lt. (j.g.) Harry G. Morgan Jr., of
Little Ferry N.J., were pilots in training. The spokesman said it was not known which man was at the controls at the time of the crash."[405] Victims included:
Cmdr. Lamar Jr., husband of Mrs. Eva C. Lamar, now living at Patuxent, and son of Capt. and Mrs. William W. Lamar, Charleston, S.C.
Cmdr. Hart, husband of Mrs. Thelma E. Hart, now living at Patuxent, and son of Simon M. Hart, Natchitoches, La.
Seaman Floyd O. Taylor, husband of Mrs. Kathleen Henrickson Taylor,
Lexington Md., and son of Mrs. Velma Dowdy,
Los Angeles.
Seaman William C. Thurau, husband of Mrs. Mary Lee Seward Thurau,
South Hill Va., and son of Mrs. William S. Thurau,
Flint Mich.
15 January
A U.S. Air Force
Boeing WB-50D Superfortress weather reconnaissance plane, 49–295, c/n 16071, (built as a B-50D-115-BO Superfortress), of the
54th Weather Reconnaissance Squadron,[406] stationed on
Guam, with ten crew on board (some sources incorrectly state that there were nine crew),[407][408] vanishes as it penetrates the eye of
Typhoon Ophelia. The bomber was last heard from as it headed towards the typhoon, 600 miles north of Guam. Rescue efforts continued on 18 January after reports of flares, faint radio signals, and mirror flashes. The ammunition ship
USS Firedrake reported sighting flares in the search area. "The navy destroyer escort
USS Moore and an air rescue squadron plane both reported hearing a radio distress call, possibly from a hand-operated radio such as those carried by the missing craft. In
Honolulu a naval officer told of seeing a series of flashes on the water yesterday. He was a passenger on a
MATS plane 200 miles west of Guam. Lt. Comdr. Wendell K. Howard said he thought they were mirror flashes but did not report them at the time because he hadn't known the plane was down."[409] No additional evidence of the WB-50 was reported during the following week, when a
Military Air Transport ServiceBoeing C-97 Stratofreighter disappeared southwest of
Oahu on a flight to
Kwajalein on 19 January, adding to the search complexities for those seeking evidence of the missing weather plane.[410] The search for survivors of the C-97 is abandoned on Wednesday night, 22 January, when a half-ton of aircraft debris is returned to
Pearl Harbor, much of it damaged by fire. However, the navy continued to search for survivors of the lost WB-50 after faint radio signals of a type that could have come from a hand-cranked radio on a raft were again heard on 22 January.[411] The following crew were switched from "missing" to "dead" on 20 February:
Aircraft Commander- Captain Albert J Lauer AO 2095765
Pilot- Captain Clyde W Tefertiller AO 751488
Weather Observer- Captain Marcus G Miller AO 751488
Navigator- First Lieutenant Courtland Beeler III AO 2210728
Navigator- First Lieutenant Paul J Buerkle Jr AO3053321
Flight Engineer- Technical Sergeant De1ivan L Gordon AF 57625218
Flight Engineer- Staff Sergeant Kenneth L Tetzloff AFl7336278
Radio Operator- Staff Sergeant Kenneth L Houseman AF 17319484
Radio Operator- Airman First Class Randolph C Watts AF 14382160
Weather Technician- Airman First Class Bernard G Tullgren[412]
18 January
A U.S. Navy
Douglas R6D-1 Liftmaster crashes and burns, moments after take off from
Kadena Air Base,
Naha, Okinawa, but all 35 on board survive. Two were burned, and were taken to Ryukyus Army Hospital. Their names were withheld. As the transport departed Kadena it suffered a failed engine. "The plane faltered, headed down, and struck a hillside, a mile from the runway."[413]
19 January
A U.S. Air Force
Boeing C-97A-BO, 49-2597, c/n 16219,[406] probably assigned to the
47th Air Transport Squadron, of the
Military Air Transport Service, disappears over the Pacific during a flight from
Honolulu to
Kwajalein. Pieces of wood and foam rubber were found on Monday night, 20 January, pinpointing where the cargo plane vanished Sunday with seven aboard. The plane was last heard from 385 miles southwest of
Oahu Island. The carrier
USS Philippine Sea (CV-47) messaged Navy headquarters at
Pearl Harbor that it had found the wreckage and believed it came from the cargo plane.[414] "Hope of finding any survivors in the crash of a C95 [sic] Military Air Transport Stratocruiser [sic] waned today (22 January 1958) and the Navy withdrew most of the ships searching the area southwest of
Hawaii. Seven men were aboard the four-engine plane, Col. Darlene Bailey of the
1501st Air Transport Wing,
Travis Air Force Base, Calif., said here last night chances of finding any of them were 'pretty hopeless.' The navy confirmed that debris found 277 miles to the southwest was wreckage of the plane. It apparently crashed Sunday on a flight to Kwajalein."[415] The search for survivors of the C-97 is abandoned on Wednesday night, 22 January, when a half-ton of aircraft debris is returned to
Pearl Harbor, much of damaged by fire.[411] The flight had originated at
Travis AFB, California, bound for Tokyo, with fuel stops at
Hickam AFB, Hawaii, and
Wake Island.[416]
21 January
The last of the seven Finnish
Fokker C.Xs that survived World War II crashes in
1958. The airframe, FK-111, served as a target-towing craft in the
Finnish Air Force. The plane crashed into a forest this date, killing the pilot,
Second Lieutenant Aimo Allinen, and the winch-operator 2d Ltn. Antti Kukkonen.
24 January
"
Fuchu, Japan (
AP) – Three U.S. Air Force
F84G jet trainers [sic] crashed into the sea tonight after takeoff from
Iwakuni air base, [sic] western Japan. The bodies of the three pilots, whose names were withheld, had not been located five hours later, the Air Force said. The planes, from the
418th Fighter Training Squadron,
Misawa Air Base, were on a training flight. 'Engines of all three aircraft appeared to flame out almost simultaneously on takeoff. The planes hit the water about 1,000 feet from the end of the runway,' the Air Force said."[417] According to Joe Baugher, F-84G-20-RE, 51-1237, had a mid-air collision with flight mates F-84G-25-RE, 51–1300 and F-84G-25-RE, 51-1312, during the takeoff sequence.[94]
24 January
A U.S. Navy
Convair R3Y-1 Tradewind, BuNo 128446, "Indian Ocean Tradewind",[234] assigned to VR-2, claims a new
Honolulu-
Alameda speed record for seaplanes, despite the loss of one engine en route. The Navy said that the Tradewind's 5 hours and 54 minutes bettered an old record for a seaplane, also set by a
Tradewind, at 6 hours and 54 minutes. After departing from
Keehi Lagoon, Hawaii, the Tradewind suffered the loss of the number one propeller (port outer) when it tore loose about 350 miles (560 km) from the mainland, slashing a six- to eight-foot hole (2.5 m) in the hull below the waterline, and damaging electrical control lines. None of the 17 on board were injured, either, when the R3Y slammed into the breakwater after landing in
San Francisco Bay, California, due to a runaway turboprop engine that would not respond to control inputs due to the electrical system damage from the propeller strike. Lt. Cdr. Homer C. Ragsdale was the pilot on this flight.[418] The Navy announces on 30 January that all three R3Y Tradewinds will remain grounded until a five-man accident board can determine what caused the crash of a fourth when it struck a seawall at
Naval Air Station Alameda, California, after also losing a propeller in flight.[419] Ultimately, this was the last straw for the troubled P5Y and R3Y programme. Four of the design had crashed, including one of two XP5Y-1 prototypes, all attributed to on-going issues with the problematic
Allison T-40 turboprop powerplants and their associated gearboxes. The Navy abandoned further interest in the engine and all aircraft using it. VR-2 was disestablished 16 April 1958, and all P5Y and R3Y airframes broken up.
"
George Air Force Base, Calif., Jan. 31 (
AP) – Two propeller-driven
B-26 medium bombers collided over the Southern California desert today. The Air Force said one crashed, killing its two-man crew. The other plane limped 75 miles with one of its two engines feathered and made a belly landing here on a foam-covered runway. Base officials said the crew escaped injury. Names of the dead were withheld pending notification of relatives."[420] Douglas TB-26B Invader, 41-39310, c/n 7023, built as an A-26B-25-DL,[421] crashed 14 miles NNE of
Bagdad, California, killing pilot 1st Lt. Alexander Aros and A/1C Patrick Hughes.[422]
1 February
A USAF
Douglas C-118A Liftmaster military transport, 53-3277, c/n 44648/602,[145] of the
1611th ATW, based at
McGuire AFB, New Jersey, and a United States Navy
Lockheed P2V-5F Neptune patrol bomber, BuNo 127723,[234] '7L 203', collided over
Norwalk, California (a suburb of Los Angeles) at 19:13. The C-118 had departed
Long Beach Municipal Airport for a flight to
McGuire AFB, while the P2V had just departed
Naval Air Reserve Station Los Alamitos on a training flight with eight Reservists on board. The C-118 disintegrated and the tail section crashed through the roof of a service station, while wreckage fell into the parking lot of the Norwalk Sheriff's Station, setting a gasoline supply dump alight. The Neptune crashed into an excavated clay pit on Norwalk Boulevard. 47 servicemen were killed (35 passengers and six crew aboard the transport, six of eight on the P2V – one more survived the impact but died later) as well as a 23-year-old civilian woman on the ground who was hit by falling debris. A plaque commemorating the disaster was erected by American Legion Post 359 in 1961 at the location of the accident, the corner of
Firestone Boulevard and Pioneer Boulevard.[423][424][425]
3 February
Two
North American F-86 Sabres engaged in a mock attack maneuver collide near
Andrews, South Carolina, killing one pilot and forcing the second, First Lieutenant Raymond G. Bronk, to parachute to safety. Capt. E. R. Breslauer, base public information officer at
Charleston Air Force Base, South Carolina, stated that the dead pilot, First Lieutenant John William Calvert, 29, of
Abbeville, South Carolina, in an F-86D of the
515th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron. The
515th Air Defense Group was active at
Duluth Municipal Airport, Minnesota, 16 February 1953 – 18 August 1955, flying D-model Sabres, but it reequipped with
F-89 Scorpions before inactivating, and was out of the picture by the time of this event.[4] was practicing a maneuver in which his aircraft was bearing down on a pair of F-86L Sabres of the
444th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron in a collision course with the intent of zeroing in his guns as if to fire, then pulls away. "Capt. Breslauer said the interceptor apparently misjudged the distance or took too long to zero in. He started to pull away at the same time Lt. Bronk did, and the two jets, each doing at least 500 miles an hour, crashed belly to belly." Bronk's wingman, First Lieutenant Delbert T. Grumbach, flew through the scattered debris from the two disintegrating jets, but was able to land safely at Charleston AFB, where he was treated and released from the hospital. "Observers said Grumbach's plane lost its canopy and had 50 or 75 holes in its body resembling flak hits." Lt. Bronk reportedly telephoned his own location near Andrews to authorities, and a helicopter was dispatched to pick him up. He suffered a cut chin. Capt. Breslauer said that the body of the dead pilot was found near the wreckage of his plane, between the towns of Andrews and
Lane, South Carolina. Lt. Calvert was the son of Mrs. Harriet Coan Calvert and the late John W. Calvert Sr., of Abbeville. He was a 1953 graduate of
West Point. He was a member of the Abbeville Presbyterian Church. He was also survived by one sister, Mrs. Jerry E. Dempsey, of
Atlanta, Georgia. Bronk's mother, Mrs. Mary Martha Bronk, lives at
Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Grumbach's mother is Mrs. Esther E. Larson, of
Mountlake Terrace, Washington.[426]
A United States Air Force
Boeing B-47B-IV-51-BW Stratojet, 51-2349A, c/n 450401,[94] of the
28th Bomb Squadron,
19th Bomb Wing, Ivory 2, second aircraft in two-plane Ivory Cell, out of
Homestead AFB, Florida, on unit simulated combat mission (USCM), has c. 00:33 mid-air collision with
USAFNorth American F-86L-50 Sabre, 52-10108, Gold Two, second of three-plane Gold Flight, of the
444th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron,
Charleston AFB, South Carolina, near
Sylvania, Georgia, jettisons
Mark 15, Mod 0
nuclear bomb training weapon casing, No. 47782,[428][429] from 7,200 feet (2,200 m) over
Wassaw Sound off
Tybee Beach,
Georgia. Stratojet recovers to
Hunter AFB, Georgia, bomb is still missing. The Pentagon disputes reports that the plutonium trigger WAS on the weapon.[430] The B-47 was subsequently scrapped. Sabre pilot Lt. Clarence A. Stewart, 23, of
Isola, Mississippi, ejects safely,[431][432] and the B-47 crew are uninjured in emergency landing. Some accounts say pilot Major Howard Richardson made three attempts to land,[433] but the pilot has been quoted as saying he made a straight-in approach, as he wasn't about to risk additional flight time in the damaged bomber.[434]
"
PALMDALE, Calif. (
AP) – A jet fighter plane crashed into the front yard of a home today just after taking off from the
airport of this city 35 miles north of
Los Angeles. The sheriff's substation said it had no report on casualties. The house itself was not damaged by the diving plane, according to first reports."[438]Lockheed F‑104A-20-LO Starfighter, 56‑0792, c/n 183-1080,[439] suffered engine failure shortly after take-off, coming down one mile west of the airport. Lockheed test pilot Henry C. Bosserman attempts ejection but is killed.[440]
7 February
While on a flight from
Fort Gordon, Georgia, to
Fort Bragg, North Carolina, a
Piasecki H-21C Shawnee of the
8th Transport Helicopter Company, Fort Bragg, crashes in a swampy area 10 miles (16 km) northwest of
Hartsville, South Carolina, killing the commander of the 8th, Capt. John H. Asbury, and seriously injuring two others. "The H21 helicopter attached to the outfit commanded by Capt. Asbury was reported missing last night after reporting its position at 18:33 near
Columbia. Forty military aircraft searched a 10-mile wide strip between Ft. Bragg and Columbia today before two Negroes came on the wrecked helicopter and notified authorities. The dead man and the two survivors were carried out on litters by members of a rescue party who had to tramp through almost two miles of underbrush and swamp to
U.S. Highway 15."[441] The rescue party had to cut the three crewmen out of the wreckage. Capt. Asbury, 35, of Ft. Bragg, and
Cape Elizabeth, Maine, C.W.O. Alva William Kepner, 27, of
Burbank, California, and Sp.2C. Kenneth R. Struchen, 25, of
Garvin, Minnesota, lay trapped in the downed ship "through a night of bitter cold weather. The temperature got down to 32 degrees (0°C) this morning at Columbia, 50 miles (80 km) from the crash scene." Kepner was treated at Byerly Hospital at Hartsville for a broken leg, shock, and exposure. Struchen, also hospitalized at Hartsville, was treated for a broken shoulder, shock, and exposure. "Officials said the cause of the crash was not determined, and a board would investigate."[441]
8 February
A
nuclear weapon was inadvertently dropped from a
Boeing B-52D Stratofortress bomber parked at a pad and ready to be unloaded at
Ellsworth AFB,
South Dakota. Preliminary reports indicated that an airman erred and pulled the manual release handle which released the weapon from the bomb bay and through the unopened bomb bay doors. Damage to the weapon included a dented afterbody, two smashed fins, and a displaced secondary. There was no capsule aboard the aircraft. The bomb was loaded aboard a trailer and removed to the Q Area weapons maintenance depot (Site F) at
Rushmore Air Force Station,
South Dakota, adjacent to Ellsworth AFB.[442] The damaged weapon was later exchanged for an operational weapon from stockpile.[443]
8 February
"
THOMASTON, Ga., Feb. 8
AP – One Army officer was injured fatally and another hurt seriously tonight in a crash of their plane near this west central
Georgia town. One was pronounced dead upon arrival at a Thomaston hospital. The hospital declined to give the names of either of the officers. It was reported that their plane crashed en route from
Ft. Bragg, N.C. to
Ft. Benning, Ga."[444] On 9 February, the public information office at Ft. Benning released the identities of the officers involved. Killed was 1st Lt. Marshall E. Stephenson, 23, whose parents live in
Macon. He was a 1955 graduate of
Mercer University, and was en route from his unit at Ft. Bragg to Ft. Benning, when the small plane suffered a power failure. "A companion on the flight, Capt. Bernard Towsed II, 29, (hometown unavailable) was injured in the crackup. He was brought to Upson County Hospital here (Thomaston) with a broken leg and facial cuts."[445]
In the third accident for the unit in nine days,[446] pilot Lt. Joseph O. Sweeney, 24, of Orleans Road, St. Andrews Parish, Charleston, South Carolina, is killed in the 14:04 takeoff crash of a
North American F-86L Sabre of the
444th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron c. two miles off the end of the main instrument runway at
Charleston Air Force Base, South Carolina, the plane coming down in a wooded area in the vicinity of Midland Park Road and exploding on impact. He had taken off on a practice intercept mission. Base spokesmen on 13 February said that Lt. Sweeney's fighter was fully loaded with rockets but that none exploded and all were accounted for by that morning. "Squadron spokesmen today (13 February) said the cause of the plane's trouble was materiel failure due to fire. The plane's engine was reported to have sputtered and caught fire immediately after lifting from the end of the runway. The crash occurred on civilian-owned property near the Midland Park Road."[447]
15 February
A
Douglas VC-47A Skytrain, 42-93817, c/n 13771, built as a C-47A-25-DK and upgraded,[448] en route from its home base,
Ramstein-Landstuhl Air Base, Germany, to
Istanbul, departs
Capodichino Airport,
Naples, for a flight to
Athens, with 16 servicemen aboard. Following a radio call 30 minutes after departure when the crew reported en route at 6500 feet and switching to the Rome ATC, nothing further is heard from the flight, which never contacts Rome,[449] nor arrives in Greece. Dense fog over the
Ionian Sea and mountainous southern
Italy on 17 February greatly impeded search efforts for the missing aircraft. "U.S. authorities did not exclude the possibility the plane might have been forced down in Communist
Albania."[450] The burned and scattered wreckage is found 19 February high on the rugged slope of
Mount Vesuvius at the 3,800 foot level, about 200 feet below the top of the cone of the
volcano which overlooks Naples Bay. A search plane first spotted the wreckage following "four days of fruitless ground, sea and air search impeded by fog, rain and snow." Patrols of U.S. servicemen, Italian soldiers and
carabinieri reached the crash site four hours after it was found, battling though heavy snow, but reported no survivors amongst the 16 on board. They stated that all had been identified. "A surgeon said death apparently was instantaneous." There were 15 Air Force officers and men from Ramstein-Landstuhl Air Base, and one seaman of the
USS Tripoli on board. "Officials declined to venture a theory on the cause of the crash except that the weather was bad and the pilot, Capt. Martin S. Schwartz of
Ashland, Kentucky, had not previously flown from Capodichino field."[451] The bodies of the victims were brought to Capodichino Airport and on Friday 21 February, they were flown to Germany.[452]
17 February
A
Republic F-84F Thunderstreak from
Dobbins Air Force Base, Georgia, crashed in flames c. 5 miles south of
Barnwell, South Carolina, "narrowly missing a church and striking a power line in its plunge to the ground." The pilot, identified only as having the last name of Morrell, rank and first name not included in the initial press account, safely ejected from the jet and parachuted to safety. "He was taken to the
Barnwell airport where an Air Force plane returned him to Dobbins. Police listed his last name as Morrell and said he was not injured. His first name and rank were not immediately available here. Officers said no single piece of the airplane more than four feet long could be found at the crash site."[453] Additional Associated Press accounts identified the pilot as Lt. Billy Morrell, 24, of the
128th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron,
Georgia Air National Guard. Morrell, of
Marrietta, Georgia, and a native of
Greer, South Carolina, was on a "normal scramble" flight, according to a Dobbins spokesman, when his jet flamed out at 10,000 feet.[454]
18 February
"
OCEANA, Va., Feb. 18 – A Navy jet pilot, making practice carrier landings at the
Fentress Auxiliary Air Station near here, was killed early today when his plane apparently lost power and he rode it down through a crash landing. The pilot was identified as Lt.(j.g.) Ralph Walker Anderson, 24, of
Orlando, Florida."[455]
20 February
The launch of
Convair XSM-65 Atlas 11A, 56-6748, from LC-12,
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, at 17:46 GMT (14:48 EST), ends in failure about two minutes into the flight at an apogee of 90 km (56 mi) when the flight controls fail and stage 1 explodes.[456]
20 February
"
SAN DIEGO, Calif.
AP – The deaths of three Navy men and injury to two others in a plane crash and explosion on the aircraft carrier
Shangri-la off the
California coast was disclosed by the Navy last night. One of those killed was the pilot of an
F11-F Grumman Tiger Jet coming in for a landing on the carrier. The other victims were working on the flight deck when the accident occurred Thursday afternoon, the Navy reported. The dead were: Lt. David Oscar Gudal, the pilot, whose wife, Maureen, lives at
Sunnyvale, Calif.; Ronald G. Payne, Airman 3.c., whose wife, Myrle, lives at
San Jose, Calif., and Clandell N. Hardeman, airman, of
Smithville, Tex. The injured were identified only as: Richard Leon Davis, airman, and S. N. Brown, an airman. The Navy said the accident occurred when the plane attempted a landing and failed to engage the arresting gear on the flight deck."[457] F11F-1, BuNo 141734, was assigned to
VA-156, coded 'NH-xxx',[458] the first Tiger squadron to complete carrier qualifications.[459]
25 February
During joint exercises with the U.S. Navy at
Naval Station Mayport,
Duval County, Florida, a flight of four
Royal Canadian NavyMcDonnell F2H-3 Banshee fighters performs a formation takeoff but immediately flies into a dense fog bank; the rearmost aircraft, BuNo 126428 of
VF-871, drops out of formation and vanishes. The airplane's nosewheel and pilot Lt. Barry Troy's helmet are later found floating in the ocean nearby, but no other signs of the missing aircraft or pilot are ever found.[460]
25 February
North American XSM-64 Navaho (G-26), 54–3097, comprising missile 8 and booster 12, the final launch from LC-9,
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, of this early attempt at a supersonic
cruise missile design, under Project RISE (Research In the Supersonic Environment) to gather data for the X-15 and XB-70 programs for NASA, ends abruptly when the booster cuts off at T+20s. The vehicle "arched over and plunged toward the Atlantic Ocean. Just above the water it burst into orange flame and black smoke."[461] Of 12 vehicles built, eleven were launched but no flight reached a successful conclusion. The whole project had been cancelled in July 1957 as
ICBM developments had overtaken this piggy-back design. The many failed launch attempts earned the project the uncomplimentary appellation, "Never go, Navaho."[462] At the time of cancellation, $700 million had been expended on the program with less than 90 minutes flight time accrued.[463]
26 February
A
Boeing RB-47E-25-BW Stratojet, 52-0720, c/n 450941,[198] of the
26th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing,
Lockbourne AFB, Ohio, crashes on approach at
Sugar Grove, Ohio, six miles south of
Lancaster.[464] The aircraft hit the ground at an angle of 50 degrees, narrowly missing an
Ohio Fuel natural gas pumping facility by a few hundred feet. It was determined that the aircraft was allowed to get into an unusual attitude and/or high speed, through disorientation, from which there was no recovery. In actuality a wheel door had broken away and prevented the control surfaces to be fully active.[66] KWF were 1st Lt. Theodore L. Jenner, 26, of
Evanston, Illinois, aircraft commander; 1st Lt. George M. Reiley, 25,
Hyattsville, Maryland, pilot; 1st Lt. Earl N. Fogle, 27,
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, navigator; and 1st Lt. Alvin B. Storey, 25, of
Charlotte, North Carolina, an additional pilot aboard for training.[465]
27 February
A
Douglas-Tulsa B-47E-30-DT Stratojet, 52-0181, c/n 44035, of the
40th Bombardment Wing (Medium), based at
Schilling Air Force Base, Kansas,[198] crashes short of the runway due to fuel exhaustion during a landing at
Biggs Air Force Base, Texas, killing one member of the four crew on board. Navigator Lt. Samuel G. Hardin, of
Salina, Kansas, died as the bomber came down on short final, scattering wreckage over a half-mile area. Three other crew members walked away from the wrecked airframe, with minor injuries. They were Lt. Col. Hilding L. Jacobson Jr., instructor pilot; Capt. Gerald Weimar, plane commander; and Lt. Donald Maisel, copilot; all of Salina, Kansas. Lt. Hardin is survived by his wife, Lucia Hardin, of Salina.[466]
A
Royal Canadian NavyMcDonnell F2H-3 Banshee, BuNo 126333, Sqn. No. 142 of
VF-871, suffers an apparent brake failure while taxiing aboard
HMCS Bonaventure (CVL 22) and rolls off the carrier's deck. Pilot LCDR Brian Bell-Irving ejects as airplane falls, but partially opened canopy does not jettison, and Bell-Irving is knocked unconscious and severely injured as ejection seat smashes through canopy and slams into ocean surface. The damaged fighter jet catches fire and sinks; Bell-Irving is subsequently hauled aboard escort
destroyerHMCS Haida (DDE 215) but dies from his injuries. This is the only operational ejection from a RCN Banshee.[468]
7 March
A
USMCFairchild R4Q-1 Packet transport, BuNo 128741, c/n 10570, crashes in the Pacific Ocean off
Naha, Okinawa while returning from
Naval Air Station Cubi Point to
Atsugi, Japan.[469] The R4Q was being accompanied by a
Douglas AD-6 Skyraider, BuNo 135350, both aircraft an instrument approach into Naha AFB. Apparently the AD-6 had communication or navigation problems and elected to fly wing on the R4Q during the approach. Both planes collided and crashed in the Pacific Ocean, 5 km. from the base. Seven crew and 19 passengers on the transport were KWF, as was the Skyraider pilot.[470] Nine of the victims were members of
VMA-323.[471]
A United States Air Force
Boeing B-47E-60-LM Stratojet, 53-1876, c/n 290,[145] from
Hunter AFB, Georgia, jettisons
nuclear weapons casing from 15,000 feet (4,600 m) over rural section of
Florence, South Carolina, high-explosives detonate on impact causing property damage, several civilian injuries. No fuel capsule installed on bomb.[472]
13 March
A
Boeing B-47B-30-BW Stratojet, 51-2104, of the
379th Bombardment Wing, from
Homestead AFB, Florida, crashes shortly after take-off, breaking into four parts while making a shallow turn at 1,500 feet (460 m), coming down 10 nm southwest of Homestead.[94] Four crew killed: Maj. Leon F. Hatcher Jr., aircraft commander; Maj. Frank H. Whyte Jr., instructor pilot; 1st Lt. Paul J. Pennington, Co-Pilot; Capt. George Reid, Navigator.[66] On the same date, a
TB-47B-10-BW Stratojet, 50‑0013, c/n 450028, of the
3520th Combat Crew Training Wing, out of
McConnell AFB breaks up in flight over
Tulsa, Oklahoma. Student pilot, instructor eject, parachute to safety, but crewman occupying the navigator's position does not eject and is killed.[473] Both accidents are due to unexpected fatigue issues in the B-47 fleet.[474]
18 March
Test pilot Leo J. "Pete" Colapietro bails out of
Douglas F4D Skyray during routine test flight over the Pacific Ocean which goes out of control, ejects at c. 650 mph (1,050 km/h), suffers right arm broken in two places, fractured pelvis, two cracked vertebrae, and a dislocated shoulder. Parachute deploys automatically, however, and pilot is rescued from the water after 45 minutes by a helicopter and a rescue launch. He remains in hospital for over six weeks.[475]
A United States Air Force
Douglas C-124C Globemaster II, 52-0981, collides in midair with a USAF
Fairchild C-119C Flying Boxcar, 49-0195, over farmland near
Bridgeport, Texas, United States, killing all 15 on the Globemaster and all 3 on the Flying Boxcar. The two transports crossed paths over a
VHF omnidirectional range (VOR) navigational radio beacon during cruise flight under
instrument flight rules; conditions were overcast with zero visibility within the clouds, and haze and fog were observed in the area. The C-124 was on a north-northeasterly heading flying at its properly assigned altitude of 7,000 ft (2,100 m); the C-119 was on a southeasterly heading, and the crew had been instructed to fly at 6,000 ft (1,800 m), but their aircraft was not flying at this altitude when the collision occurred.[477][478]
A
USAFDouglas RB-66B-DL Destroyer, 54–422, c/n 44722, of the
10th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing,[482] crashes in an open field four miles (6 km) from
RAF Sculthorpe, UK, while making a blind landing as part of a routine training flight. All three crew KWF. The aircraft was receiving flight instructions from the radar control tower at Sculthorpe. Although the weather was good, the jet was operating under simulated blackout conditions.[483]
15 April
Two more
Boeing B-47 Stratojet bombers of
Strategic Air Command suffer crashes this date.[476] One was B-47E-20-LM, 52–235, c/n 43,[198] of the
306th Bomb Wing, which crashed after take-off from
MacDill AFB, Florida, with 4 crew KWF.[484] The bomber was destroyed when it encountered the parent
thunderstorm of one of five tornados that touched down in Florida and Georgia that day. The plane unsuccessfully attempted to fly at lower altitudes and avoid the system.[485] The other was B-47E-100-BW, 52-0562, c/n 450847,[198] of the
509th Bomb Wing, which crashed after take-off from
Pease AFB, New Hampshire. 4 crew KWF.[484]
A
Tupolev Tu-16 is forced down on an ice runway at Soviet North Pole drift station Severnyy Polyus-6, (North Pole) NP-6, where it is discovered and photographed by a
RCAFAvro Lancaster of
No. 408 Squadron on an Apex Rocket reconnaissance sortie, the first detailed images of the design to be made by the West. Additional photo missions find the Soviets dismantling the bomber, that its starboard main gear was missing, and that an engine had visible damage.[488]
An
Indian Air Forcede Havilland Vampire crashed into the Delhi Flying Club hangar at
Safdar Jung Airport,
Delhi while attempting an emergency landing following an in-flight fire. Both Vampire crew died and four engineers working in the hangar were killed and 11 aircraft were destroyed.[491]
9 May
A USAF
North American F-100F-10-NA Super Sabre, serial number 56-3810, crashed 8 miles (13 km) NNE of
Kadena Air Base, Japan. Instructor/test pilot Capt. Theodore Christos and rear seat pilot Capt. James Looney ejected but were killed. Crash Investigation Board report indicated cause of crash was undetermined.[citation needed]
20 May
A United States Air Force
Lockheed T-33A-5-LO Shooting Star, 53-5966, operated by the Maryland Air National Guard collided in mid-air with a
Capital AirlinesVickers Viscount, registered N7410 operating flight Capital 300 at 8,000 ft (2,400 m) four miles (6 km) east of
Brunswick, Maryland. All 11 on board the Viscount were killed and the T-33 co-pilot, the T-33 pilot ejected and survived.[492]
23 May
A
Nike Ajax missile of Battery B, 526th AAA Missile Battalion, exploded accidentally at a battery at Site NY-53 near
Leonardo, New Jersey, at 13:15 on this date,[493][494] setting off six other missiles of A Section, killing 6 soldiers and 4 civilians. The nearest missile in B Section had its booster ignited by flying shrapnel and it flew into a nearby hill, but the warhead fortunately failed to explode. This was the first fatal Nike Ajax accident. A memorial can be found at
Fort Hancock in the
Sandy Hook Unit of
Gateway National Recreation Area.[495]
A
USAFBoeing KC-135A-BN Stratotanker, 56-3599,[499] c/n 17348, call sign Cocoa, of the
4050th Air Refueling Wing,
Strategic Air Command, crashes on takeoff from
Westover AFB,
Chicopee, Massachusetts, attempting to set a world speed record from New York-London. 7 crew and 8 passenger fatalities. Departing Westover's Runway 23 just after midnight, with a takeoff weight of over 289,000 pounds, the aircraft failed to climb, and after 45 seconds of flight, dragged the port wingtip, the right wing struck powerlines, and the plane came down across the
Massachusetts Turnpike, exploding in the backyard of a family farm adjacent to the highway. Amongst those killed were aircraft commander Lt. Col. George Broutsas, commanding officer of the
99th Air Refueling Squadron, 39, of
Brattleboro, Vermont; 1st Lt. Joe C. Sweet, 26, of
Chandler, Arizona, co-pilot; Capt, James E. Shipman, 35, of Kansas City, navigator; M/Sgt. Donald H. Gabbord, 38, of
Los Gatos, California, boom operator; Capt. John B. Gordon, third pilot and aide to 8th Air Force commander Maj. Gen. Walter C. Sweeny Jr.; and T/Sgt. Joseph G. Hutter, crew chief.[500] Also aboard was Brig. Gen. Donald W. Saunders, 45, commander of the
57th Air Division at Westover, and commander of the four plane record attempt, of which Cocoa was the third to depart. Eight civilians also died: William J. Cochran, 36, and William R. Enyart, 57, representatives of the
National Aeronautic Association as official observers; and six journalists covering the flight, retired Brig. Gen. A. Robert Ginsburgh, 63, and Glen A. Williams, 41, of U.S. News & World Report; Time-Life's Washington bureau chief James L. McConaughy Jr., 42; the Boston Herald Traveler's veteran aviation writer, Robert B. Sibley, 57;
United Press International's foreign affairs writer Norman J. Montellier, 37; and Daniel J. Coughlin Jr., 31, of the
Associated Press. The first two tankers to depart, call signs Alpha and Bravo, completed the speed run over 3,442 miles in 5 hours, 27 minutes, 42.8 seconds, and 5 hours, 29 minutes, 37.4 seconds, respectively. The fourth KC-135 did not depart. This was the first loss of the type since in entered service nearly two years before.[501][502] Maj. Gen. Walter Sweeney, after a lengthy and exhaustive investigation, explained the possibility of a peculiar combination of circumstances. As the ground dropped away at the edge of the runway, a wind-shear may have occurred at a crucial moment, interfering with the lift of the plane. In 1960, the USAF established the “Saunders Trophy,†to be awarded to the Air Refueling Squadron compiling the highest score in combined refueling and navigation. The inscription reads, "Saunders Perpetual Trophy, SAC Combat Competition."[503]
4 July
A
USAFDouglas C-124C Globemaster II, 50–107, c/n 43245, on a flight from
Hickam Air Force Base,
Hawaii to
Wake Island crashed 320 km northwest of Johnston Island due to an engine failure. A propeller blade of the No. 3 engine broke away and struck the aileron, causing severe control problems. The plane crashed at about 01:33 Hawaii time. 3 of the crew 7 on board were rescued twelve hours later by a
HO4S helicopter from
USS Boxer (CVS-21).[504]
8 July
A
Lockheed U-2A, 56-6713, Article 380, of the
SAC's
4028th Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron (SRS), based at
Laughlin Air Force Base,
Del Rio, Texas, is lost near
Wayside, Texas, when it goes out of control at high altitude, killing
RAF pilot, Sqn. Ldr. Christopher Walker, one of four RAF officers in U-2 training.[505] This aircraft, the 40th U-2 built, was delivered to the USAF in July 1957, and assigned to the 4080th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing,
Laughlin AFB, Texas, where it was configured as a "ferret" aircraft.[506]
9 July
A second
Lockheed U-2A, 56-6698, Article 365, of the
SAC's
4028th Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron (SRS) based at
Laughlin Air Force Base,
Del Rio, Texas, crashes southwest of
Tucumcari, New Mexico, killing its pilot, Capt. Al Chapin Jr., the second in two days. It went out of control at high altitude.[505] This aircraft, the 25th U-2, and fifth of the first USAF production batch, was delivered to the Air Force at
Groom Lake in January 1957, moving to the
4080th SRW at Laughlin AFB in June 1957.[507]
Two Armee de l'AirSud Aviation Vautour IIBs, 617 and 618, are lost in crash landings, on one day, due to a failure in the hydraulic system of the "Monoblock" tail.[510]
6 August
A
Lockheed U-2A, 56-6697, Article 364, the fourth airframe of the initial USAF order, delivered January 1957 to USAF at
Groom Lake, then to
4080th SRW,
Laughlin AFB, Texas, in June: 1957, crashes this date killing trainee Lt. Paul Haughland. Despite
Cessna L-27 chase plane to radio instructions, Haughland's U-2 rolled rapidly to starboard at 200 feet during landing approach and struck ground in a near-vertical attitude. Accident report notes that the flight manual did not sufficiently highlight the unusual stall characteristics.[391][511]
Third of three flying prototypes of the ultra long-range, high-altitude single-seat super interceptor
Lavochkin La-250, is written off in landing crash, despite having its nose dropped by six degrees to improve visibility. This final design from the Lavochkin bureau will be cancelled without entering service and before all testing is completed. Radar and missile armament never fitted to airframe.
16 September
A
Boeing B-52D Stratofortress, 55-065, crashes in the August Kahl farmyard at
Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota,[512] near
St. Paul, after losing its tail section in flight. Only the co-pilot, Capt. Jack D. Craft, 29, of
Sturgis, Massachusetts, survived of the eight crew. Air Force officials said that he was in shock and unable to answer questions. The jet tore a hole 300 feet long by 15 feet deep in the farmyard. The plane exploded as it hit, setting fire to the farm buildings. Eight members of the Kahl family were injured, and three remain hospitalized. They lost all their possessions in the explosion and fire.[513]
Prototype
Avro VulcanVX770 in an airshow at
RAF Syerston suffers total collapse of the plane's right wing. The craft spirals out of control and crashes, killing the entire aircrew and 3 people on the ground.[515]VX770 was known to have had a weaker wing structure then production aircraft. The aircraft had been testing the
Rolls-Royce Conway installation and was returning from a test flight via Syerston. See
here for more details.
24 September
Twelfth of 13
North American X-10s, GM-52-5, c/n 12, on X-10 Drone
BOMARC target mission 1, out of
Cape Canaveral, Florida. The remaining X-10s are expended as targets for Bomarc and
Nike antiaircraft missiles. The X-10 flies out over the ocean, then accelerates toward the Cape at supersonic speed. A Bomarc A missile comes within lethal miss distance. The X-10 then autolands on the Skid Strip, but both the drag chute and landing barrier fail. The vehicle runs off the runway and explodes.[38]
25 September
Supermarine Scimitar F.1, XD240, 'V-145', of
803 Naval Air Squadron, arriving aboard from
RNAS Lossiemouth via
RNAS Yeovilton, falls off the side of
HMS Victorious at low speed into the
English Channel off
Portsmouth after failure of the No.1 arrestor wire upon landing. The pilot, Cdr. John Desmond Russell, the Squadron CO, is unable to open the canopy, and trapped in the cockpit, he drowns when the airframe sinks to the seabed, despite efforts of plane guard crewman Lt. R. A. Duxbury[516] from the rescue
Westland Whirlwind. Members of the press had been invited along to watch 803 Squadron embark.[517][518] Nose of aircraft and pilot's body recovered four weeks later.
Thunderbirds support aircraft,
Fairchild C-123B Provider, 55-4521, en route from
Hill AFB, Utah to
McChord AFB, Washington, with five flight crew and 14 maintenance personnel, flies through a flock of birds, crashes into a hillside six miles (10 km) east of
Payette, Idaho, just before 18:30, killing all on board. This remains the worst accident in Thunderbirds team history.[citation needed]
15 October
A USAF
Fairchild C-123B-6-FA Provider, 54-0614, c/n 20063,[127][519] en route from
Dobbins AFB, Georgia, to
Mitchel Field,
Long Island, New York, runs out of fuel, comes down on the
Southern State Parkway on Long Island while attempting emergency landing at
Zahn's Airport at
North Amityville, one-half mile short, injuring five, and killing one motorist. The transport skids several hundred feet, passes through an underpass, and strikes three cars. Harold J. Schneider,
West Islip, New York, dies of head injuries shortly after the accident. Three Air Force men and two women motorists suffer minor injuries. They are identified as Mrs. Mary Rehm,
Islip Terrace, and Mrs. Frank Calabrese,
West Islip. The injured Air Force men are identified as Capt. John Florio, Sgt. Wallett A. Carman and Sgt. Edgar H. Williamson. The pilot was Lt. Gary L. Moolson. The aircraft, with a 119 foot wingspan, passed through a 50-foot wide underpass, shearing both outer wings, the port engine, and the vertical fin, before coming to a stop on fire.[520]
18 October
NAVY SQUADRON AEWRON FIFTEEN (VW-15) AIRCRAFT:
Lockheed WV-2 Warning Star, BuNo 141294, LOCATION: NAS Argentia, Newfoundland. EVENT: Crashed into
Placentia Bay 1000 feet short of runway during CGA landing trying to get under weather; flight from Pax to Arg. U.S. Naval Aviation Safety Center, Accident Brief No. 10, May 1960: "The ceiling was reported indefinite 200 feet, visibility 2 miles in drizzle and fog. A precision approach was commenced to the duty runway. The approach was within tolerances and normal until after passing through GCA minimums, at which time the aircraft went below glide path and the pilot was instructed to take a waveoff. The waveoff was not executed until after the aircraft had actually made contact with the runway. After climbout, GCA was contacted and a second approach was requested to commence with no delay. The pilot advised GCA that the runway was in sight just before GCA gave him a waveoff on the first approach. The second approach was again normal until the final controller gave the instructions, "Approaching GCA minimums." The aircraft immediately commenced dropping below glide path. An emergency pullup was given, but the aircraft collided with the water [Placentia Bay] and came to rest 2050 feet east of the approach end of the runway. It sank in 26 feet of water and 11 persons lost their lives." LOSS: 11 of 29-man crew & passengers killed: CREW: LT Donald A. Becker, PPC, CDR Raymond L. Klassy, VW-13, ENS Donald E. Mulligan, Lyle W. Foster, American Red Cross, A. S. Corrado, Robert N. Elliot, AN, R. J. Emerson, Clarence J. Shea, J. E. Strange, William Jerome Taylor, AD3 (body never recovered), and D. D. Wilson.[521]
RAF
Avro Vulcan B.1XA908 of
83 Squadron crashed into the residential neighbourhood of Grosse Pointe Park on the East side of
Detroit, Michigan, USA after a complete electrical systems failure. The failure occurred at around 30,000 ft (9,100 m) and the backup system should have provided 20 minutes of emergency power to allow the aircraft to divert to Kellogg Airfield, Battle Creek, MI. Due to a short circuit in the service busbar, backup power only lasted three minutes before expiring and locking the aircraft controls. XA908 then went into a dive of between 60–70° before it crashed, leaving a 40 foot (13 m) crater in the ground, which was later excavated to 70 ft (21 m) deep in an unsuccessful attempt to find the cockpit of the aircraft. All six crew members were killed, including the co-pilot, who had ejected. The co-pilot’s ejector seat was found in
Lake St Clair but his body was never found. Conflicting sources claim his body was found the following spring in the lake without a life vest. There were no reports of casualties on the ground.[523]
A United States Air Force
Boeing B-47E-56-BW Stratojet, 51-2391, of the
12th Bomb Squadron,
341st Bomb Wing (M), catches fire during take-off from
Dyess AFB, Texas, crashes from 1,500 feet (460 m) altitude. Three crew eject, okay: Capt. Don E. Youngmark, 37, aircraft commander; Capt. John M. Gerding, 27, pilot; and Capt. John M. Dowling, 30, observer and navigator. The crew chief was killed – no bail out attempted. Fire sets off single bomb casing on board, creating crater 35×6 feet. Some tritium contamination at crash site.[citation needed]
13 November
Seventh of 13
North American X-10s, GM-19313, c/n 7, on X-10 Drone
BOMARC target mission 2, out of
Cape Canaveral, Florida. The X-10 flies out over the ocean, then accelerates toward the Cape. However the
Bomarc A fails to launch. Autoland is successful, but again the drag chute and landing barrier both fail, and the vehicle burns after overrunning the runway.[38][83]
21 November
Fairey Gannet AS.1, WN345, fitted with
Armstrong Siddeley ASMD.8 Double Mamba 112 coupled
turboprop powerplant, suffers belly landing this date during test programme, caused by a partially retracted nosewheel. The pilot tries unsuccessfully to get the gear to deploy. Lands gear-up on foam-covered runway 22 at
Bitteswell, suffering minimal damage. Repaired, it is back in the air within weeks.[525]
26 November
A United States Air Force
Boeing B-47 Stratojet on Alert Status at
Chennault AFB,
Louisiana, accidentally ignites
RATO assisted take-off bottles, is pushed off runway into tow vehicle, catches fire, completely destroying single nuclear weapon on board. Contamination limited to area within aircraft wreckage.
U.S. Army Major General Bogardus Snowden "Bugs" Cairns, a key proponent of the concept of armed helicopters, was killed instantly when his
Bell H-13 Sioux helicopter crashed minutes after take off in dense woods northwest of
Fort Rucker, Alabama headquarters. He was en route to Matteson Range to observe a firepower rehearsal in preparation for a full-scale armed helicopter display. He was commander of the Aviation Center and Commandant of the Aviation School. Ozark Army Airfield at Fort Rucker was subsequently renamed
Cairns Army Airfield in his honor in January 1959.[527][528] H-13 was taking off from field site when it hit a wire extended between two tents causing pilot to lose control and fly into trees.[529]
9 December
Boeing B-52E Stratofortress, 56-0633, of the
11th Bomb Wing, crashes near
Altus AFB, Oklahoma, due to improper use of stabilizer trim during an overshoot.[439] Returning from a routine night training mission, aircraft makes a
GCA approach, requests climb to altitude for another penetration, experiences stab trim problems, crashes c. four miles from base at 23:45. Pilot Major Byard F. Baker, 39, of
Azle, Texas, ejects; eight other crew die.[530]
16 December
Convair RB-58A Hustler, 58-1008[531] accepted and delivered to the 6592nd Test Squadron,
43rd Bomb Wing, for pod and suitability testing during October: 1958. Crashed this date, the first B-58 accident, 38 nautical miles (70 km) NNE of
Cannon AFB, New Mexico, due to loss of control during normal flight when auto trim and ratio changer were rendered inoperative due to an electrical system failure. Air Force pilot Maj. Richard Smith killed; AF Nav/bombardier Lt. Col. George Gradel, AF DSO Capt. Daniel Holland, both survive.[532]
1959
1959
The fourth of five pre-production
Dassault Étendard IVM, and the first to receive the keel housing the anti-roll antenna telemetry, is destroyed in a ground fire.[533]
4 January
Single-engine
de Havilland Canada UC-1A Otter cargo aircraft, BuNo 144673, c/n 163,[534] from
VX-6, participating in
Operation Deep Freeze IV, crashed during takeoff at
Marble Point,
Antarctica, about 50 miles (80 km) from
McMurdo Station. "As the aircraft departed the Marble Point runway it made a very steep left turn and the left wing hit a small knoll. The aircraft cart-wheeled and crashed."[535] Lieutenant Harvey E. Gardner and Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Lawrence J. Farrell died.[259] Joe Baugher lists crash date as 1 April 1959.[534]
9 January
A U.S. Air Force
F-89 Scorpion with two crew members crashes minutes after takeoff from
Portland Air National Guard Base, Oregon. Crew were pilot Powell and radar observer James Long. Powell transmitted a distress call after takeoff. The jet crashed about 3.75 miles (6.04 km) northeast of the airport just north of
U.S. Route 830 (now
State Route 14), Vista Road,
Clark County, Washington. The jet carried 42 live "Mighty Mouse" unguided missiles when it went down.
14 January
During its final approach to
Naval Air Station Key West,
Florida, a
Royal Canadian NavyMcDonnell F2H-3 Banshee, BuNo 126488, Sqn. No. 105 of
VF-870, suffers a double engine flameout and crash-lands in a nearby lagoon, shearing off the landing gear and starboard wing. Pilot SubLt. Jean Veronneau only suffers minor injuries, but the fighter is written off. The crash is attributed to fuel starvation caused by the pilot's failure to transfer fuel from the auxiliary wingtip fuel tanks to the main fuselage tank earlier in the flight.[536]
22 January
A
Boeing KB-50 Superfortress takes off from
England AFB, Louisiana, one of seven on an early morning refuelling mission with fighters, but the pilot radios that he has a problem and is returning to the field. The tanker crashes shortly thereafter, killing all six crew, with the tail section on the right-of-way of the
Texas and Pacific Railway at
Alexandria, Louisiana.[537][538]
22 January
"
HONOLULU, Jan. 22 (
AP) – An air force
Super-Constellation lost both of its port engines but the pilot landed the craft safely one hour later, using only the two starboard engines. Nineteen airmen were aboard the
C-121 radar plane which was on a reconnaissance flight. Maj. Earl W. Bierer, the pilot, said the No. 2 engine dropped off, damaging the propeller of No. 1."[539][540]
26 January
Tenth of 13
North American X-10s, GM-52-3, c/n 10, on
Navaho X-10 Drone
BOMARC target mission 3, out of
Cape Canaveral, Florida. The X-10 is launched with only one electrical generator due to a lack of any remaining spares. As it headed out over the ocean, that generator fails. It loses all electrical power, and crashes into the ocean 105 km downrange. This is the final X-10 mission, the
Navaho program having been cancelled on 13 July 1957.[38][541]
USAF test pilot Capt.
Halvor M. Ekeren Jr. is killed in the crash of his
Convair JF-106A-50 Delta Dart near
Indian Springs AFB,
Nevada. Ekeren reports an oil pressure warning light and attempts to make an emergency landing. Black smoke begins issuing from Ekeren's tailpipe, and he ejects at about 6,000 feet (1,800 m) before the plane explodes. Ekeren's parachute becomes entangled with his ejection seat, and once freed it streams behind him without opening. Ekeren dies two and a half hours later at the
Nellis AFB hospital. Earlier in the year Ekeren had been one of the 32 finalists for
NASA Astronaut Group 1, but ultimately was not selected.[546]
A
USAFLockheed C-130A Hercules57-0468, c/n 3175 overshot the runway at
Ashiya AB, Japan. The pilot tried to pull up, but the C-130 crashed into Air Force barracks. 9 fatalities.[550]
31 May
A
U.S. Marine Corps aviator, flying into
NAS Glenview, Illinois, from
MCAS Cherry Point, North Carolina, was killed when his
Douglas AD Skyraider crashed into an adjacent cemetery after two missed approaches in conditions of zero ceiling and visibility of only three-sixteenths of a mile. Lt. William P. Byrne, 25, originally of
Cleveland, was being directed by the tower on a guided control approach system on the north-south runway but was waved off twice for being too low. After the second missed approach, his aircraft veered right, hit a row of trees along Shermer Road west of the airfield, sheared off part of the porch of the home of Richard Wood, 1990 Old Willow Road, and impacted in Sunset Memorial Park. "Wheels and parts of the plane's fuselage were ripped off as it struck a huge gravestone. The remainder of the plane plowed onward for 500 feet, leveling gravestones and uprooting trees. Lt. Byrne's body was found lying near the wreckage." Lt. Byrne was graduated from
Notre Dame University in 1955, and had been in the Marine Air Corps since then. He is survived by his wife, Margaret, and his daughter, Kathy, 18 months, who were staying with Mrs. Byrne's parents, Mr. and Mrs. William P. Burke, at 5904 N. Kolmar Avenue, whom the pilot was coming to visit.[551] Byrne's widow,
Jane, will eventually become
Mayor of Chicago.
Lockheed F-104A-5-LO Starfighter, 56–742, c/n 183-1030, to
General Electric Flight Test, June: 1957, performed accelerated service tests on
J79 engine. Crashes this date on landing approach at
Edwards AFB, California, when split flap condition occurs. Pilot ejects too low and is killed.[439]
Third production
Avro Vulcan, XA891, fitted with revised wing leading edge and used as engine testbed for
Bristol Olympus 200, crashes at
Yorkshire, but crew escapes unhurt.[555]
6 July
A
USAFDouglas C-124A-DL Globemaster II, 49-254A, c/n 43183, Jumbo 14, of the
3d Strategic Support Squadron,
Strategic Air Command,
Barksdale AFB, Louisiana, is involved in a
Broken Arrow when it crashes on takeoff from that base at 14:11 CST, two minutes after the start of the takeoff roll, coming down 3,300 feet (1,000 m) south and slightly to the right of runway 14. The cargo load of an unspecified number and type of nuclear weapons was to be transported to
Little Rock AFB, Arkansas. One weapon was destroyed by the post-crash fire which also burned out the airframe. No nuclear or high explosive detonation occurred, and contamination was limited to a confined area directly below the weapon. Six flight crew of crew R-41, and one substitution, all survived the crash. Although they denied any knowledge of engine malfunctions during the takeoff roll, witnesses stated that one or more engines were after firing or backfired from the beginning of the roll throughout the entire flight. After approximately 6,000 feet (1,800 m) of ground roll, the airframe assumed a nose high attitude as it climbed to between 50 and 100 feet (30 m), with one or more engines after firing excessively during the climb. The aircraft leveled off briefly before again assuming a nose high attitude when it then settled back to earth amidst smoke and dust. An intense fire then broke out (the aircraft was carrying c. 5,000 gallons of fuel). After firefighters extinguished the blaze, weapons were removed using a M246 wrecker and a 40-foot (12 m) trailer.[556]
6 July
A
USAFLockheed F-104C-5-LO Starfighter, 56-0905, of the
436th Tactical Fighter Squadron,
George Air Force Base, California, suffers a right main tire failure on take off from that base. The pilot aborted and engaged the barrier dead center. The aircraft decelerated and came to rest off the right side of the overrun in the dirt. There was no fire. The pilot, Lt. Morris Ballard Larson, of the,
434th Tactical Fighter Squadron,
479th Tactical Fighter Wing, was not injured. Taking-off in formation as number 2/Wing, Lt. Larson felt the right main gear tire blow at 4,200 ft. down the runway and at c. 150 knots. He started to veer towards Lead and corrected with left brake and reduction of power to avoid collision. The pilot then aborted t/o, reducing throttle and engaging nose wheel steering and deploying drag chute. The pilot was able to keep the F-104C centered and radioed that he was taking the barrier. Aimed at the center of the barrier the pilot moved throttle to OFF. A successful barrier engagement was made and the aircraft decelerated, then veered right into the dirt just off the hard overrun surface. The pilot engaged the fuel shut off switch, opened the canopy and evacuated without injury.
A Hunter VII of the Dutch Royal Air Force crashed in
Nieuwkoop. At a night of 10000 feet an engine failed. While trying to elevate an explosion occurred. Due to the crash a farm burned down. The two pilots could escape before the crash, one was injured. A livestock of 20 pigs were killed.[558]
26 July
A
Vought F8U-1 Crusader, BuNo 143696, from
VMF-122,
MAG-32,
MCAS Beaufort, South Carolina,[559] was passing through 47,000 feet (14,000 m) when the engine seized. The
ram air turbine did not deploy and the pilot lost control of the aircraft causing him to eject from that altitude. Lt. Col. William H. Rankin, then commanding officer of the squadron earned a place in the
Guinness Book of Records by surviving the longest recorded parachute descent in history. Leader of a flight of two aircraft, the second piloted by Lt. Herbert Nolan, he had ejected into a violent thunderstorm over the
South Carolina coast which caused his descent to last 40 minutes vice the expected 11 minutes, finally coming down in
North Carolina,[560] near
Ahoskie. In 1960 he published his account of the experience in a book, "The Man Who Rode the Thunder".[561][562]
In what was intended to be a routine
NACA flight but turns out to be the final flight ever of a
North American F-107A, the second accident involving the type occurs when pilot
Scott Crossfield cannot get 55-5120 to lift off of the dry lakebed at
Edwards AFB, California due to improperly set stabilizer trim. Nosewheel tires blow, pilot aborts take-off, tries to taxi airframe into the wind when the left main gear catches fire, airframe suffers fire damage, F-107 flight program ends. Airframe of 55–5120 cut up at Edwards, fuselage shipped to
Sheppard AFB, Texas, for use as fire training aid.[564]
10 August
A
Royal Canadian Air ForceCanadair F-86 Sabre of the
Golden Hawks aerobatic team overshot when landing at McCall Airfield, Alberta, with the rest of the team and collided with a
Piper Pacer about 2 miles (3.2 km) west of the field. Pilot of the Sabre and two occupants of the Pacer were killed.[565]
14 August
Martin XSM-68-1-MA Titan I missile B-5, 57–2692,[566] explodes on launchpad at Launch Complex 19 during sub-orbital flight,
Cape Canaveral, Florida, when its tie-down bolts explode prematurely as the vehicle builds up thrust. An umbilical generates a "no-go" signal prompting an engine-kill signal from the flight controls and the Titan loses all thrust, falls back through the launcher ring and explodes. The umbilical tower is damaged in the ensuing fire.[567]
16 September
A
Convair YB-58A-10-CF Hustler, 58-1017, c/n 24, of the
43rd Bomb Wing, is totally destroyed by fire following an aborted take-off from
Carswell Air Force Base,
Fort Worth, Texas. The loss was directly attributed to tire failure, followed by disintegration of the wheel. Sturdier tires and new wheels will be retrofitted to the type to address this problem.[568]
24 September
A
Lockheed U-2C, 56-6693, Article 360, of the
SAC's
4028th Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron (SRS), Detachment C, out of
Atsugi Air Force Base, Japan, and clandestinely operated by the
CIA, runs out of fuel and pilot Tom Crull makes an emergency landing at the civilian airfield at
Fujisawa, damaging belly. The black-painted aircraft with no identity markings attracts curious locals, and officials and
military police are quickly dispatched to cordon off the area. This they do at gunpoint, which attracts even more attention and pictures of the highly secret U-2C soon appear in the Japanese
press.[505] Factory repaired and assigned to Det. B, this is the airframe that pilot
Francis Gary Powers will be shot down in on 1 May 1960. The 20th U-2 built, it was delivered to the CIA on 5 November 1956. Used for test and development work from 1957 to May 1959. Converted to U-2C by 18 August 1959.[569]
25 September
A
United States NavyMartin P5M-2 Marlin, BuNo 135540, SG tailcode, '6', of
VP-50, out of
NAS Whidbey Island, Washington on
Puget Sound, is forced to ditch in the Pacific Ocean, about 100 miles (160 km) west of the Washington-
Oregon border after fire in the port engine, loss of electrical power. Pilot was Lt. James D. Henson of Hot Springs, Arkansas. A
Betty depth bomb casing is lost and never recovered, but it was not fitted with a
nuclear core.[570] The weapon was jettisoned immediately after ditching, in 1430 fathoms of water.[571][572] Coast Guard cutter
USCGC Yocona, out of
Astoria, Oregon, rescues all ten crew after ten hours in a raft. A Coast Guard
Grumman UF Albatross amphibian directed the vessel to the crew. The press was not notified at the time.[citation needed]
1 October
English Electric test pilot Johnny W.C. Squier, flying prototype two-seat
English Electric Lightning T.4, XL628, suffers structural failure, ejects at
Mach 1.7, becoming first UK pilot to eject above the speed of sound. Radar tracks the descending fighter, but not the pilot as he landed in the
Irish Sea, and despite an extensive search, Squier has to make his way ashore by himself after 28 hours in a dinghy. Squier passes away 30 January 2006, aged 85.[573]
A
USAFBoeing B-52F Stratofortress, 57-036, collides with
Boeing KC-135A Stratotanker, 57-1513, over
Hardinsberg, Kentucky, crashes with two nuclear weapons on board, killing four of eight on the bomber and all four tanker crew. One bomb partially burned in fire, but both are recovered intact.[574] Bombs moved to the
AEC's
Clarksville, Tennessee storage site for inspection and dismantlement. Both aircraft deployed from
Columbus AFB,
Mississippi.
27 October
Convair YB-58 Hustler, 55-0669, crashes 7 miles (11 km) west of
Hattiesburg, Mississippi;
Convair pilot Everett L. Wheeler, and Convair flight engineer Michael F. Keller survive; Convair flight engineer Harry N. Blosser killed. Accident cause was loss of control during normal flight.[citation needed]
2 November
A
Lockheed F-104 Starfighter crashed into a home in suburban
Dayton, Ohio killing to young girls. The pilot, Major James W. Bradbury, had ejected and landed safely a mile from the crash site.[575]
5 November
A small engine fire forces pilot
Scott Crossfield to make an emergency landing on
Rosamond Dry Lake,
Edwards AFB, California, in
North American X-15, 56-6671. Not designed to land with fuel on board, test craft comes down with a heavy load of propellants and breaks its back, grounding this particular X-15 for three months. Footage of this accident was later incorporated in the Outer Limits episode "
The Premonition", first aired 9 January 1965.[576]
10 November
The combination of a blizzard and a blocked runway at
Malmstrom AFB,
Great Falls, Montana leads to the loss of three
Northrop F-89 Scorpion aircraft. During a blizzard the runway was unusable due to a
Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star which had sheared its landing gear on touch down. The Scorpions and an undisclosed number of other aircraft were returning to the base low on fuel and in near zero visibility. Four were lost in two of the crashed planes while the two man crew of the third parachuted to safety. No one was injured in the T-33 incident.[577]
30 November
A Hunter of the Dutch Royal Air Force crashed in
Nispen into a farm. The 34-years old pilot died. The farm burned down. The wife and child at the farm were able to escape. The 20-animals consisting livestock didn’t survive.[578]
2 December
A USAF
Douglas VC-47D Skytrain, 43-49024, c/n 14840/26285, built as C-47B-10-DK, crashes and burns in woods 10 miles (16 km) north of
Oslo, Norway, killing all four on board. There was fog in the area at the time of the accident.[579]
4 December
On Friday, December 4, 1959, Ensign
Albert Joe Hickman was practising aircraft carrier landings as part of a training mission conducted from
Naval Air Station Miramar, California. When his
McDonnell F3H Demon suddenly stalled, Hickman was still 2,000 feet (610 m) above ground. He could easily have ejected from the cockpit in time to save his own life. Below him, however, and directly in the path of the crippled plane was Hawthorne Elementary School, where more than 700 children were playing in the schoolyard. Hickman chose to remain in the cockpit. He somehow maneuvered the descending plane away from the school, assuring the safety – and probably saving the lives – of several hundred people. Now at an altitude of only 60 feet (18 m), he no longer had the option to eject. The plane crashed into a nearby canyon, exploding on impact, and Albert J. Hickman was killed. A school in the San Diego community of
Mira Mesa was later named after him.
American Legion Post 460 in San Diego,
Department of California, is named the Albert J. Hickman Post.[580]
14 December
Boeing KC-97G Stratofreighter, 53-0231, of the
384th Air Refueling Squadron, out of
Westover AFB, Massachusetts, collides with a
B-52 during a refueling mission at an altitude of c. 15,000 feet. The aircraft loses the whole left horizontal stabilizer and elevator, the rudder, and the upper quarter of the vertical stabilizer. Crew makes a no-flap, electrical power off landing at night at
Dow AFB, Maine, seven crew okay. "Spokesmen at Dow Air Force, Bangor, said the B52 [sic] apparently 'crowded too close' and rammed a fuel boom into the tail of a 4 engined KC95 [sic] tanker plane."[581] Aircraft stricken as beyond economical repair. Two crew on the B-52 eject, parachute safely, and are recovered by helicopters in a snow-covered wilderness area. The bomber and remaining eight crew members continue to Westover AFB, where a safe landing is made.[582]
21 December
Two prototypes of the
Tupolev Tu-105 (Samolët 105) were built with the first flying on 21 June: 1958. The second modified prototype was designated the Tu-105A (Samolët 105A), first flown 7 September 1959. On its seventh test flight, this date, Samolët 105A was lost, the radio operator successfully ejecting, the pilot Yuri Alasheev and the navigator being killed.[583] The 105A was accepted for production as the
Tupolev Tu-22B.
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^Associated Press, "37 Bail Out In Air Crash", Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 12 January 1955, Vol. 28, No. 141, p. 2.
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^United Press, "Navy Plane Crashes Into Stormy Sea; 12 Men, 1 Woman Missing", The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Tuesday 18 June 1955, Vol. LXI, No. 120, p. 1.
^Associated Press, "Airmen Safely Land Jet in Muddy Field", The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Thursday 20 June 1955, Vol. LXI, No. 122, p. 2.
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^Associated Press, "Seven Survive Pacific Crash", The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, 22 January 1955, Vol. LXI, No. 124, p. 1.
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^United Press, ""Copter Crash Kills 6", The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Saturday 29 January 1955, Vol. LXI, No. 130, p. 1.
^Associated Press, "Navy Jet Flier Dies in Crash; Helicopter Pilot Killed at Scene", The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Saturday 29 January 1955, Vol. LXI, No. 130, p. 1.
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^Associated Press, "4 Army Men Killed In Helicopter Crash", Charleston Evening Post, Charleston, South Carolina, Wednesday 4 May 1955, Vol. 61, No. 184, p. 3-A.
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^Derrel S. Fulwider (Winter–Spring 1986). "From Resource Management to People Management: Reflections of a Federal Land Manager". The Humboldt Historian: 5–7.
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^Gibson, James N. Nuclear Weapons of the United States – An Illustrated History . Atglen, Pennsylvania.: Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 1996,
LCCN96-67282,
ISBN978-0-7643-0063-9, pp. 152, 154.
^Associated Press, "Plane Crashes Aboard Carrier During Exercises", Charleston Evening Post, Charleston, South Carolina, Tuesday 17 May 1955, Vol. 61, No. 195, p. 6-A.
^Charleston, South Carolina, "Plane Crash Fatal To S.C. Test Pilot", The Charleston Evening Post, 19 May 1955, Vol. 61, No. 197, p. 7-B
^Maggelet, Michael H., and Oskins, James C., "Broken Arrow: The Declassified History of U.S. Nuclear Weapons Accidents", Lulu Publishing, www.lulu.com, 2007,
ISBN978-1-4357-0361-2, chapter 29, pp. 279–287.
^
abvan Waarde, Jan, "Crossed Swords", Flypast, Key Publishing, Ltd., Stamford, Lincs., UK, No. 371, June 2012, p. 110.
^"One Crew Member Of Crashed Jet Critically Injured," Playground Daily News, Fort Walton Beach, Florida, 5 September 1957, p. 1A.
^Associated Press, "Six Men Killed In B-25 Crash At Mitchel Field", Lewiston Evening Journal, Lewiston, Maine, Tuesday 13 September 1955, Vol. XCV, p. 2.
^Stoff, Joshua, "Long Island Aircraft Crashes 1909 – 1959", Arcadia Publications, an imprint of Tempus Publishing, Inc., Portsmouth, NH, Charleston, SC, Chicago, IL, San Francisco, CA, 2004,
LCCN2003-116337,
ISBN978-0-7385-3516-6. p. 105.
^Just, Megan, 452 AMW Public Affairs, "MARCH IN REVIEW: 55 years after the crash", March Air Reserve Base, California, 27 October 2010, updated 4 May 2011.
^Shettle, M. L. Jr. (1995). United States Naval Air Stations of
World War II: Vol. I – Eastern States.
Bowersville, Georgia: Schaertel Publishing Co. p. 17.
ISBN978-0-9643388-0-7.
^Jacobsen, Annie M., "Area 51: An Uncensored History of America's Top Secret Military Base", Back Bay Books, Little, Brown and Company, New York, Boston, London, 2011,
LCCN2011-925205,
ISBN978-0-316-13294-7 (hardcover),
ISBN978-0-316-20230-5 (trade paperback), pp. 59–60.
^Associated Press, "41 Dead in Two U.S. Air Crashes: 14 Dead in
Nevada Smashup", The Lima News, Lima, Ohio, Friday 18 November 1955, Vol. 71, No. 319, p. 1.
^"The Souls". coldwarmonument.org. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
^Independent News Service, "Jet Pilot Killed In 2-Plane Crash", The Lima News, Lima, Ohio, Friday 18 November 1955, Vol. 71, No. 319, p. 1.
^Cooper, Peter J., "Picking up the Pieces", Air International,
Stamford, Lincs., UK, November 1998, Vol. 55, No. 5, p. 281.
^
abJackson, Robert, "Combat Aircraft Prototypes since 1945", Arco/Prentice Hall Press, New York, 1986,
LCCN85-18725,
ISBN978-0-671-61953-4, p. 91.
^Nicolaou, Stephane, "Master of the Seas: The Martin P6M Flying Boat", Wings, Sentry Publications,
Granada Hills, California, December 1986, Vol. 16, No. 6, pp. 25–26.
^The Unhymnal – Unofficial songbook of the Clemson University bands, edit circa 1967, Clemson University,
Clemson, South Carolina.
^Harte, Michael; Ring, Rachel; Woodward, Heather (2006). The Day Wadhurst Changed Friday 20th January 1956. Wadhurst: Wadhurst History Society. pp. 19–21, 61.
ISBN0-9545802-2-2.
^United Press, “Three Officers Die In Bomber Crash,†The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Friday 27 January 1956, Vol. LXII, No. 128, p. 1.
^Associated Press, “Five Sabres Crash; Pilots Escape Unhurt,†The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Saturday 28 January 1956, Vol. LXII, No. 129, p. 2.
^United Press, “Guided Missile Strikes Grove – Blast Rips Hole 25 Feet Wide, 10 Deep,†The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Tuesday 31 January 1956, Vol. LXII, No. 131, p. 1.
^Associated Press, “B25 Ditches in Turbulent River – Four of Six Men On Board Rescued,†The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, 1 February 1956, Vol. LXII, No. 132, p. 1.
^Letter dated 6 April 1956 to Honorable Clinton P. Anderson, Chairman, JCAE, from Herbert B. Loper, Assistant to the Secretary of Defense (Atomic Energy).
^Crestview, Florida, "Crestview Man On Ill-Fated Plane", The Okaloosa News-Journal, Thursday 8 March 1956, Vol. 42, No. 10, p. 1.
^Associated Press, "B25 Crashes In Texas; 6 Airmen Die", The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Friday 23 March 1956, Vol. LXII, No. 176, p. 9.
^Associated Press, "Skyraider Crashes in Desert", The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Friday 23 March 1956, Vol. LXII, No. 176, p. 4.
^Associated Press, "3 Bodies Found In Plane Wreck", The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Saturday 24 March 1956, Vol. LXII, No. 177, p. 1.
^Associated Press, "Rocket, Mother Plane Land Safely After Freak Mishap",The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Saturday 24 March 1956, Vol. LXII, No. 177, p. 6.
^Associated Press, "Rancher Sues for Jet Plane Crash Damage", The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Saturday 2 February 1957, Vol. LXIII, No. 133, p. 2.
^Associated Press, "XB51 Bomber Crashes and Burns; One Killed, Pilot Saved", The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Monday 26 March 1956, Vol. LXII, No. 178, p. 1.
^Peterson, Wayne, "Toward The Unknown", Wings, Woodland, Hills, California, June: 2002, Vol. 32, No. 3, p. 13.
^Feather, Bill, "Plane Crash Kills Engineer; Pilot Injured As Bomber Falls", El Paso Times, El Paso, Texas, 26 March 1956.
^Associated Press, "Seven Killed In Crashes of Navy Planes", The San Bernardino Daily Sun, Sam Bernardino, California, Tuesday 27 March 1956, Vol. LXII, No. 179, p. 2.
^Associated Press, "Seven Killed In Crashes of Navy Planes – Four Lost In Crash", The San Bernardino Daily Sun, Sam Bernardino, California, Tuesday 27 March 1956, Vol. LXII, No. 179, p. 2.
^United Press, "Three Burned in Fire At Edwards AF Base", The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Wednesday 28 March 1956, Vol. LXII, No. 180, p. 1.
^United Press, "3 Die In Jet Plane Blast", Anderson Herald, Anderson, Indiana, 29 March 1956.
^Associated Press, "Jet Fighter Crashes Near Edwards Air Base", The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, 29 March 1956, Vol. LXII, No. 181, p. 4.
^United Press, "35 Who Escaped Burning Ship, 3 In Plane Rescued", The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Friday 30 March 1956, Vol. LXII, No. 182, p. 14.
^Associated Press, "Norton Cargo Plane Crashes; 3 Killed – Two Survive Fiery Disaster On Oregon Hill", The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Saturday 31 March 1956, Vol. LXII, No. 183, p. 1.
^Associated Press, "Norton Plane Wreck Probed – Three Killed, Two Survive Fiery Crash", The Sun-Telegram, San Bernardino, California, Sunday 1 April 1956, Vol. IX, No. 52, pp. 1, 2.
^United Press, "B29 Hits Tower Of Radio Station, Crashes To Ground", The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Wednesday 4 April 1956, Vol. LXII, No. 186, p. 6.
^Associated Press, "C119 Wreckage Sighted on Peak", San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Friday 6 April 1956, Vol. LXII, No. 188, p. 5.
^Associated Press, "Test Pilot Bails Out of Navy Jet Over Edwards AFB", The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Friday 6 April 1956, Vol. LXII, No. 188, p. 1.
^Associated Press, "Giant Transport Crashes, Burns; 3 Die", San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, 7 April 1956, Vol. LXII, No. 189, p. 1.
^United Press, "Two In F89C Killed", San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Saturday 7 April 1956, Vol. LXII, No. 189, p. 1.
^United Press, "Two Navy Planes Collide Over City; Four Men Killed", The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Friday 20 April 1956, Vol. LXII, No. 200, p. 1.
^Mills, Carl. Banshees of the Royal Canadian Navy. Willowdale, Ontario, Canada: Banshee Publication, 1991,
ISBN978-0-9695200-0-9, pp. 278–279.
^
abUnited Press, "Jet Rips Into Convent, 50 May Be Dead: Plane Strikes As Nuns Sleep; Building Blazes", The Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Wednesday 16 May 1956, Vol. LXII, No. 222, p. 1.
^198History of Task Group 7.4 (Provisional), June: 1956, Joint Task Force Seven, pp. 15, 22; THE GLOBEMASTER, Anthony J. Tambini, Branden Publishing Company, Brookline Village,
Massachusetts, p. 134.
^Associated Press, "Air Tanker Crashes; 11 Men Killed", The Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Wednesday 27 June 1956, Vol. LXII, No. 258, p. 1.
^United Press, "10 Missing in Military Plane Crashes in Labrador and Oahu", The Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Saturday 7 July 1956, Vol. LXII, No. 267, p. 1.
^Associated Press, "Four Lost On Oahu", The Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Saturday 7 July 1956, Vol. LXII, No. 267, p. 1.
^Langeveld, M. Dirk, "The ultimate sacrifice; wreck sites a reminder of military plane disasters", Sun Journal,
Lewiston, Maine, 12 September 2010.
^Associated Press, "Pilot Bails Out", The Sun-Telegram, San Bernardino, California, 8 July 1956, Vol. X, No. 14, p. 2.
^United Press, "Norton Jet Crashes In San Dimas Street", The Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Monday 9 July 1956, Vol. LXII, No. 268, pp. 1, 3.
^Associated Press, "Pilot Killed in Crash At San Dimas Identified", The Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Tuesday 10 July 1956, Vol. LXII, No. 269, p. 1.
^United Press, "GI Plane Crash Kills 45!: 2 Children, 2 Women Are Among Dead", Chicago Tribune, Chicago, Illinois, Saturday 14 July 1956, Vol. CXV, No. 168, Part 1, pp. 1, 4
^United Press, "Bomber Crashes", Chicago Tribune, Chicago, Illinois, Saturday 14 July 1956, Vol. CXV, No. 168, Part 1, p. 4
^Associated Press, "Jets Collide; Pilots Rescued", The Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Saturday 14 July 1956, Vol. LXII, No. 273, p. 2.
^Associated Press, "Navy Pilot Killed In Imperial Crash", The Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Saturday 14 July 1956, Vol. LXII, No. 273, p. 2.
^United Press, "Navy Jet Fighter Pilot Dies as Plane Explodes", Chicago Tribune, Chicago, Illinois, Saturday 14 July 1956, Vol. CXV, No. 168, Part 1, p. 4
^United Press, "Pilot 'Deadsticks' C45 To Landing on Highway", The Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Monday 16 July 1956, Vol. LXII, No. 274, p. 1.
^Associated Press, "Arresting Gear, Sprinting Ability Save Fighter Pilot", The Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Wednesday 18 July 1956, Vol. LXII, No. 276, p. 2.
^Maggelet, Michael H. and Oskins, James C., "Broken Arrow: The Declassified History of U. S. Nuclear Weapons Accidents", www.lulu.com, 2007, Chapter 8, pp. 83–87.
^Maggelet, Michael H. and Oskins, James C., "RAF Lakenheath- Fact vs. Fiction", Nuclear Weapons Accidents- The Maggelet/Oskins Broken Arrow Blog, Thursday 27 September 2012.
^Associated Press, "Plane Crashes High in Sierra", The Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Friday 3 August 1956, Vol. LXII, No. 290, p. 1.
^Cruz, Gonzalo Avila, "Birth of a Modern Force – North American F-86F Sabres in
Spain", Air Enthusiast, Stamford, Lincolnshire, UK, No. 109, January–February 2004, p. 40.
^Pocock, Chris, "50 Years of the U-2: The Complete Illustrated History of the 'Dragon Lady' ", Schiffer Publishing, Ltd., Atglen, Pennsylvania,
LCCN2005-927577,
ISBN978-0-7643-2346-1, p. 406.
^Associated Press, "Fear 11 Dead In Weather Plane Crash – B-50 Wrecked on Isle in Alaska River", Chicago Daily Tribune, 1 September 1956, Vol. CXV, No. 210, Part 2, p. 10.
^Simone, William J., "One Oh Seven", Aerophile, Austin, Texas, August 1978, Vol. 1, No. 5, pp. 251–252.
^Stoff, Joshua, "Long Island Aircraft Crashes 1909 – 1959", Arcadia Publications, an imprint of Tempus Publishing, Inc., Portsmouth, NH, Charleston, SC, Chicago, IL, San Francisco, CA, 2004,
LCCN2003-116337,
ISBN978-0-7385-3516-6. p. 107.
^Perry County, Pennsylvania, "Air Force C-119 Crashes in County; Four Are Killed", Perry County Times, Thursday 1 November 1956.
^Werrell, Kenneth P., "The Evolution of the Cruise Missile", Air University, Maxwell Air Force Base,
Montgomery, Alabama, first printing 1995, second printing 1998,
LCCN85-8131, p. 98. [ISBN missing]
^United Press, "Four Killed In Crash of Stratojet", Brownsville Herald, Brownsville, Texas, 7 November 1956.
^Nicolaou, Stephane, "Master of the Seas: The Martin P6M Flying Boat", Wings, Sentry Publications, Granada Hills, California, December 1986, Vol. 16, No. 6, pp. 26–27.
^Pocock, Chris, "50 Years of the U-2: The Complete Illustrated History of the 'Dragon Lady' ", Schiffer Publishing, Ltd., Atglen, Pennsylvania,
LCCN2005-927577,
ISBN978-0-7643-2346-1, pp. 51, 406.
^
abCharleston, South Carolina, "Plane Crash Death Toll Rises To 7", Charleston Evening Post, Tuesday 1 January 1957, Vol. 63, No. 79, p. 2-A.
^Charleston, South Carolina, "Charleston-Based Plane Crashes: 26 Survive Crack-up In Saudi Arabia – 3 Dead, 12 Missing As MATS Aircraft Plunges To Earth", Charleston Evening Post, Monday 31 December 1956, Vol. 63, No. 78, p. 1-A.
^Charleston, South Carolina, "Plane Crash Death Toll Rises To 7", Charleston Evening Post, Tuesday 1 January 1957, Vol. 63, No. 79, pp. 1-A, 2-A.
^Editors, "B-52 Database",B-52 Stratofortress: Celebrating 60 Remarkable Years, Key Publishing Ltd., Stamford, Lincs., UK, 2014, p. 92.
^Associated Press, "B52 Explodes In Flight; Searchers Find 7 Bodies", publication not listed, 11 January 1957.
^Associated Press, "4th Life Taken In Plane Crash", San Bernardino Sun, San Bernardino, California, Wednesday 16 January 1957, Vol. LXIII, No. 118, p. 18.
^United Press, "Hangars Burn; $3 Million In Airplanes Destroyed", San Bernardino Sun, San Bernardino, California, Wednesday 16 January 1957, Vol. LXIII, No. 118, p. 18.
^Staff, "Destruction at air base", Walla Walla Union-Bulletin, 16 January 1957.
^Associated Press, "Weather Plane Crashes, Burns; 12 Die: Blown to Bits In Takeoff on Arctic Flight – Eight Bodies Found Five Hours After Disaster In Alaska", San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Friday 18 January 1957, Vol. LXIII, No. 120, p. 1.
^Associated Press, "Two In B57 Killed", San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Friday 18 January 1957, Vol. LXIII, No. 120, p. 8.
^Associated Press, "Navy Transport Flips", San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Monday 21 January 1957, Vol. LXIII, No. 122, p. 3.
^Associated Press, "Fighters Lock Wings; 2 Killed", San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Monday 21 January 1957, Vol. LXIII, No. 122, p. 2.
^Associated Press, "Jet Plane Explodes In Stormy Skies", San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Monday 21 January 1957, Vol. LXIII, No. 122, p. 2.
^Staff, "Plane Slams Desert Peak, Three Killed: Air Force Transport Caught in Snowstorm Along Baker Grade", San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Monday 21 January 1957, Vol. LXIII, No. 122, p. 13.
^Associated Press, "Tanker Plane Found; 7 Dead – Wreckage in Dense Adirondack Woods", The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Friday 25 January 1957, Vol. LXIII, No. 126, p. 1.
^Associated Press, "Crash Takes Life of One", The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Wednesday 23 January 1957, Vol. LXIII, No. 124, p. 2.
^United Press, "Three Lost Fliers Taken Off Barren Caribbean Isle", The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Saturday 26 January 1957, Vol. LXIII, No. 127, p. 1.
^"Lt. William K. Ryan". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. January 26, 1957. p. 2 – via
Newsbank.
^Associated Press, "Test Of Air Force Missile Thor Fails: Usual Secrecy Thrown About Launch Attempt – Big Rocket Climbs Short Distance, Crashes and Burns", The Sun-Telegram, San Bernardino, California, Sunday 27 January 1957, Vol. X, No. 43, p. 1.
^United Press, "Pilot Lost Off Guam", The Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Monday 28 January 1957, Vol. LXIII, No. 128, p. 3.
^Staff, "Jet Pilot Bails Out Over Desert", The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, 26 January 1957, Vol. LXIII, No. 127, p. 16.
^United Press, "11 On Crippled Navy Plane Bail Out In Storm, Saved", The Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Monday 28 January 1957, Vol. LXIII, No. 128, p. 1.
^"Eleven NAS Hutch Plane Crewmen Saved By Chutes", The Hutchinson News-Herald, Hutchinson, Kansas, Monday 28 January 1957, p. 1.
^Associated Press, "B47 Crashes In Flames in Atlantic, 4 Lost", The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Saturday 2 February 1957, Vol. LXIII, No. 133, p. 1.
^Associated Press, "Jet Explodes, Shatters Home: Woman Rescued, Pilot Is Killed", The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Saturday 2 February 1957, Vol. LXIII, No. 133, p. 1.
^Associated Press, "Giant Tanker Planes Collide; 14 Lost: Five Injured In Crash High Above St. Lo – Two Craft Plunge In Flames; Third Returns To Base", The Sun-Telegram, San Bernardino, California, Sunday 3 February 1957, Vol. X, No. 44, p. 1.
^Associated Press, "Navy Jet Explodes In Flight, Crashes", The Sun-Telegram, San Bernardino, California, Sunday 3 February 1957, Vol. X, No. 44, p. 1.
^
abAssociated Press, "2 More U. S. Jets Smash Up; Icing Hinted In Liner Crash: Navy, AF Pilots Die In Mishaps", The Sunday Press, Binghamton Press Sunday Edition, Sunday 3 February 1957, Vol. 8, No. 22, p. 1.
^Associated Press, "Marine Jet Crashes High On Mt. Baldy", The Sun-Telegram, San Bernardino, California, Sunday 3 February 1957, Vol. X, No. 44, p. 1.
^Associated Press, "Air Tragedies Series Kills 51", The Sun-Telegram, San Bernardino, California, Sunday 3 February 1957, Vol. X, No. 44, p. 5.
^United Press, "Two Officers Killed In Jet Plane Crash", The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Tuesday 5 February 1957, Vol. LXIII, No. 135, p. 1.
^United Press, "Two Navy Fliers Killed In Crash at El Centro", The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Saturday 16 February 1957, Vol. LXIII, No. 145, p. 1.
^United Press, "Lockheed Test Pilot Injured at Palmdale", The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Saturday 16 February 1957, Vol. LXIII, No. 145, p. 1.
^Associated Press, "Plane Crash Kills 9", The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, 16 February 1957, Vol. LXIII, No. 145, p. 4.
^Arnold, Peter R.; Kearns, Tony (October 2016). "Spitfires over the Emerald Isle". Aeroplane. 44 (10). Stamford: Key Publishing: 40–48.
ISSN0143-7240.
^Associated Press, "Navy Jet Hits School Field – Garage Destroyed, Mechanic, Pilot Die", The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Friday 22 February 1957, Vol. LXIII, No. 150, p. 1.
^Associated Press, "Huge Matador Missile Breaks From Controls – Roars Towards Utah, Colorado From Its New Mexico Base", The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Friday 22 February 1957, Vol. LXIII, No. 150, p. 1.
^Associated Press, "Five Of 159 Aboard Plane Die In Crash; 20 Missing", The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Saturday 23 February 1957, Vol. LXIII, No. 151, p. 1.
^"Three Killed [sic] When C45 Crashes, Burns". The San Bernardino Daily Sun. Vol. LXIII, no. 156. San Bernardino, California. Associated Press. 1 March 1957. p. 18.
^United Press. "12 in Plane Escape", San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Tuesday, March 5, 1957, Vol. LXIII, No. 159, p. 1.
^Associated Press, "British Plane Smashes Houses", San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Wednesday 6 March 1957, Vol. LXIII, No. 160, p. 2.
^Associated Press, "Plane Crashes; 6 of 11 Escape Serious Injury", San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Thursday 7 March 1957, Vol. LXIII, No. 161, p. 8.
^United Press, "Blast, Flames Destroy B47s",San Bernardino Da ily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Friday 8 March 1957, Vol. LXIII, No. 162, p. 16.
^"Jet Narrowly Misses Man and Grandson". San Bernardino Daily Sun. Vol. LXIII, no. 163. San Bernardino, California. Associated Press. 9 March 1957. p. 5.
^Chincoteague, Virginia, "Naval Station Bomber Crashes", Chincoteague Beacon, Wednesday 3 April 1957, p. 1.
^Pocock, Chris, "50 Years of the U-2: The Complete Illustrated History of the 'Dragon Lady' ", Schiffer Publishing, Ltd., Atglen, Pennsylvania,
LCCN2005-927577,
ISBN978-0-7643-2346-1, pp. 50–51, 406.
^Gero, David B. "Military Aviation Disasters: Significant Losses Since 1908".
Sparkford, Yoevil, Somerset, UK: Haynes Publishing, 2010,
ISBN978-1-84425-645-7, p. 75.
^Werrell, Kenneth P., "The Evolution of the Cruise Missile", Air University, Maxwell Air Force Base, Montgomery, Alabama, first printing 1995, second printing 1998,
LCCN85-8131, p. 102.[ISBN missing]
^Maggelet, Michael H. and Oskins, James C., "Broken Arrow: The Declassified History of U. S. Nuclear Weapons Accidents", www.lulu.com, 2007, Chapter 9, pp. 88–93.
^
abGibson, James N. Nuclear Weapons of the United States – An Illustrated History . Atglen, Pennsylvania.: Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 1996,
LCCN96-67282,
ISBN978-0-7643-0063-9, pp. 61–62.
^Associated Press, "'Drone' Plane Roams Skies For 1,000 Miles – Escapes in California, Falls Near Spokane", Chicago Daily Tribune, Chicago, Illinois, Thursday 30 May 1957, Vol. CXVI, No. 129, Part I – p. 3.
^Mills, Carl. Banshees of the Royal Canadian Navy. Willowdale, Ontario, Canada: Banshee Publication, 1991,
ISBN978-0-9695200-0-9, pp. 280–281.
^Sakaida, Henry, "Japanese Army Air Force Aces 1937–1945", Osprey Publishing, Botley, Oxford, UK, 1997,
ISBN978-1-85532-529-6, p. 75.
^Pace, Steve, "Crusader With A Cause", Wings, Granada Hills, California, August 1987, Vol. 17, No. 4, p. 34.
^Aeroplane Monthly – May 1984 issue – Dragon Lady – the Accident File P. 270-271
^Pocock, Chris, "50 Years of the U-2: The Complete Illustrated History of the 'Dragon Lady' ", Schiffer Publishing, Ltd., Atglen, Pennsylvania,
LCCN2005-927577,
ISBN978-0-7643-2346-1, pp. 340, 407.
^Upton, Jim, "Lockheed F-104 Starfighter", Warbird Tech Series Vol. 38, Specialty Press Publishers and Wholesalers, North Branch, Minnesota, 2003,
ISBN978-1-58007-069-0, pp. 45, 100.
^Maggelet, Michael H. and Oskins, James C., "Broken Arrow: The Declassified History of U. S. Nuclear Weapons Accidents", www.lulu.com, 2007, Chapter 10, p. 94.
^Hansen, Chuck, "The Swords of Armageddon, Version 2: Vol. VII – The Development of U.S. Nuclear Weapons", Accident Report summary received on 30 April 1992 from Vincent P. Murone, Chief, Reports Division, Directorate of Reports & Analysis, HQ Air Force Safety Agency, Norton AFB, California; letter dated 1 August 1957 to Honorable Carl T. Durham, Chairman, JCAE, from Herbert B. Loper, Assistant to the Secretary of Defense (Atomic Energy); letter dated 1 November 1957 to Carl T. Durham, Chairman, JCAE, from W. Libby, Acting Chairman, USAEC; letter dated 22 April 1966 to Honorable Chet Holifield, Chairman, JCAE, from W. J. Howard, Assistant to the Secretary of Defense (Atomic Energy).
^Huffman, Dale, "Do you remember the bomber crash in '57?", Dayton Daily News, Dayton, Ohio, 21 September 2007.
^Huffman, Dale, "Dozens recall 1957 crash of B-26 bomber – Beavercreek woman lost her dad, who was piloting the plane that crashed in a Dayton neighborhood", Dayton Daily News, Dayton, Ohio, 25 September 2007.
^"Display". naval.aviation.museum. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
^Lloyd, Alwyn T., "Boeing's B-47 Stratojet", Specialty Press, North Branch, Minnesota, 2005,
ISBN978-1-58007-071-3, p. 151.
^Mills, Carl. Banshees of the Royal Canadian Navy. Willowdale, Ontario, Canada: Banshee Publication, 1991,
ISBN978-0-9695200-0-9, pp. 281–283.
^MacDill AFB. 306thbw.org. Retrieved on 2010-11-25.
^Maggelet, Michael H. and Oskins, James C., "Broken Arrow: The Declassified History of U. S. Nuclear Weapons Accidents", www.lulu.com, 2007, Chapter 11, pp. 95–99.
^Jenkins, Dennis R., "Magnesium Overcast: The Story of the Convair B-36", Specialty Press, North Branch, Minnesota, 2001–2002,
LCCN2001-49195,
ISBN978-1-58007-129-1, p. 238.
^
abPocock, Chris, "50 Years of the U-2: The Complete Illustrated History of the 'Dragon Lady' ", Schiffer Publishing, Ltd., Atglen, Pennsylvania,
LCCN2005-927577,
ISBN978-0-7643-2346-1, pp. 342, 407.
^Associated Press, "Nine Men Killed In Plane Crash", The Anderson Independent, Anderson, South Carolina, Wednesday 15 January 1958, Vol. 41, No. 107, p. 1.
^Associated Press, "Nine Dead In Plane Crash", Morning Herald, Hagerstown, Maryland, Wednesday 15 January 1958.
^Kohus, Julie, "Into the Eye of the Storm: Flying Into the Destructive Forces of a Hurricane", The Ohio State Engineer, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, Spring 2006, p. 18.
^United Press, "Flares Spur Search For Missing Plane", Charleston Evening Post, Charleston, South Carolina, 18 January 1958, Vol. 64, No. 94 p. 7-A.
^Associated Press, "Pieces Of Wood, Rubber Pinpoint Plane Search", The Charleston Evening Post, Charleston, South Carolina, 21 January 1958, Vol. 64, No. 96, p. 4-A
^
abUnited Press, "Search Ended For MATS Plane", Charleston Evening Post, Charleston, South Carolina, 23 January 1958, Vol. 64, Number, p. 10-A.
^Associated Press, "All 35 Safe In Okinawa Plane Crash", Charleston Evening Post, Saturday 18 January 1958, Vol. 64, No. 94, p. 2-A.
^Associated Press, "Pieces Of Wood, Rubber Pinpoint Plane Search", The Charleston Evening Courier, Charleston, South Carolina, Tuesday 21 January 1958, Vol. 64, No. 96, p. 4-A
^Associated Press, "Hopes Fade For C95 [sic] Crash Survivors", The Charleston Evening Courier, Charleston, South Carolina, Wednesday 22 January 1958, Vol. 64, No. 97, p. 10-B.
^Associated Press, "Three U.S. Jets Crash In Japan", The Charleston Evening Post, Charleston, South Carolina, Saturday 25 January 1958, Vol. 64, No. 99. p. 7-B.
^Associated Press, "Disabled Navy Plane Sets Record", The Charleston Evening Post, Charleston, South Carolina, Saturday 25 January 1958, Vol. 64, No. 100, p. 8-A.
^Associated Press, "Tradewind Seaplanes Grounded Indefinitely", The Charleston Evening Post, Charleston, South Carolina, Thursday 30 January 1958, Vol. 64, No. 104, p. 3-A.
^Associated Press, "B26 Bombers Ram; 1 Crashes, 2 in Crew Die", The State, Columbia, South Carolina, Saturday 1 February 1958, No. 24,273, p. 10-B.
^Gibson, James N. Nuclear Weapons of the United States – An Illustrated History . Atglen, Pennsylvania.: Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 1996,
LCCN96-67282,
ISBN978-0-7643-0063-9, pp. 64–65.
^Charleston, South Carolina, "Pilot Bails Out Safely: Jet From Base Here Collides With B47", Charleston Evening Post, Wednesday 5 February 1958, Vol. 64, No. 109, p. 1-A
^Charleston, South Carolina, "Condition Of Pilot Is Good", Charleston Evening Post, Thursday 6 February 1958, Vol. 64, No. 110, p. 1-B
^Richardson, Colonel Howard, USAF (Ret.), "B-47 and F-86 Mid-Air Collision", published in "Boeing B-47 Stratojet: True Stories of the Cold War in the Air", Natola, Mark, editor, Schiffer Publishing, Ltd., Atglen, Pennsylvania, 2007,
LCCN2007-932937,
ISBN978-0-7643-2779-7, p. 79.
^Associated Press, "Jet Crashes In California", The Charleston Evening Post, Charleston, South Carolina, Thursday 6 February 1958, Vol. 64, No. 108, p. 2-A.
^Hansen, Chuck, The Swords of Armageddon, Version 2: Vol. VII – The Development of U.S. Nuclear Weapons, Letter dated 13 February 1958 to Honorable
Carl T. Durham, Chairman,
JCAE, from
Herbert B. Loper, Assistant to the Secretary of Defense (Atomic Energy); letter dated 25 March 1958 to Honorable Carl T. Durham, Chairman, JCAE, from Herbert B. Loper, Assistant to the Secretary of Defense (Atomic Energy); Minutes of 1332nd AEC Meeting, 11 February 1958; Memorandum dated 12 February 1958, from W. B. McCool, Secretary, to Brig. Gen. A. D. Starbird, Director, Division of Military Application, Subject: Recent Weapon Accident; Memorandum dated February 12, 1958, from James E. Ammons, Office of the Secretary, to Files, Subject: Recent Weapon Accident. Since many internal components of nuclear weapons are supported only by plastic foam of varying densities, it is not unusual that weapon components might be dislocated when the foam is crushed by the movement of the components incurred during a sudden impact.
^Associated Press, "Officer Killed In Plane Crash", The Charleston Evening Post, Charleston, South Carolina, Sunday 9 February 1958, No. 24,281, p. 9-B.
^Anderson, South Carolina, "Ga. Soldier Dies In Crash At Benning", The Anderson Independent, Monday 10 February 1958, Vol. 41, No. 233, p. 2.
^Charleston, South Carolina, "In Wooded Area: Jet Crashes, Burns Near Air Base Here", The Charleston Evening Post, Wednesday 12 February 1958, Vol. 64, No. 115, p. 1-A.
^Charleston, South Carolina, "Following Crash: 444th Jet Planes Under Inspection", The Charleston Evening Post, Thursday 13 February 1958, Vol. 64, No. 116, pp. 1-A, 2-A.
^Associated Press, "Fog Hurts Search For Missing Plane", The State, Columbia, South Carolina, Tuesday 18 February 1958, No. 24,290, p. 5-A
^Associated Press, "On Mount Vesuvius: Plane Is Found; 16 Dead", The State, Columbia, South Carolina, Thursday 20 February 1958, No. 24,292, p. 3-A.
^Associated Press, "Crash Victims' Bodies Flown To Germany", Charleston Evening Post, Charleston, South Carolina, Friday 21 February 1958, p. 6-D.
^Associated Press, "Jet Pilot Leaps Safely At Barnwell", The Charleston Evening Post, Charleston, South Carolina, Monday 17 February 1958, Vol. 64, No. 119, p. 9-A.
^Associated Press, "Plane Crash In Barnwell: Greer Pilot Bails Out at 10,000 Feet", The State, Columbia, South Carolina, Tuesday 18 February 1958, No. 24,290, p. 1-B.
^Charleston, South Carolina, "Navy Pilot Dies In Jet Crash", The Charleston Evening Post, Wednesday 19 February 1958, Vol. 64, No. 121, p. 7-B.
^Associated Press, "Atlas Explodes In Test Flight", Charleston Evening Post, Charleston, South Carolina, Thursday 20 February 1958, Vol. 64, No. 122, p. 1-A.
^Associated Press, "3 Die, 2 Hurt In Carrier Plane Crash", Charleston Evening Post, Charleston, South Carolina, Saturday 22 February 1958, Vol. 64, No. 124, p. 3-B.
^Mahnken, Thomas G., "Technology and the American Way of War Since 1945", Columbia University Press, New York, Chichister, West Sussex, 2008, Library of Congress Card No. 2007050421,
ISBN978-0-231-12336-5, p. 34.
^Associated Press Wirephoto, "Crash Debris", Charleston Evening Post, Thursday 27 February 1958, Vol. 64, No. 128, p. 1-A.
^Associated Press, "One Killed In Crash Of B47 Bomber", Charleston Evening Post, Charleston, South Carolina, Friday 28 February 1958, Vol. 64, No. 129, p. 2-A.
^Smith, Dave, "Hit The Deck", Flypast, Stamford, Lincs., UK, No. 328, November 2008, p. 43.
^Mills, Carl. Banshees of the Royal Canadian Navy. Willowdale, Ontario, Canada: Banshee Publication, 1991,
ISBN978-0-9695200-0-9, pp. 283–284.
^Gibson, James N. Nuclear Weapons of the United States – An Illustrated History . Atglen, Pennsylvania.: Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 1996,
LCCN96-67282,
ISBN978-0-7643-0063-9, p. 65.
^
abcHabermehl, Mike, "Fatigue", Airpower, Granada Hills, California, January 1979, Vol. 9, No. 1, p. 53.
^Gero, David B. "Military Aviation Disasters: Significant Losses Since 1908".
Sparkford, Yoevil, Somerset, UK: Haynes Publishing, 2010,
ISBN978-1-84425-645-7, p. 78.
^Chicago Tribune Press Service, "Crash in Britain Kills 3 U.S. Airmen", The Washington Post and Times-Herald, Washington, D.C., Tuesday 15 April 1958, Vol. 81, No. 131, p. A10.
^
abcAeroplane Monthly – May 1984 issue – Dragon Lady – the Accident File article P. 271
^Pocock, Chris, "50 Years of the U-2: The Complete Illustrated History of the 'Dragon Lady' ", Schiffer Publishing, Ltd., Atglen, Pennsylvania,
LCCN2005-927577,
ISBN978-0-7643-2346-1, pp. 74, 408.
^Pocock, Chris, "50 Years of the U-2: The Complete Illustrated History of the 'Dragon Lady' ", Schiffer Publishing, Ltd., Atglen, Pennsylvania,
LCCN2005-927577,
ISBN978-0-7643-2346-1, pp. 74, 407.
^"The Globe". doncondra.org. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
^"113th FS". doncondra.org. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
^Mills, Carl. Banshees of the Royal Canadian Navy. Willowdale, Ontario, Canada: Banshee Publication, 1991,
ISBN978-0-9695200-0-9, pp. 40–45.
^Associated Press, "Six Die in Air Force Plane Crash", Chicago Daily Tribune, Chicago, Illinois, Friday 23 January 1959, Vol. CXVIII, No. 20, Sports – Business, p. 10.
^Associated Press, "U. S. Plane with 19 GIs Lands Minus 2 Engines", Chicago Daily Tribune, Chicago, Illinois, Friday 23 January 1959, Vol. CXVIII, No. 20, Sports – Business, p. 9.
^Greene, Warren E., "The Development of the SM-68 Titan", Historical Office, Deputy Commander for Aerospace Systems, Air Force Systems Command, DCAH-62, August 1962, p. 92.
^Olausson, Lars, Lockheed Hercules Production List 1954–2012. Såtenäs, Sweden: Self-published, 28th Edition, March 2010.
^Chicago, Illinois, "Plane Crashes In Cemetery, Pilot Killed – Marine Was Flying to See Family Here", Chicago Daily Tribune, Monday 1 June 1959, Vol. CXVIII, No. 130, Part 3, p. 1.
^"A5Vigilantee". ejection-history.org.uk. Archived from
the original on 11 July 2015. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
^ã²ã¾ã‚ã‚Š [Himawari] (in Japanese). "Himawari Okinawa wa Wasurenai Ano hi no sora o" Seisaku Iinkai. 2012. Retrieved Dec 18, 2012.
^Buttler, Tony, "Triumph and Tragedy", Aeroplane, London, UK, No. 408, April 2007, p. 58.
^Maggelet, Michael H., and Oskins, James C., "Broken Arrow: The Declassified History of U.S. Nuclear Weapons Accidents", Lulu Publishing, www.lulu.com, 2007,
ISBN978-1-4357-0361-2, chapter 18, pp. 123–127.
^Leggett, Dick, "Don't You Know There's A War On", Flypast, Stamford, Lincs., UK, No. 216, July 1999, pp. 39–41.
^Knaack, Marcelle Size, Post-World War II Bombers, 1945–1973. Washington, D.C.: Office of Air Force History, 1988,
ISBN978-0-16-002260-9, p. 386.
^Pocock, Chris, "50 Years of the U-2: The Complete Illustrated History of the 'Dragon Lady' ", Schiffer Publishing, Ltd., Atglen, Pennsylvania,
LCCN2005-927577,
ISBN978-0-7643-2346-1, p. 407.
^Gibson, James N. Nuclear Weapons of the United States – An Illustrated History . Atglen, Pennsylvania.: Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 1996,
LCCN96-67282,
ISBN978-0-7643-0063-9, p. 214.
^Howard, W. J., Assistant to the Secretary of Defense (Atomic Energy), Letter to Holifield, Chet, Chairman, Joint Committee on Atomic Energy, Congress of the United States, Washington, D.C., 22 April 1966.
^Stamford, Lincs., UK, FlyPast, "Johnny Squier and the Supersonic 'Bang-Out'", May 2006, No. 298, p. 80.
^Gibson, James N. Nuclear Weapons of the United States – An Illustrated History . Atglen, Pennsylvania.: Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 1996,
LCCN96-67282,
ISBN978-0-7643-0063-9, p. 71.
This is a list of notable accidents and incidents involving military aircraft grouped by the year in which the accident or incident occurred. Not all of the aircraft were in operation at the time. Combat losses are not included except for a very few cases denoted by singular circumstances.
Information on aircraft gives the type, and if available, the serial number of the operator in italics, the construction number (c/n), also known as the manufacturer's serial number, exterior codes in apostrophes, nicknames (if any) in quotation marks, flight call sign in italics, and operating units.
1955
1955
On its 205th flight, the first prototype
Cessna XT-37-CE, 54–716, c/n 40001, first flown 12 October 1954, becomes uncontrollable during spin tests and crashes in Kansas, Cessna test pilot Robert S. "Bob" Hagan[1] ejecting successfully.[2]
5 January
Two
Boeing B-47E Stratojets of the
44th Bomb Wing from
Lake Charles AFB, Louisiana, collide over the
Gulf of Mexico during refuelling Wednesday night, causing one to crash and the other to limp home to base with damage, sans its observer who bailed out over the Gulf. Air-sea rescue teams began a search of the Gulf in an area some 30 miles (48 km) SE of
Cameron, Louisiana, on the Gulf coast.[3] B-47E-5-DT, 52-029, is lost with all three crew. The observer who bailed out was also never found.[4] The pilot of the recovered bomber stated that the lost plane apparently smashed down on his aircraft from above, "leaving wheel tracks on the cabin before it spun off to crash in Gulf waters. Capt. Morris E. Shiver, 29, of
Albany, Ga., said, 'We never knew what hit us,' as the two six-jet bombers crashed together Wednesday night about 30 miles (48 km) southeast of Cameron, La. An armada of planes and ships searched Thursday for the four airmen missing after the crash. Three of them were aboard the B-47 which plunged into the Gulf, while the fourth, 1st Lt. Matthew Gemery, of
Lakewood, Ohio, an observer, could have returned on his limping plane had he waited another minute before ejecting himself. They identified Maj. Sterling T. Carroll, 33, of
Port Arthur, Tex., as the commander of the plane that returned, and Shiver as the pilot. The other three missing airmen were Maj. Jean S. Pierson, of
Danville, Ind., aircraft commander; Capt. David O. Crump, of
Albemarle, N.C. [sic], copilot, and father of six children, and 1st Lt. Rodney P. Egelston of
Levelland, Tex., observer-bombardier."[5]
6 January
"
BRAMAN, Okla. (
AP) – A crippled
B47 six-engine jet bomber barrel-rolled, crashed and exploded in a wheat field a mile east of here Thursday, killing all three crewmen aboard. The plane, from
McConnell Air Force Base,
Wichita, Kan., disintegrated into hundreds of pieces after the explosion in this farm area of North Central Oklahoma near the Kansas border. Maj. Lawrence Tacker of McConnell AFB identified the dead as: Capt. Wayne E. Andrew of
Yellow Springs, Ohio, commander of the plane; 1st Lt. Joseph C. Cook, co-pilot, Sunland, Calif.; Capt. William C. Berry, observer,
Dayton, Ohio. The wives and families of the men are living temporarily in Wichita. O. O. McMasters, who lives here, said he heard the plane coming from the north and in distress. McMasters said it suddenly barrel-rolled and crashed. A crater 10 to 12 feet deep (4 m) was left in the pasture. Bits of the crewmen's bodies and the plane were scattered for hundreds of yards. The plane landed on the Horne farm and the explosion was so great it rocked Bramen a mile away."[6] B-47B-30-BW Stratojet, 51-2086, of the 3520th Flying Training Wing lost.[4][7]
The crash of a
Lockheed T-33A Shooting Star in the
Shadow Mountains in the
Mojave Desert, while en route from
Perrin Air Force Base, Texas, to
George Air Force Base, California, kills two crew just 18 miles (29 km) short of their destination. "The plane crashed as the pilot lost radio contact with George AFB,
Victorville, in a heavy snowstorm while approaching from
Williams AFB,
Phoenix, Thursday. A George helicopter sighted the wreckage on the east side of snow-covered Shadow Mountain, 18 miles northwest of Victorville, and a search party reached the plane later Friday. The Perrin trainer was on a routine flight. It had stopped at Williams to refuel." Perrin officials identified the dead as Capt. Donald McLaren, 30, and 2d Lt. Richard Delehanty, 24, both of
Sherman, Texas.[12] Ground parties had set out from
March Air Force Base,
Riverside, on Thursday to search for the plane and its crew as bad weather delayed an air search.[13] Shadow Mountain, an isolated peak, is located about 6 miles (9.7 km) due east of the main chain of the range. It has a peak elevation of 1,279 meters (4,196 ft).[14] T-33A-1-LO, 51-9115,[7] was involved.[11]
6 January
"Tokyo (
AP) – Two planes, presumably U. S. jets, collided high over
Tokyo Bay Friday night in a blinding flash of light that startled thousands of residents.
U. S. Far East Air Force headquarters said a
Sabre jet fighter and a jet trainer from nearby
Yokota Air Base were missing."[15] "Tokyo (AP) – The U.S. Air Force today released the names of three Air Force pilots killed Thursday night when two jet planes collided over Tokyo Bay. The pilots were identified as 2nd Lt. Kenneth E. Heeter, son of Mr. and Mrs. Floyd E. Heeter of
Emlenton, PA.; 2nd Lt. William O. Edwards, son of Mrs. E.D. Edwards of
Beaucoup, Ill., and Capt. Milan Mosny, son of John Mosny,
Little Falls, NY. Heeter was piloting an F86 Sabre jet and Edwards and Mosny were in a
T33 trainer when their planes collided during a night training mission. After the collision the planes plummeted into Tokyo Bay. Two of the bodies have been recovered and search is continuing for the third. The Air Force did not say which bodies have been recovered.[16] F-86D-45-NA Sabre, 52-3983, and T-33A-1-LO Shooting Star, 52-9749, were involved.[11][17]
7 January
A pilot suffered first and second degree burns when his
North American F-86D Sabre crashed on takeoff from
Norton AFB, California, when the engine flamed out as he departed the runway at 16:19. 1st Lt. Robert L. Buss, from
Selfridge AFB,
Mount Clemens, Michigan, reached an altitude of c. 400 feet (120 m) after leaving the west end of the east-west runway and a speed of c. 160 knots (300 km/h; 180 mph) when the engine failed. It crashed about 400 yards (370 m) from the air strip 140 feet (43 m) west of Alabama Street and south of 3rd Street, near the
Santa Ana River Wash. The plane was headed for Alabama Street, which was carrying heavy north-south traffic. "Officials at Norton praised the young pilot for his courage in making a 45-degree right turn with the dead plane to avoid crashing on the thoroughfare. Lt. Buss said he first struck a small embankment causing the fuel tank to explode before the plane began grinding to a halt 200 yards away. One wing was ripped from the craft on impact. The pilot's clothing caught fire when the fuel tank exploded. After crawling from the blazing craft he tore off his outer garments and rolled in the sand, saving his own life." Floyd K. Smith, chief of Office for Information Services at the
San Bernardino installation, said that the pilot, rushed immediately to the base hospital, was from the
13th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron at Selfridge AFB. He is single and believed a resident of that base. Smith stated that Buss was on his way to the
Fresno Air Terminal and had stopped for fuel at Norton earlier in the day.[18] F-86D-40-NA, 52- 3794,[17] was involved.[11]
9 January
A U.S. Navy
Beechcraft JRB-4 with three aboard goes missing while on a flight from
Monterey, California, to
Norton AFB, California. On board were LT Marshall Hand, of
La Mesa Village, Monterey, pilot; LT Lasley K. Lacewell Jr., of
Carmel, California copilot; and a sailor passenger, Haskel Lewis Reichbach, fireman of the
USS Badoeng Strait (CVE-116), berthed in
San Diego. Still missing by mid-week, despite the search efforts of the Air Force, Navy, Coast Guard, Civil Air Patrol and Army National Guard, "At dawn Thursday, 51 military planes coordinated by the
42nd Air Rescue Squadron at
March Air Force Base will continue the search." Wreckage discovered near
Corona in
Silverado Canyon Wednesday turned out to be from another accident several years ago. According to
CAA officials at
Ontario International Airport who were the last to hear from the missing craft, the plane is believed to be down somewhere in the snow-covered
San Bernardino Mountains.[19] The
SNB-2 Navigator, BuNo 67260, crashed into a ridge on
Cajon Mountain above
Cajon Pass in a rugged area of
chaparral. All on board killed.[20][21] The crash site was discovered on 13 January at about the 5,000-foot (1,500 m) level of Cajon Mountain.
13 January
Former Navy pilot, now a test pilot for
Douglas Aircraft Company,
James B. Verdin, 36, is killed this date when he bails out of
A4D Skyhawk, BuNo 137815, at 30,000 feet (9,100 m) during a test flight near
Victorville, California, and his parachute fails to open. Douglas company officials said that he radioed that he was bailing out shortly before the fighter-bomber crashed and burned. The wreckage was sighted at dusk 25 miles (40 km) northwest of Victorville between
Haystack Butte and
Highway 395 by helicopters from
Edwards AFB. Verdin's body was not in the wreckage. The Los Angeles Sheriff's Office said a parachute was reported in the northeast section of the county shortly after the crash. Search parties were dispatched to the area, which is partially snow-covered. Temperatures were near freezing.[22] The pilot's body was spotted at 15:00 Friday 14 January, on the desert floor eleven miles (18 km) south of Kramer Junction, about a mile east of Highway 395. It was found c. three miles (5 km) northeast of the aircraft wreckage by a ground party composed of personnel from
Camp Irwin,
Edwards AFB and
George AFB. "Aiding in the widespread search by several thousand men afoot, on horseback and automobile was a posse from the
San Bernardino County sheriff's office under the direction of Capt. Jack Miller of the
Victorville substation." Scores of military and civilian planes were also involved. Confirmation that it was Verdin's body was made by Edwards AFB officers who landed at the scene in a helicopter a few minutes after the discovery. Verdin's helmet and part of his canopy were found about a mile south of where his body fell. Coroner R. E. Williams said that the body was removed from the scene by Air Force personnel.[23] YA4D-1 Skyhawk, BuNo 137815, the third pre-production airframe, written off.[24] Verdin, as a Navy lieutenant commander, had set an absolute speed record of 752.9 miles per hour (1,211.7 km/h) on a three-kilometer course over the
Salton Sea in an
F4D Skyray on 5 October 1953. He left the service in June 1954 to take a test pilot job with Douglas.
15 January
The U.S. Air Force grounds its
Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcars for a fleetwide engine inspection after incidents and accidents led to four forced or crashed landings within a week. A total of 145 paratroopers and air force crew were involved in the four accidents in which two men were killed. "Thirty-five airborne infantrymen and three crewmen parachuted to safety when an engine burst into flames Tuesday shortly after a C-119 took off from
Sewart Air Force Base, Tenn. The pilot and co-pilot were killed in that crash. Just hours before the Tennessee crash, 33 paratroopers bailed out when an engine caught fire on their plane near
Miles City, Montana. Pilot – Capt. T. G. Johnson, of Sewart AFB then guided the plane to the
Miles City Airport without incident. Thirty-three paratroopers jumped to safety over
Fairbanks, Alaska, Thursday when one engine of their plane failed. Lt. Robert Bruckner, pilot; Lt. Herbert T. Kurse, co-pilot, and six crewmen rode the plane to safety at
Ladd AFB. Another C-119 engine failed Saturday shortly after the twin-engined Flying Boxcar took off from
Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota, but the pilot safely landed the plane, which was carrying 33 paratroopers and three other crew members." Officers at
Anchorage said that "Exercise Snowbird" schedules on troop and other aircraft movement would not be affected by the inspection, which is relatively simple. Sixty C-119s involved in the exercise arrived at
Elmendorf AFB, Alaska, from Sewart AFB, and 16 more were en route. Officers said that engine inspections were being performed at stations along the way as well as at Anchorage.[25] The airframe lost in the fatal Sewart AFB incident was C-119G, 52-5949, c/n 11136, which crashed five miles northeast of the base.[17][26]
16 January
"
EL TORO (
AP) – A 30-year-old
Long Beach policeman, on weekend flying duties with the Navy, was killed Sunday when his prop-driven fighter plane crashed in a muddy field near here. The
Los Alamitos Naval Air Station identified the pilot as LTJG Robert Everett Hagen, 5039 Rose Avenue, Long Beach. Hagen, who flew one weekend a month in a reserve squadron, had just taken off on a routine training flight in the
Vought-Corsair plane. He leaves his wife, Betty, and four daughters; Mary Lou, 12, Patricia Ann, 6, and twins Jennifer Joan and Jane Margaret, 8."[27]
17 January
U.S. Navy
Lockheed C-121J Super Constellation, BuNo 131639, c/n 4140,[28] departs
Harmon AFB,
Newfoundland, at 04:22 for a "routine transport flight" to its home-station,
NAS Patuxent River, Maryland. At 0500, while over
Prince Edward Island, two engines fail. The flight attempts to return to Harmon and a
Boeing B-29 is dispatched to escort the crippled C-121, rendezvousing with it at 0504 over
Cabot Strait, between
Newfoundland and
Cape Breton Island,
Nova Scotia. Twelve minutes later, the Constellation shut off its lights and other electrical equipment to facilitate the dumping of excess fuel. Within minutes the bomber lost radar contact with the transport and it vanished. The Constellation went into a stormy sea amidst clouds and fog. The B-29 circled the area and finally spotted five life rafts and life jackets amidst wreckage at 06:45, but no survivors. The six crew and seven passengers, twelve men and one woman, were lost. The plane's pilot was identified as LCDR L. R. Fullmer Jr., of
Little Rock, Arkansas. The woman aboard was identified as Seaman Jeanette W. Elmer, 22, of
Syracuse, New York.[29]
19 January
"
OXNARD (
AP) – An Air Force
T33 jet trainer made a successful forced landing in soft mud after its engine quit at 8,000 feet. Marine Maj. Edward LeFaivre, 33,
Baltimore, Md., on temporary duty at
Oxnard AFB, and Lt. Stanley Green, 23,
Inglewood, were in the plane. Neither was injured, the Air Force said. The landing was made in a field about three miles (5 km) south of the base."[30] T-33A-1-LO, 52-9760,[11] was repaired and placed back in service, finally being retired to MASDC on 1 February 1985.[17]
19 January
"
TRIPOLI,
Libya (
AP) – Lt. Stanford Nall, 28, of Meridian, Calif., was killed Wednesday when his
F86F Sabre jet crashed into the
Mediterranean eight miles northwest of
Wheelus Field, the U.S. Air Force said Friday."[31]
19 January
"
HONOLULU (
AP) – The Navy said Friday night the transport
Fred C. Ainsworth rescued all seven survivors of a twin-engined Navy amphibian forced down Wednesday night in the
Central Pacific. The transport radioed that it had picked up the men at 06:50 (08:50 PST), the
Hawaiian Sea Frontier said. Only a few hours before the rescue, the seven airmen had transferred from their life raft to a
33-foot lifeboat dropped by an air force plane. The lifeboat was about 665 miles northwest of
Kwajalein, destination of the plane which developed engine trouble while flying from
Johnston Island. The survivors reported by a
walkie-talkie dropped to them that there were no casualties but some fever had developed. Coast Guard LT Martin W. Flesh was commander of the search plane which sighted the survivors. In Washington, the Navy identified the seven as LT James Gotfray Measel, pilot,
Norfolk, Va.; ENS Harrison Bernard Nordstrom, ENS Robert Nason Gardon, navigator,
Watertown, Mass.; Aviation Electronics Technician 2nd Class Robert D. Frame,
Memphis, Tenn.; Aviation Machinist's Mate 2nd Class Edward James Nowark,
Buffalo, N. Y.; Aviation Machinist's Mate 1st Class William Clement Pavey,
Warwick, R. I.; and Aviation Electronics Technician 2nd Class Jerome Joseph Warras,
Detroit, Mich."[32]
20 January
"
SAN DIEGO (
AP) – A Navy
F9F2 Panther jet fighter crashed into a
Navy Retraining Command prison area near here Thursday, killing the pilot. He was identified as LT Douglas Mosser, 31, of
La Jolla, Calif. He is survived by his wife, Ann; a son, Bruce, 1; and his mother, Mrs. Anna S. Mosser,
Chinook, Mont. Parts of the exploding craft struck a warehouse and set it afire. A wing was seen to fall from the plane as it came in for a landing at
Miramar Naval Air Station, across
U.S. Highway 395 across from the Retraining Command's
Camp Elliott. It rolled over and struck between the warehouse and another building, about a mile from the Miramar runway. The Navy said none of its personnel, including the 900 Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard prisoners confined for various offenses, was in the immediate area of the crash."[33]
"
STUTTGART, Germany (
UP) – A crippled U. S. Army helicopter and a second helicopter racing to its rescue both crashed in flames Thursday night, killing all six aboard, the
7th Army announced Friday. German police said one of the helicopters developed trouble over an open field and cracked up in an emergency landing shortly before midnight. It burst into flames. A second helicopter on night maneuvers dropped down to rescue the three crewmen but also piled up and caught fire."[36] These may have been either
Bell H-13 Sioux or
Sikorsky H-19 Chickasaws;
Sikorsky H-34 Choctaws were not delivered to the Army until later in 1955.
28 January
"
WARNER SPRINGS, Calif. (
AP) – A Navy jet fighter crashed Friday four miles north of here, killing the pilot. A second Navy man was fatally injured in a helicopter accident at the crash scene. The pilot was ENS L. R. Nelson, 23, stationed at
Miramar Naval Air Station at
San Diego, 60 miles southeast of here. The second man was not immediately identified. He was an enlisted man stationed at a Navy fliers' mountain survival school near here. Nelson's
F9F5 Panther jet hit the top of a knoll while making a low-level pass on routine maneuvers. The Navy said a Coast Guard helicopter called to the scene from San Diego began to roll down a slope on landing. Its tail rotor hit the ground and flew apart. A piece of the rotor struck the enlisted man."[37]
22 February
Fifth of 13
North American X-10s, GM-19311, c/n 5, on X-10 flight number 13, out of
Edwards AFB,
California, has supersonic flight aborted when
afterburners fail. Automated landing fails when chute deploys during radio controlled approach, causing the vehicle to plunge into the desert and be destroyed.[38]
2 March
Two
Panther F9F-5 jets were destroyed in a mid-air collision over a remote area of Southern California. The jets crashed near the ghost town of
Ogilby, California while one of the airmen was joining a formation during a gunnery training mission. US Naval Reserve pilot LTJG William Edward Nichols was killed while US Marine Corps Captain J. C. Gardner, 33, of Waldorf, Maryland ejected and parachuted to safety. Nichols was attached to
Fighter Squadron 93 at
Moffett Field but was on temporary duty to
El Centro Naval Auxiliary Air Station. Gardner was based out of the
Marine Air Base at El Toro, California and attached to squadron
VMAT-102. Nichols, 24, was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Barney Nichols of San Pablo, California.[39][40]
9 March 1955
William Edward McLaughlin crashed fighter jet while taking off an aircraft carrier off the coast of California.[citation needed]
11 March
Third of 13
North American X-10s, GM-19309, c/n 3, on X-10 flight number 14, out of
Edwards AFB,
California, first flight of refitted c/n 3, the static test article. Vehicle exploded on gear retraction two seconds after lift-off – it was found that the destruct package was wired to the gear circuit instead of the engine circuit.[38]
The first significant
Nike Ajax missile accident occurs at
Fort George G. Meade,
Maryland, on a rainy afternoon this date, when, at 12:35, Battery C, 36th AAA Missile Battalion, located south of Maryland 602 (now
Route 198), was "practicing Nike procedures" when the rocket booster on an Ajax which was being elevated on its launcher suddenly ignites and the missile takes off. Crewman SFC Stanley C. Kozak, standing seven feet away, is caught in the flareback from booster ignition and suffers minor burns. Initial reports stated that the missile exploded about three miles (5 km) away, "several thousand feet in the air." Later accounts state that the missile, which was not in the fully upright launch position when it unexpectedly left the rail, suffered structural damage as it took off, "coupled with rapid initial acceleration, rendered the missile aerodynamically unsound and led to the break up. The fact the crew had not removed the propulsion safety pin during the drill contributed to the failure of the sustainer motor to start. And, since the launch was unintended, the missile was not under radar control. Neither the missile nor the booster exploded in flight. The booster separated and fell onto Barber's Trailer Court more than a mile from the launch site. Fuel tank fragments fell on the
Baltimore-Washington Expressway where the fuel and oxidizer caused a fire but little or no damage. The missile nose section was found 500 yards from the launcher with the guidance assembly still attached." The Army board of inquiry isolated the cause as an electrical short caused by rain water in the junction box on the outside rear of the launcher control trailer. This condition defeated the crew's pre-launch safety checks.[43]
18 April
Second prototype
Lockheed XF-104A Starfighter, 53-7787, c/n 083-0002, is lost when airframe sheds the bottom ejection seat hatch fairing during 20 mm gun firing causing an explosive decompression. Test pilot
Herman R. "Fish" Salmon ejected as aircraft broke up, injured landing in rough country.[44] Joe Baugher cites date of 14 April for this accident.
28 April
Ten crew are "killed while flying" (KWF) when a
Boeing B-29A-40-BN, 44-61677,[45] piloted by Victor C. Marston,[46] of the
581st Air Resupply Group,
20th Air Force, on a routine low-level training mission, strikes a hill on the south end of
Okinawa,[47] three miles (5 km) from
Naha Airport, as it gropes through overcast.[48] This was the 581st's first major accident.[47] Sp3C Lee L. Bean, Artillery, U.S. Army, on duty with the First Composite Service Unit, is awarded the
Soldier's Medal for his attempts to rescue any survivors when he voluntarily enters the fiercely burning wreckage in which oxygen bottles are exploding and removes several victims with no regard for his own safety before abandoning his efforts when it becomes clear that there are none alive.[49]
3 May
Four U.S. Army personnel are killed in a nighttime crash of a helicopter on main post at
Fort Benning, Georgia.[50] A
Sikorsky H-19 Chickasaw crashed and burned in a heavily wooded area half a mile from a housing development while on a routine training flight at Fort Benning. Killed were: Capt. Earl J. Scott, pilot; Capt. Robert F. Carter, pilot; SFC. Herman W. Punke; and Sgt. Horace G. Connor.[51]
5 May
A twin engine target tow plane,
Douglas JD-1 Invader,[52] the U.S. Navy variant of the Air Force
B-26, crashes six miles south of the Jackson Creek Ranch[53] in the
Black Rock Desert. A
McDonnell F2H Banshee cut the tow cable, the target plane went into a dive and crashed. One enlisted man bailed out and survived, three others killed. The Banshee returned to
Fallon Naval Auxiliary Station with a gash in its wing.[54]
8 May
An
Ohio Air National Guard pilot, Maj. Charles C. Cook, 30, of
Dayton, stays with his ship in order to give other crew a chance to bail out of their
Douglas C-47A-10-DK, 42-108869, c/n 12538,[55][56] when it developed engine trouble en route from
Friendship Airport, south of
Baltimore, Maryland, to
Columbus. Of the 15 aboard, 11 elect to parachute. Three others stayed with the pilot or did not have time to jump, all of whom survived the crash landing with relatively minor or no injuries when the plane came down in the
Belmont County Hills near
St. Clairsville. One of the men who took to the chute was killed. He is identified as Sgt. Thurl Warren Starcher, 46,
New Philadelphia. Five others were admitted to the
Barnesville, Ohio, General Hospital; one with serious injuries. The plane was carrying 11 members of the all-Ohio National Guard rifle team on a return flight from Friendship Airport, Air National Guard officials said.[57]
13 May
On seventh and final flight of
Northrop N-69A test vehicle for the
Northrop XSM-62 Snark, only two of which were successful, mission was cut short when the missile collided with its
T-33A photo plane.[58]
17 May
"
PORTSMOUTH, England
AP – A navy fighter plane crashed into the funnel of the 36,000-ton British aircraft carrier
Eagle today during deck landing exercises in the
English Channel. The pilot was seriously injured. The admiralty said the plane was given a signal to make another circuit as it came into land. The pilot increased speed but the engine stalled and the plane plowed into the rear of the funnel, burying the engine in the steam pipes."[59] First cruise for full-scale training exercises without operational restrictions for the
Westland Wyvern S Mk. 4, deployed aboard
HMS Eagle with Nos. 813 and 827 Squadrons, begins inauspiciously when
Wyvern, VZ785, '135/J', of
827 Naval Air Squadron,[60] attempting a go-around after misjudged approach, strikes ship's funnel, forcing the carrier to return to Portsmouth to have
Armstrong Siddeley Python turboprop engine extracted from funnel "in which it was stuck like a dart." Repairs delay cruise by a fortnight.[61] An article published in the 1976 debut issue of Air Enthusiast Quarterly, by William Green and Gordon Swanborough, with Harald Penrose, incorrectly gives the accident date as 30 September 1955.
18 May
McDonnell Aircraft Corporation engineering test pilot Robert H. Strange is killed in the crash of an
F3H-1N Demon naval fighter, BuNo 133495, after the
J40 engine flamed out. He had just completed a dive from 40,000 feet, above
Mach, to test dynamic pressure in the radar compartment under these conditions. The engine died above 25,000 feet. The pilot tried repeated restarts with no luck until he had descended to 5,000 feet,[62] at which point he radioed that he was abandoning the plane and attempted to eject. The McDonnell-designed seat failed and Strange was killed as the jet impacted a cornfield near
Carrollton, Illinois, about 55 miles northeast of
St. Louis, barely missing a farm home "as it plowed a 15-foot furrow in the earth. Strange's body was about 100 feet from the wreckage."[63] Strange was born in
Sumter, South Carolina, in 1922. He joined the U.S. Navy as an aviation cadet in June 1942, and ended up flying with Marine air, 1943–1946. He was awarded the Air Medal, with two gold stars, and the Distinguished Flying Cross. He graduated from
Clemson Agricultural College of South Carolina with a degree in mechanical engineering in 1948, and did engineering work for
Curtiss-Wright and
Frigidaire for three years. He then served with the
Marines again from 1951 to 1953. Strange joined the McDonnell Corporation as a design engineer in November 1953, becoming a test pilot in October 1954. He is survived by his wife Shirley, and four children, David, Douglas, Susan and Jeffrey.[62]
25 May
Convair B-36J-5-CF Peacemaker, 52-2818A, c/n 374, of the
6th Bomb Wing, call sign Abbott 27, on a routine training flight, crashes at c. 23:05. CST, in the southwest corner of
Glasscock County, Texas, on the Drannon Ranch, c. 18.5 miles (29.8 km) southwest of
Sterling City, Texas. The aircraft had apparently disintegrated due to thunderstorm or tornadic activity, losing its outer wing panels and all tail control surfaces, and impacted in a flat attitude with little forward motion. Aircraft wreckage was found in a 25 x 3-mile (4.8 km) path on a heading of 66 degrees true. None of the 15 members of crew L-22 were able to escape the damaged bomber and all hatches and ports were found still in place. The wings and forward fuselage burned on impact, with only the rear fuselage remaining. The aircraft had been preparing to land at
Walker AFB, New Mexico, when it was lost. Due to the extended period that the crash site was kept secured while crew remains were recovered and identified, and wreckage from the disintegration was searched for (almost a week), there was some question as to whether the B-36 was armed with a nuclear weapon, but there is no evidence to support this.[64]
27 May
A
Boeing B-47E-10-DT Stratojet, 52-054, returning from a night navigation training mission after slightly more than two hours aloft crashes on the runway at
Lincoln AFB, Nebraska, at 02:54 while landing.[65] Brake parachute failed and it overran the runway – no injuries. Joe Baugher cites date of 24 May. John Kodsi, aircraft commander, and Sgt. Edward Seagraves, plus two other crew survive.[66]
While approaching
USS Oriskany (CV-34) for a night landing in the
Sea of Japan, U.S. naval aviator LT
John R. C. Mitchell's
McDonnell F2H Banshee begins to sink. Mitchell turns but fails to clear the ship and crashes into the ship's fantail. The rear half of the airplane falls into the ocean in flames, but Mitchell sustains only minor injuries. Five sailors sleeping on the fantail are injured. When Mitchell calls the ship's ready room to report his status, the officers to whom he speaks initially refuse to believe that he is still alive. The incident will be immortalized in The Right Stuff by
Tom Wolfe, which refers to Mitchell by the alias of "accident-prone Mitch Johnson".[72][73]
5 July
Sole prototype
Supermarine Type 529, VX136, crashes while flying out of
Boscombe Down, this date.[74] Aircraft entered a spin at 10,000 ft which deteriorated into a flat spin from which the pilot, Lt. Cdr. Rickell, could not recover. Late ejection due to problems with jettisoning the canopy and operating the ejector seat – the seat did not have time to separate, nor did the parachute have time to fully deploy – Pilot killed on impact with the ground. The aircraft was completely destroyed.[75]
14 July
Vought F7U-3 Cutlass, BuNo 129595, 'D 412', of
VF-124, suffers
ramp strike on landing aboard
USS Hancock during carrier qualifications off the California coast,[77] disintegrating airframe spins off portside; pilot LCDR Jay Alkire, USNR, executive officer of VF-124, killed when airframe sinks, still strapped into ejection seat; also killed are two boatswain's mates, one photographer's mate, in port catwalk by burning fuel.[citation needed] Dramatic footage shot from port catwalk exists showing burning fighter going over the side. Footage:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CT670dAzfo
4 August
Avro AshtonWB492 is damaged beyond repair at
RAF Pershore,
Worcestershire, United Kingdom, when a fire in the undercarriage causes severe damage to a main spar in one of the wings. The aircraft is Struck Off Charge on 30 November.[78]
8 August
Internal explosion aboard
Bell X-1A, 48-1384, while being carried aloft by
Boeing B-29 mothership, forces
NACA pilot
Joseph Albert Walker to exit aircraft back into the
Superfortress, which is then jettisoned due to the full fuel load it carries, the rocket-powered test craft coming down on the
Edwards AFB,
California bombing range.[79]
Sixth of 13
North American X-10s, GM-19312, c/n 6, on
Navaho X-10 flight number 16, out of
Edwards AFB, California, demonstrates planned automated landing on first AFMTC flight, but drag chute does not deploy after landing. The vehicle overruns the skid strip, the nosewheel collapses in the sand in the overrun, the tanks rupture, and the vehicle burns.[38][83]
Vought F7U-3 Cutlass, BuNo 129592, of
VF-124, misses all the wires during a landing aboard
USS Hancock, operating off of
Hawaii, and hits the barrier. "Although reported to have suffered only slight damage, it was struck off charge and never flew again."[84]
8 September
Boeing B-29A, 44-62264, from Kadena AB, Okinawa, Japan crashed into the water approximately 275 miles south-west of Okinawa after eight hours of flying on a routine low-level round robin training flight from Kadena, AB. Rescuers found an oil slick in the water along with life rafts and equipment from the aircraft, but unfortunately, they found no survivors or remains. Lost in the crash were: Pilots 1st Lt Wendell Von Bobber, Capt Walter Prolisco, and Maj Hubert Karcher, AOB 1st Lt Frank Mills, Navigators 2d Lt Robert George and Capt Richard Jones, VO 1st Lt Joseph Jelinek, FE's Maj Robert McConnell and TSgt LeRoy Nelson, Radio Operators SSgt Harold Matheis and A1C Bernard Hurteau, and Aerial Gunners A1C Maurice O'Shea and SSgt Thomas Steele. The cause of the crash remains unknown.
9 September
Douglas B-66 Destroyer, from
Hurlburt Field crashed near
Alvin, Texas. Three crew members aboard the plane bailed out after their plane developed trouble at 37,000 feet. Capt. Arthur J. Manzo, radar observer-navigator, was critically injured and died of his injuries 11 September 1957. Other crew members included 1st Lt. David E. Moore, pilot, and S/Sgt. Robert J. Newland, gunner.[85]
13 September
Six people were killed when a
North American B-25 suffered engine failure on takeoff from
Mitchel AFB, New York, and crashed into Greenfield Cemetery,
Hempstead, New York, five minutes after departure. Three of the victims were crew members, and three were passengers. The names of the dead were withheld pending notification of next of kin.[86] B-25J-35/37-NC, 45-8822, modified to TB-25N, then to VB-25N,[87] was piloted by James D. Judy.[88]
14 September
USAFDouglas A-26B-45-DL Invader, 44-34126, loses starboard engine on take off from 5,142-foot-long runway 12/30,
Mitchel AFB,
New York, runs through perimeter fence on southeast side of field, comes to rest on the
Hempstead Turnpike. Port undercarriage leg collapses, port prop blades bent. No injuries.[89] Another source identifies this airframe as A-26B-66-DL, 44-34626, and the pilot as John E. Mervyn.[88]
6 October
McDonnell Aircraft company test pilot George Shirley Mills bails out of
McDonnell F3H-2N Demon, BuNo 133549,[90] over
Carrollton, Illinois near
St. Louis, Missouri after what appears to be a massive systems failure, including the
J40 engine. Instead of crashing, fighter circles over two states for more than an hour sans canopy, ejection seat and pilot. It eventually impacts in cornfield near
Monticello, Iowa, 250 miles (400 km) from ejection.[91] Mills will pass away on 25 May 2007.[92] The whole J40 project, upon which
Westinghouse had staked their engine division's future, suffered developmental delays and never lived up to the performance expectations anticipated, and the engine was considered unusable due to reliability problems, especially in the development of a functional afterburner. The J40 project was cancelled entirely in 1955, and aircraft designed to use it were either cancelled outright, like the
Grumman XF10F Jaguar, downgraded in performance expectations like the F3H Demon (six airframes and four pilots lost out of the initial production run), with Time Magazine calling the Navy's grounding of all Westinghouse-powered F3H-1 Demons a "fiasco", with 21 unflyable planes that could be used only for Navy ground training at a loss of $200 million.[93] The
A3D Skywarrior and
F4D Skyray had been designed to permit replacement powerplants of a larger diameter and length and were subsequently fitted with the
Pratt & Whitney J57 in lieu of the troubled J40, but the F3H required an enlarged fuselage and revised wing to accommodate an
Allison J71, the only viable substitute, but even this combination was underpowered. The
Westinghouse Aviation Gas Turbine Division would shut down shortly thereafter.
13 October
A
Boeing B-47B-40-BW Stratojet, 51-2231, of the
320th Bombardment Wing,[94] crashes while taking off from
March Air Force Base, California, coming down in what is now the Sycamore Canyon Wilderness Park, northwest of the base. Capt. Edward Anthony O'Brien Jr., pilot, Capt. David James Clare, co-pilot, Major Thomas Francis Mulligan, navigator, and Capt. Joseph M. Graeber, chaplain, are all killed.[95] Crew chief Albert Meyer, of
Westchester, California, was not flying with his aircraft that day because he had already exceeded his flight hours. In the accident report, Col. Frederic Huish, investigation board president, concluded the primary cause of the accident was unknown, due to lack of positive evidence.[96][97]
A
Lockheed T-33A-1-LO Shooting Star trainer, 51-9227, crashes into
Santa Monica Bay.[100] Pilot Richard Martin Theiler, 28, and co-pilot Paul Dale Smith departed Los Angeles International Airport at 0215 PST aboard the T-33A, bound for
Yuma, Arizona. This was an
IFR departure, with instructions to report 2,000 feet (610 m) on top of overcast. The Los Angeles weather at the time was 1,200 feet (370 m) overcast, 4 miles (6.4 km) visibility, in haze and smoke. After they were given clearance for takeoff they were never seen nor heard from again.[101] Plane was found in 2009[102] by aviation archaeologist G. Pat Macha and a group of volunteers, in 100 feet of water.[95]
24 October
Eleventh of 13
North American X-10s, GM-52-4, c/n 11, on
Navaho X-10 flight number 17, out of
Cape Canaveral,
Florida, an engine problem results in a mission abort. After autolanding the nose wheel develops a shimmy, the vehicle runs off the skid strip, catches fire, and is destroyed.[38]
25 October
Boeing WB-29A-35-BN Superfortress, 44-61600, c/n 11077, of the
53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, out of
RAF Burtonwood, experiences multiple problems including failed fuel feed pump, head winds, while returning from "Falcon" mission to polar region; pilot orders bail out of crew shortly before midnight as fuel exhaustion becomes critical, all eleven survive, with only one minor injury. Aircraft comes down near
Kirkby Lonsdale,
Lancashire, England, burns, only rear fuselage and tail remaining intact.[103][104]
2 November
Air Force
Douglas B-26C-45-DT Invader, 44-35737, crashed into houses on Barbara Drive in
East Meadow,
Long Island,
New York. An aerial photograph of the crash scene, "Bomber Crashes in Street", by George Mattson, of the New York Daily News, earned him, and 25 of his newspaper colleagues, the 1956
Pulitzer Prize Photography Award.[105] KWF are Captain Clayton Elwood and Sergeant Charles Slater.[106]
4 November
While operating in the Pacific with the
7th Fleet,
USS Hancock flies aboard
Vought F7U-3 Cutlass, BuNo 129586, 'D',[107] of
VF-124, but tailhook floats over all wires, jet hits barrier, and ejection seat is jarred into firing when nose gear collapses.[108][109] Pilot LTJG George Barrett Milliard,[110] in his seat, is thrown 200 feet down the deck and suffers fatal injuries when he strikes the tail of an
AD Skyraider. Airframe written off.
17 November
Douglas MC-54M Skymaster, 44-9068A, c/n 27294/DO240, tail number O-49068, built as a C-54E-5-DO and later converted to an MC-54M, attached to the 57th Air Transport Squadron,
1700th Air Transport Group, of the
Military Air Transport Service, at
Kelly AFB,
Texas, piloted by 1st Lt. George Manuel Pappas Jr., 27, and co-piloted by 2d Lt. Paul E. Winham, 24, crashes into
Mount Charleston,[111] c. 20 miles (32 km) WNW of
Las Vegas, Nevada, at c. 08:19, while on a routine flight with technical personnel from the
Lockheed "
Skunk Works" at
Burbank, California, where it had picked up passengers after departing
Norton Air Force Base, California.[112] Aboard were a mixture of military staffers and civilian subcontractors, engineers and technicians. It was en route to
Groom Lake, Nevada, the secret Area 51, when it was blown off course by a severe storm, killing all 14 on board, nine civilians and five military.[113] A 60-knot crosswind had pushed the C-54 into a canyon towards the mountain. The aircraft was climbing, using rated military power, with 10–15 degrees of flaps to get on top of the overcast, when it impacted, skipped about 60 feet, and slid another 20 feet before partially burning, coming to rest almost at the crest of the ridge.[114] Because of the secrecy involved with the
Lockheed U-2 project, the C-54 crew was never in contact with Air Traffic Control, and, off course and lost in clouds, an error in plotting the position of the Skymaster in relation to the
Spring Mountains range resulted in the crash only 50 feet below the crest of an 11,300-foot ridge leading to the peak of
Mount Charleston. Military guards prevented newsmen from approaching the crash area, and a cover story was issued that this was a business flight to the
Atomic Energy Commission's
Nevada Test Site.[114] Lockheed subsequently assumes responsibility for the flights to "Watertown", using a company-owned
C-47.[115] Pappas had logged 1,383 hours flying C-54s, and co-pilot Paul Winham, 682 hours. Pappas was posthumously promoted to the grade of Captain, USAF, effective 15 September 1955, as announced in Department of the Air Force Letter Orders dated 2 December 1955.[116] Also KWF were Flight Engineer Tech S/Sgt. Clayton D. Farris, 26; and Flight Attendant Guy R. Fasolas, and ten others: S/Sgt. John Hamilton Gaines, USAF, 1007th Air Intelligence Service Group, 23; Harold Silent, 59, of the Hycon Manufacturing Company that produced the U-2 camera; Fred Hanks, USAF, 35, of Hycon Mfg. Co.; Rodney Kreimendahl, 38, Lockheed Company; Richard Hruda, 37, Lockheed; James Francis Bray, 48, of the Central Intelligence Agency; Terence O’Donnell, 22, CIA Security Officer; James William Brown, 23, CIA Security Officer; Edwin Urolatis, 27, CIA Security Officer; and William Henderson "Bill" Marr, 37, CIA Security Officer.[117]
B-47 crash occurred just after Thanksgiving 1956. Barksdale B-47 tail No. 52-3360 of the 301st Bomb Wing, commanded by Major Robert Slane, was deep into an ORI (operational readiness inspection) mission, flying over Canada and preparing to refuel, when the airplane experienced aileron power unit problems and went into an uncontrollable spin. Slane ordered a bailout and survived, but the other crew members – pilot 2nd Lt. Richard J. Martin, copilot 2nd Lt. Donald S. Petty and observer 1st Lt. Max Workman – perished. The plane crashed near Seagull lake about 45 miles north of Port Arthur now Thunder Bay. Slane was recovering 19 further south at Ray Lake the morning after the crash.
First prototype
Martin XP6M-1 Seamaster, BuNo 138821, c/n XP-1, first flown July 14, 1955, disintegrates in flight at 5,000 feet (1,500 m) due to horizontal tail going to full up in control malfunction, subjecting airframe to 9 G stress as it began an outside loop, crashing into
Potomac River near junction of
St. Mary's River, killing four crew, pilot Navy Lieutenant Commander Utgoff, and Martin employees, Morris Bernhard, assistant pilot, Herbert Scudder, flight engineer, and H.B. Coulon, flight test engineer.[121]
9 December
A
USAFRepublic F-84F-45-RE Thunderstreak, 52-6692,[122] based at
RAF Sculthorpe, suffers flame-out and after several failed attempts at a relight, the pilot, Lt. Roy G. Evans, 24, ejects at 3,500 feet. The fighter comes down on the
Lodge Moor Infectious Diseases Hospital on the outskirts of
Sheffield at 17:00, striking two wards, killing one patient, Mrs. Elsie Murdock, 46, of South Road, Sheffield, and injuring seven others. Fires are under control by 19:30.[123][124]
15 December
An RAF
Bristol Sycamore helicopter, XG501, crewed by Flight Sergeant P. A. Beart and Sergeant E. F. Hall, departed from
RAF Leuchars,
Scotland at 09:35 to perform a sea winching exercise at the
Bell Rock lighthouse. At approximately 10:00, the helicopter's tail rotor struck the
anemometer on the top of the lighthouse, and as a result, the aircraft crashed into the sea. The incident was witnessed by a second helicopter which immediately transmitted a distress call and flew to the scene of the crash. In response to the distress signal, four aircraft, a further two Sycamore helicopters, an RAF rescue launch and three lifeboats searched the area, recovering the body of XG501's navigator. The body of the pilot was not recovered. The lighthouse was damaged, including the loss of its light, but its keepers remained uninjured. Due to bad weather, the lighthouse could not be repaired until after 20 December, when conditions permitted delivery of supplies.[125]
16 December
Republic YF-105A-1-RE Thunderchief, 54-0098, the first prototype, crash lands at
Edwards AFB, California. Republic test pilot Russell M. "Rusty" Roth was forced to make an emergency landing after the right main landing gear had been torn away after having been inadvertently extended during high speed flight. Pilot uninjured. Although the airframe was returned to the factory, it was deemed too costly to repair.[126][127][128]
1956
5 January
Sole
Piasecki YH-16A Turbo Transporter helicopter prototype, 50-1270, breaks up in flight at c. 15:55.[129] and crashes near
Swedesboro, New Jersey, near the
Delaware River, while returning to
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from a test flight over
New Jersey. The cause of the crash was later determined to be the aft
slip ring, which carried flight data from the instrumented rotor blades to the data recorders in the cabin. The slip ring bearings seized, and the resultant torque load severed the instrumentation standpipe inside the aft rotor shaft. A segment of this steel standpipe tilted over and came into contact with the interior of the aluminum rotor shaft, scribing a deepening groove into it. The rotor shaft eventually failed in flight, which in turn led to the aft blades and forward blades desynchronizing and colliding. The aircraft was a total loss; the two test pilots, Harold Peterson and George Callaghan, were killed. This led to the cancellation not only of the YH-16, but also the planned sixty-nine-passenger YH-16B version.[130]
10 January
The most notorious incident of aircraft pitch-up known as the "
Sabre dance" was the loss of brand new
North American F-100C-20-NA Super Sabre, 54-1907, flown by Lt. Barty R. Brooks, a native of
Martha, Oklahoma, and a
Texas A&M graduate, of the 1708th Ferrying Wing, Detachment 12,
Kelly AFB,
Texas, during an attempted emergency landing at
Edwards AFB, California, which was caught by film cameras set up for an unrelated test. The aircraft was one of three being delivered from North American's
Palmdale plant to
George AFB, California, but the nose gear pivot pin worked loose, allowing the wheel to swivel at random, so he diverted to Edwards which had a longer runway.[131] The pilot fought to retain control as he rode the edge of the
flight envelope, but fell off on one wing, hit the ground, and exploded with fatal results. These scenes were inserted in the movie The Hunters, starring
Robert Mitchum and
Robert Wagner.[127][132] The incident was also commemorated in the fighter pilot song "Give Me Operations" (set to the tune of the California Gold Rush song "What Was Your Name in the States?"):[133]
Reports that the pilot was asphyxiated by throwing up into his mask are untrue. His helmet and oxygen mask were not on his head when rescuers found him. Both were found in the wreckage. Lt. Brooks was interred in Round Grove Cemetery,
Lewisville, Texas. Film of this accident has been used as a training aid by both the Air Force and the Navy.[131] Footage:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZL0x-gEDM8Archived 2017-05-11 at the
Wayback Machine
“
ENID, Okla. (
UP) – Three officers from
Vance Air Force Base were killed Thursday when a
B25 bomber disintegrated in air and crashed in a field southwest of here. The Air Force identified the victims as 1st Lt. Peter F. Schermerhorn,
Piedmont, Calif., as instructor, and 2nd Lt. James Fuller Glass,
Durham, N.C., and 2nd Lt. Donald Russell Zynda,
Detroit, student pilots.â€[137]
27 January
“Tokyo (
AP) – Five U.S.
Sabre Jets crashed in the Far East Friday – four after they ran out of fuel near
Okinawa and one in Japan. The pilots escaped unhurt. The loss, running to about two million dollars, was the costliest single day’s toll of Sabres in the Far East since the Korean War. An Air Force spokesman said four Sabres were returning to Okinawa from a brief training flight when they changed course to skirt bad weather and ran out of fuel. The fifth bounced into a field of radishes on takeoff and started to burn. The four F86Fs of the
44th Fighter-Bomber Squadron based at
Kadena, Okinawa, were on a ‘routine training mission,’ the Air Force said. It said one pilot landed on Okinawa near
Okuma and three others were rescued from the
East China Sea, which is between Okinawa and
Red China. The pilots were identified as Lt. George E. Tims,
Wyandotte, Mich.; Lt. Walter H. Fears,
Crewe, Va.; Lt. Leonard M. Weeks Jr.,
Milwaukee, Wis.; and Lt. John Bradick III,
Flossmore, [sic] Ill.â€[138]
30 January
"
PORTERVILLE (
UP) – A
Navy guided missile launched from the
Mojave Desert in Southern California broke away from its guiding aircraft Monday and crashed into an orange grove 400 yards from a farm house near here. Fragments of the craft, which plowed a furrow 25 feet long and 10 feet deep through the grove, were scattered over a 100-yard area. There were no reports of injuries or property damage. A piloted control plane, probably a jet, was flying a ‘close wing position’ to the craft when it got away due to bad weather conditions encountered 'during a routine training mission or a test', the navy said. Navy spokesmen said the craft carried no explosives. They would not immediately release an exact description of the craft, saying it was classified information. But they said it was considered to be a radio-controlled ‘drone’ aircraft. Spokesmen said the pilot of the control craft ‘did all he could’ to control the drone before it crashed.â€[139]
31 January
USAF
North American TB-25N Mitchell, 44-29125, "converted for passengers", on cross country flight from
Nellis AFB,
Nevada to
Olmsted AFB,
Pennsylvania, after departing
Selfridge AFB,
Michigan suffers fuel starvation northeast of
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in mid-afternoon, attempts to divert to
Greater Pittsburgh Airport, ditches in the
Monongahela River at the 4.9-mile (7.9 km) marker, west of the
Homestead High-Level Bridge, drifts c. 1.5 miles (2.4 km) downstream in 8–10 knots current, remaining afloat for 10–15 minutes. All six crew evacuate but two are lost in the 35 °F (2 °C) water before rescue. "Police, a heroic truck driver and rivermen combined to pull the four survivors from the stream, swollen by recent rains and melting snow. None of the survivors suffered serious injury. 'I felt like a block of ice when I was brought into shore,' said M.Sgt. Alfred J. Alleman, 36, of
Las Vegas, Nev. 'I was hanging on a log with the others but it couldn't support all of us and I set out for shore because I guess I'm an above-average swimmer. I'm sure glad I was. That river was mighty chilly and the current (about 15 miles an hour) was strong.'" The other survivors were Maj. William L. Dotson, 33, pilot, of
San Antonio, Texas, commander of the Nellis AFB Weather Office; Capt. John F. Hamieson, 32,
Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania; and Airman 2d Class Charles L. Smith, 18,
Philadelphia. S.Sgt. Walter E. Soocey, 32, of
Palmer, Alaska, was listed as missing, along with an unidentified passenger whose name was withheld pending notification of next of kin.[140] Search for sunken bomber suspended 14 February with no success – aircraft is thought to have possibly settled in submerged gravel pit area in 32 feet (9.8 m) of water, c. 150 feet (46 m) from shore, possibly now covered by 10–15 feet of silt. This crash remains one of the
Pittsburgh region's unsolved mysteries.[141]
First crash of a
Boeing B-52 Stratofortress when B-52, 53–0384,[145] of the
93rd Bomb Wing,
Castle Air Force Base, suffered an explosion of an electrical power panel located on the alternator deck blowing off the cover and causing a fire. The cover jammed the regulator valve of the left hand forward alternator disabling the over speed protection and resulting in an over speed failure. Wreckage comes down near
Sacramento, California. Four crew eject, four killed. The failure mode was determined later when another B-52 experienced a similar incident that blew off the rear right hand electrical power shield cover but did not cause a fire and Boeing pilot, Ed Hartz, landed safely at Boeing Field in
Seattle.
17 February
Douglas R5D-2 Skymaster, BuNo 39116, 'WC 116', on flight from
MCAS El Toro, California to
NAS Alameda, in low overcast and drizzle, strikes
Sunol Ridge on ranch c. 3.5 miles (5.6 km) north of
Niles, California at 13:45. Aircraft broke up and burned, killing 35, all but one of them Marines.[146]
24 February
USAF
Douglas C-124C Globemaster II, 53-021, en route from
Goose Bay, Labrador, to
Upper Heyford in the United Kingdom, lost power in number one and four engines (port and starboard outer). Restricted data cargo was jettisoned over the
North Atlantic, including nuclear weapon firing and maintenance sets from an altitude of 8,000 to 9,000 feet (2,700 m). The Air Force assumed that the cargo packaging ruptured and sank after impact with the sea. Impact area searched, nothing recovered. On its return flight to
Robins AFB,
Warner Robins, Georgia, in the U.S. on 2 March, the aircraft crashed in the Atlantic c. 225 nmi (417 km) southwest of
Keflavik, Iceland. The aircraft and 17 crew were lost in 3,000 feet (910 m) of water.[147] "The plane ran into difficulty on the northbound trip when two motors failed and it was thought that the ship would have to be ditched. However, it was shepherded into a safe landing with the assistance of the air-sea rescue planes from
Keflavik base in
Iceland. The two motors were replaced and the ship thoroughly inspected before starting the return trip. Just after midnight of Friday the plane radioed three of its four engines were dead and it was losing altitude rapidly. Then the radio went dead. Later Saturday morning [3 March] search planes found only two bits of wreckage – a flame-scarred oxygen bottle and a shattered piece of plywood – picked up near the position from which the final message had been radioed." One of the victims was T/Sgt. Joseph Kaltner, 32, of
Crestview, Florida, a 14-year veteran of the Air Force who had seen action as a gunner in
WW II and in the
Korean campaign. He was assigned at
Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. He is survived by his widow, the former Roslyn Clary, of Crestview; one child, Keitha, 1; his mother, Mrs. Anna Kaltner, and two sisters, Mrs. Theresa Lampman and Mrs. Anna Sapp, all of
Trenton, New Jersey, Sgt. Kaltner's home prior to his marriage.[148]
2 March
Two
F-89D Scorpions, 53-2641 and 53-2647, of the
321st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron,
326th Fighter Group,
25th Air Division, out of
Paine AFB, Washington, crash into Sheer Rock-Granite Spires on
Whitehorse Mountain, near
Darrington in an attempt to 'thread the needle' while flying advanced maneuvers in mountainous terrain. All four airmen perish high on a rocky cliff and deep in the wilderness.[149] Killed in 53-2641, the last of fifty block D-65-NO Scorpions built, is 1st Lt. Hal Nathan Williams, although no second crewman is listed in the accident report. Killed in 53-2647, the sixth of 25 block D-70-NO Scorpions built, are 1st Lts. Wilford H. Taylor and Norman Dean Petersen.[145][150]
3 March
"
TACOMA, Wash., March 3 (
AP) – A huge, crippled refueling aerial tanker was nursed in to a safe landing by its pilot today after 10 other members of the crew parachuted to safety. The plane was a
KC96 [sic] Boeing Stratocruiser converted to feed fuel aloft to big jet bombers. The tanker was flying near
McChord Air Force Base south of here when the crew leaped to safety. McChord officials said all 10 men had been accounted for."[151]
4 March
"
HALSINGBORD, Sweden, March 4, (
AP) – Four
Swedish jet fighters flying in close formation crashed on a fog-shrouded hill near here today and exploded. The air force said all four pilots perished. A spokesman said the three trailing jets in the formation apparently followed the leader into the 600-foot hill. The spokesman blamed a failure of instruments in the leading plane. The four
(J 28) Vampire jets were engaged in a local maneuver."[152] The J28B aircraft, all of F14, on a local flight out of
Halmstad, departing there at 07:23 local time, were flying over the waters of
Skälderviken in foggy conditions when, due to an incorrect scale in reading maps, they struck the north side of
Kullabergsvägen, near
Kullaberg, scattering wreckage and body parts over a 300 x 500-meter area. Some parts hung from trees and one engine was found on the other side of the mountain, having been thrown more than a kilometer. The flight impacted Gregers Hill, a high point of
Eastern Kullaberg with three peaks of which the northernmost is the highest. With its 174.8 meters above sea level, it is also Kullaberg's second highest point after
HÃ¥kull.[153] Post-crash fires were extinguished by the snow cover. "The last radio contact with the planes was when they passed
Bjärehalvön, they reported an altitude of about 130 meters when they announced that the weather had cleared up slightly."[153] Captain Nils Ahlqvist left a widow and two daughters, but the other three pilots (identities not yet found in the archives) were younger and unmarried.[154][155][156][157] The original mission plan called for 12
Svenska Flygvapnet J28s from Halstad to participate in this exercise in southern Sweden but the foggy conditions caused that to be cut back to just the four Vampires lost in this accident, considered to be one of Swedish aviation history's worst tragedies.[153]
"
WACO, Tex. (
AP) – A
B25 missing overnight from
Connally Air Force Base was found wrecked in a pasture about 50 miles (80 km) southeast of here Thursday. Highway patrolmen said the six airmen aboard were killed. There was a possibility turbulent weather figured in the crash. Winds with gusts to 35 miles per hour (56 km/h) an hour and some tornadoes lashed through central Texas Wednesday night. None of the victims was from California."[161]
22 March
Douglas AD-5N Skyraider, BuNo 132525, '95', one of a pair on a low-level navigational flight out of
NAS North Island, San Diego, California, crashes into Martinez Mountain in the
Santa Rosa Mountains, possibly due to a fuel management problem, killing all 3 Navy crew members from Squadron VC-35.[162][163] "
SAN DIEGO (
AP) – The Navy said one of its AD5 Skyraider planes crashed and burned Thursday 12 miles southeast of
Palm Springs. There was no evidence the pilot survived, the pilot of another Skyraider that was flying wing to the formation reported. The flight was from
San Diego Naval Air Station. A ground rescue party was dispatched to the scene, in rugged terrain at the 5,000 foot level on the side of a mountain. Identity of the pilot was withheld, pending notice to relatives. Capt. Henry Erwin, of the
42nd Air Rescue Squadron of
March Air Force Base,
Riverside, reported sighting smoking wreckage from the air at a level of about 5,000 ft (1,500 m). The country is too rough for dropping parachutists. The
Riverside County sheriff's office at
Indio started a posse to the scene and four men of the 42nd left March AFB for the area. A
Palm Desert woman, Leah Jones, who was out gathering cactus, reported she saw the two planes, then saw smoke rising from the side of a mountain."[164] "
RIVERSIDE (AP) – A search party, after a five-hour hike Friday through barren desert mountains, reached the wreckage of a crashed Navy attack bomber and reported finding three bodies. The Navy identified the dead as Lt. (j.g.) Richard H. Haffner, the pilot, whose widow, Jane, lives in San Diego; Donald D. Leeper, 36, aviation machinist 2.C, whose widow, Elizabeth Marie, lives in San Diego; John M. Cooper, 20, aviation electronics man 3.C, unmarried, whose father, John T. Cooper, lives in
Jacksonville, Fla. The AD5 from San Diego Naval Air Station crashed Thursday on the slope of a steep canyon at the 4,000-foot level in the remote Santa Rosa Mountains. The scene is about 60 miles (97 km) southeast of here, with the closest town the desert resort of
La Quinta. A sheriff's posse radioed the news of finding the bodies. The terrain is so rugged, the report said, that helicopters probably will be required to remove the bodies. The downed plane was flying with another out of San Diego when the crash occurred."[165]
22 March
NACABoeing P2B-1S Superfortress, BuNo 84029, (built as B-29-95-BW, 45-21787), "Fertile Myrtle",[166] with seven crew aboard, carrying the second
Douglas D-558-2 Skyrocket, BuNo 37974, NACA 144, for airdrop from 30,000 ft (9.1 km), experiences runaway starboard outer propeller while climbing over
Palmdale. Pilot Stanley P. Butchart immediately noses over and releases the rocket plane early, pilot John B. "Jack" McKay dumps rocket propellants before landing on
Rogers Dry Lake, whereupon the number four prop disintegrates, throwing blades into the starboard inner engine, through the fuselage, and into the port inner engine. "Butchart's aileron controls were useless. Copilot
Neil A. Armstrong nursed the bomber home on the other three engines and made a perfect landing. All of the fliers are NACA personnel based at nearby
Lancaster."[167]
23 March
On 1 February 1957, an
Escondidio, California, rancher filed suit against the government for damages caused by the crash of a Navy jet plane on this date. "His Federal Court complaint, asking $6,230.50, said as a result of the crash, his hens stopped laying, his crops were trampled and a fissure in his well caused it to dry up."[168]
25 March
First prototype
Martin XB-51, 46-0685, crashes in sand dunes near
Biggs AFB,
El Paso, Texas, killing both crew. Pilot was Maj. James O. Rudolph, 36, who was dragged from the crash site with severe burns and conveyed to Brook Army Hospital at San Antonio where he succumbed to his injuries 16 April 1956. Eddie Wilkerson, a high school tennis coach, whose car was narrowly missed by the bomber, stopped and pulled the pilot from the wreckage.[169] The flight engineer was S/Sgt. Wilbur R. Savage, 28, of Rte. 3,
Dawsonville, Georgia.[79] The aircraft was staging to
Eglin AFB, Florida at the time of its crash for filming of scenes for the motion picture Toward the Unknown.[170] After stopping for refuelling, the bomber began its take-off run at 10:30, but smashed through the fence at the end of the southwest runway and then began to disintegrate, spreading wreckage along a 250-yard trail. There was some initial confusion about the aircraft type as rescuers found the "Gilbert XF-120" name applied to the airframe for the film on the wreckage.[171][172][173]
26 March
"
MASONTOWN, Pa. (
AP) – A twin-engine Navy plane carrying a crew of three crashed Monday into the
Monongahela River. State police said there was no sign of any survivors."[174]
26 March
"
PENSACOLA, Fla. (
AP) – Three fliers were killed and a fourth is missing in a fiery collision of two naval trainer planes over
Baldwin County, Alabama, Monday. The planes were from
Saufley Field, an auxiliary of the
Naval Air Station."[175]
Pre-27 March
"
SAN DIEGO (
UP) –
Ryan Aeronautical Co. spokesmen Tuesday disclosed three company employes [sic] were burned when fire damaged a secret vertical-takeoff jet aircraft. The fire occurred in a hangar at
Edwards Air Force Base, the spokesmen said. Those burned were Walter Kirby,
Cardiff, John Howard, San Diego, and Howard Bianchi,
Escondido."[176] This was the
Ryan X-13 Vertijet.
28 March
A
Boeing B-47B-35-BW Stratojet, 51-2175, of the 3520th FTW,
McConnell AFB, Kansas, suffers explosion in bomb bay fuel tank and sheds its wings over
East Wichita, Kansas,[66] crashing four miles (6 km) northeast of the city, killing three crew. The office of information services at
McConnell Air Force Base, said the explosion occurred after takeoff, probably at about 2,000 feet (610 m) altitude. Lt. Maurice Boyack, pilot of a Navy
Lockheed P2V Neptune bomber, out of
Naval Air Station Hutchinson, Kansas, said the explosion occurred in a climbing turn. He flew his bomber to a point where he could see the wings rip off the B-47. He said it appeared there was a fire in the midsection, followed by the explosion. Firefighters battled the blaze at the crash scene for more than an hour. The plane crashed within 1,000 feet (300 m) of two large suburban houses. Officials at McConnell AFB identified the pilot and instructor as Capt. William C. Craggs of Wichita. He is survived by his widow and two sons. The students were Lt. Col. William H. Dames, 39, of
Oconomowoc, Wisconsin whose wife and two sons are reported to be living in
Milwaukee; and 1st Lt. John C. Leysath, 24, of
North, South Carolina.[177]
The 300-ton motorship Motul suffers an engine room explosion and fire while c. 60 miles off the coast of
Yucatán in the
Bay of Campeche early this date. A
Mexican NavyConsolidated PBY Catalina responds, and takes aboard some of the 35 survivors of the sunk Motul who took to life rafts, but as it attempts takeoff one of its propellers breaks, disabling it. The following day, the lost ship's 14 crew, 21 passengers, and three naval aviators are all rescued by the Mexican coast guard cutter Virgilio Uribe, which also takes the PBY in tow as it makes its way to
Progreso, Mexico.[180]
30 March
Three crew are killed and two seriously injured as a
Norton AFB, California,-based
Beechcraft C-45 Expeditor on a training flight to
McNary Field,
Salem, Oregon, rams a rocky hilltop in squally weather on Friday night and catches fire seven miles south of
Klamath Falls, Oregon. The survivors who were thrown clear of the wreckage, PFC Leroy D. Wigglesworth, of
Gladstone, Oregon, and A2C Virginia F. Bowman, of
Portland, Oregon, were taken to a hospital suffering from shock, burns and broken bones. It took rescuers 2 1/2 hours to work their way up a steep hillside to reach the wreckage. They reported three bodies were burnt. The air force withheld the identities of the dead pending notification of next of kin.[181] C-45H, 52-10957. The plane was coming in for a refueling stop when it struck the 4,785-foot high ridge. The three victims were: Lt. Col. Frank Loughary, of 250 5th Street,
San Bernardino, chief of military personnel division for the San Bernardino Air Materiel Area, survived by a brother in South America; Lt. Col. Mabry Simmons, who was taking graduate studies at Norton related to his Air Force post at
University of Southern California, survived by his widow at 865 Morado Place,
Altadena; and S/Sgt. Ray Matzinger, unmarried, his mother Velma Govera lives 11557 Eldridge Street,
San Fernando, California. A2C Bowman was catching a ride home from
Eglin AFB, Florida, where she is stationed, as was PFC Wigglesworth, stationed at
Fort Ord, California.[182]
3 April
A
Boeing B-29 Superfortress departs
Randolph AFB,
San Antonio, Texas, and heads northwest on a training mission. Shortly thereafter, at 15:12, it strikes the
WOAI-AM radio mast, knocking it down, and crashing into a cornfield north of the tower. Five of six crew survive.[183][184]
3 April
USAF
Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar with five aboard goes missing on a flight between
Tachikawa Air Base and
Ashiya Air Base, Japan. Wreckage sighted on 5 April at the 6,000 foot level of a 6,100-foot peak on
Shikoku Island, 20 miles (32 km) south of
Saijo, and more than 400 miles southwest of
Tokyo. "An attempt will be made Friday to reach it with a rescue team dropped by parachute."[185]
5 April
Grumman test pilot Ernie von der Heyden bails out over
EdwardsFlight Test Center, California, when his
Grumman F11F Tiger develops trouble of an undisclosed nature while on a routine test flight. "He landed at the edge of a dry lake in uninhabited
desert country 10 miles (16 km) from Edwards Air Force Base. He was picked up by helicopter and taken to the Edwards hospital for treatment of what the Air Force called non critical injuries. The plane crashed in the lake bed." Von der Heyden lives in
Lancaster with his wife and three children.[186] F11F-1, BuNo 138608, lost due to engine failure, loss of control.[187]
6 April
A
Boeing B-47E-130-BW Stratojet, 53-4209, c/n 4501233,[145] of the
307th Bomb Wing departs
Lincoln AFB, Nebraska, at c. 11:25 on a northern heading. Approximately 15 minutes later, it exploded and burst into flames at c. 2,000 feet (610 m) altitude, crashing three miles (5 km) south and 3/4 miles east of
Ceresco, Nebraska. The crew of four, one over the normal crew complement, was killed.[65]
6 April
A USAF
Douglas C-124C-DL Globemaster II, 52-1078, c/n 43987, of the
1501st Air Transport Wing, crashes just after takeoff from
Travis AFB, California, killing three of the seven crew on board. Aircraft stalled at 100 feet (30 m), dropped one wing and plunged to the ground just southwest of the base. Airframe splits into three sections, burns. The cause is attributed to incorrect assembly of the elevator and aileron control cables.[188][189]
6 April
A
Northrop F-89C Scorpion crashes in flames between
Great Falls, Montana, and
Malmstrom Air Force Base, just after a 16:30 takeoff from that base, killing both crew. The navigator was identified as 2d Lt. Alton A. Nelson, 22, of
West Sacramento, California. He had been assigned to the 1708th Ferrying Wing, Detachment 1, at
McClellan AFB, California. The name of the pilot was withheld. The plane was being ferried to a base in Alaska.[190]
19 April
A U.S. Navy
Grumman F9F-6 Cougar,[191] out of
NAS Glenview, Illinois, loses control at 19,000 ft (10 km) over
Lake Michigan. Reserve pilot ejects but his chute apparently fails to deploy. The plane falls into shallow water about a half mile off of
Fort Sheridan and the canopy from the aircraft is recovered by personnel at the fort but there was no sign of Lt. Cmdr.
Gordon Arthur Stanley (13 July 1921 – 19 April 1956),[192] 35, assigned to the staff of the chief of naval air reserve training. Stanley, formerly of
Oakridge, Oregon, lived with his wife and three children in
Arlington Heights. "Officials at Glenview said the plane was one of two on a training flight. The flyer who returned reported that a few seconds after the planes went into clouds at 19,000 feet, Stanley reported by radio that he was 'losing control'. Glenview sent out a helicopter and flying boat
PBY air-sea rescue unit, and within a few minutes both reported seeing the lost plane in shallow water half a mile off the fort. Neither saw any trace of the pilot." Navy officials said that the accident occurred at 13:30 and that they were notified by phone from Fort Sheridan within five minutes. The rescue units were airborne at 13:40.[193] Stanley was an
ace, having scored eight victories with VF-27[194] while flying from the
USS Princeton.[192][195]
19 April
A
Lockheed TV-2 Shooting Star from an auxiliary field of
Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, Texas, with one aboard, and a twin-engine Beechcraft from NAS Corpus Christi, with three aboard, collide over the outskirts of
Corpus Christi, killing all four, and scattering wreckage over an area of a square mile. There was only minor property damage on the ground and no injuries reported. All the bodies are recovered.[196]
Ninth of 13
North American X-10s, GM-52-2, c/n 9, on
Navaho X-10 flight number 21, out of
Cape Canaveral, Florida, ground control system failure results in missile crashing at sea at
Mach 1.25 200 km from the Cape.[38]
2 May
A USAF
Boeing B-47E-85-BW Stratojet, 52-0450, c/n 450732,[198] of the
98th Bomb Wing (also reported as of the
372d Bomb Squadron,
307th Bomb Wing), crashes short of runway,
Lincoln AFB,
Nebraska. One account states that it was on instrument approach. Another states that it came down "three miles short of the Northwest runway after departing on an evening training mission. Eyewitnesses said the plane appeared to be trying to belly in for a landing, crashed, then exploded and burned. The crash site was on farmland owned by Edmund Nelson, ½ mile west of 79 Hi-way and 2 ½ miles north of
U.S. 34."[199] KWF are Captain Marion J. Perdue, aircraft commander, 33,
San Antonio, Texas; 2nd Lieutenant Linwood M. McIntosh, co-pilot, 22,
Dallas, Texas; Captain Charles H. Stonesifer, navigator/bombardier, 35,
Maricopa, California; and Staff Sergeant William F. Rockholt, crew chief, 24,
Fellows, California. All crew were from the
345th Bomb Squadron.[66]
8 May
A USAF
Martin B-57C-MA Canberra, 53-3858, crashes on the Ship Shole island bombing range near
Langley AFB, Virginia, killing both crew. From the accident report: "Cause of accident – Undetermined: The aircraft was observed to be flying in a northeasterly direction at an estimated 500 feet altitude and traveling at a high rate of speed. It was probable that the speed was 425 knots indicated, because this was the prebriefed airspeed since the aircraft was on the run-in route on the
LABS bombing range. Witnesses observing the aircraft reported that everything appeared to be normal. The aircraft was then seen to abruptly dive and disappear; this was followed by an immediate explosion. The instructor pilot and the pilot of this dual control B-57C received fatal injuries."[200]
10 May
A USAF
Lockheed T-33, crashes while attempting to conduct an emergency landing at
Quonset Point Naval Air Station in
Rhode Island. The aircraft departed
Suffolk County Air Force Base in
Westhampton, New York for an instrument check flight, during which the aircraft's radar compass malfunctioned. At approximately 12:30 P.M. the aircraft ran out of fuel over
Block Island, three miles off the Rhode Island Coast. The crew ejected and landed safely in the water several miles apart from each other. Navy and Air Force helicopters were immediately dispatched and located the pilots due to the yellow dye markers each pilot carried. During the recovery attempt of the observer, Lt. William J. Reichard, the helicopter's hoist failed and the airmen fell back into the water, suffering fatal injuries. Capt. Howard M. Blanton was found lifeless by a Coast Guard boat, attempts to revive the pilot failed.[201]
15 May
A
RCAFAvro CF-100 Mk. IVB Canuck, 18367, of 445 Squadron, out of
CFB Uplands, falling from 33,000 feet (10,000 m) crashed into Villa St. Louis, a convent of the
Grey Nuns of the Cross in
Orleans, Ontario, Canada between roughly 22:15 and 23:00 (reports vary). "[T]he million dollar brick building...was demolished."[202] 15 people were killed; both crewmen of the aircraft, a priest, 11
nuns and one other woman.[203][204] "Mrs. Marie Flora, who lives nearby, said the plane swooped over her home in flames and crashed into the three-story convent building between the second and top floors. There was a big explosion. 'They never had a chance,' she said."[202]
15 May
Fifth
Lockheed U-2A, Article 345, 56–6678, delivered to the
CIA on 16 December 1955, crashes at
Groom Lake, Nevada, killing Agency pilot Wilburn S. "Billy" Rose. Aircraft had just departed Groom with a full fuel load, but an underwing pogo hung up. Pilot attempted to return to try to shake it loose, but let angle of bank increase too much and fully fueled starboard wing kept dropping.[205]
A
Grumman F9F-4 Panther, BuNo 125945,[207] of
VMF-213, flown by a
USMC Reserve pilot crashes into a row of houses near
Wold-Chamberlain Field, striking the home at 5820 46th Avenue South,
Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. In addition to killing the pilot, Maj. George E. Armstrong, the crash kills five and injures twelve on the ground, most of whom are young children. This is the second time in five days that a military jet operating from this airport crashes and kills multiple civilians on the ground.[208]
9 June
Shorts chief test pilot, New Zealand-born, ex-
RNZAF,
RAF, and
ETPS-trained
Squadron Leader Walter J. "Wally" Runciman, flying
Short SB.6 Seamew, XE175, the fourth Seamew prototype, in a demonstration at the Sydenham Air Display,
Sydenham Airport,
Belfast, Northern Ireland, is killed when the exhibition "went wrong" and the aircraft crashed.[209] The aircraft entered a slow roll. The nose fell and the pilot seemed to be trying to finish with a half loop, but with insufficient height, the aircraft struck the runway nose first, with fatal result.[210] This airframe had been flown by Runciman for a series of sales tours in 1956 to Italy (March), Yugoslavia (April) and West Germany (May).
16 June
A USAF
MATSDouglas C-124A Globemaster II, 51-5183, inbound to
Enewetak Atoll, Pacific Ocean, carrying nuclear test device components (possibly for the EGG device fired during the
Operation RedwingMohawk test) crashed 421 feet (128 m) short of, and eight feet below, the runway at
Enewetak Island, shearing off its landing gear and coming to rest 2,000 feet (610 m) from the southeast end of the runway. Fire ensued, extinguished within three hours. No loss of life – most of the cargo, although damaged by water and foam, was recovered. The runway was cleared of wreckage and reopened to normal traffic before noon on 17 June:. Salvage of certain aircraft components was accomplished by a team from
Hickam AFB, Hawaii.[211]
26 June
A
USAFBoeing KC-97 of the
509th Air Refueling Squadron,
509th Bomb Wing, crashes shortly after an 18:50 take off from
Walker AFB, New Mexico, coming down in an open field 10 miles (16 km) south of the base near
Roswell, killing all eleven crew. The tanker caught fire shortly after departure on what the Air Force described as a training flight. Observers on the base flight line said that it spun into the ground and exploded. "Word of the crash was not released by the Air Force until more than three and a half hours after the flaming tragedy, on orders of Col. George W. Porter, the base commander."[212]
"
ST. JOHN'S, Nfld. (
UP)-A U.S. Air Force
tanker exploded and crashed in flames Friday in a desolate mountain area 45 miles east of
Goose Bay air base in
Labrador. All six crew members apparently were killed. Helicopters braved dangerous winds to hover over the crash scene. Only scattered wreckage was seen from the air. The pilot of an accompanying Stratotanker said he did not see any parachutes after the four-engined KC97 exploded and fell. The Air Force said the plane was one of four Stratotankers from
Lake Charles Air Force Base on temporary duty at Goose Bay."[214]
6 July
"
HONOLULU (
AP)-A Marine helicopter rescue team Friday identified from the air the wreckage of a two-engine Marine plane which crashed in rugged
Oahu mountains with four men aboard. The Navy said the rescue team, which apparently was unable to land near the wreckage immediately, reported 'the tail section is still smouldering.' There were no reports of whether anyone is alive the Navy said."[215]
The pilot of a
North American F-86F Sabre out of
Norton AFB, California, is killed when he crashes in
San Dimas, California, on Sunday afternoon, on W. Allen Street, digging a hole six feet deep and 30 feet wide. The aircraft, which one witness said came across San Dimas in a southeasterly direction, passed over a park and narrowly missed a group of 200
Little League players picnicking there before striking power and telephone lines and exploding in the street where it ruptured a gas main and set fire to trees in the yard of Mr. and Mrs. Arnold Bayer. Several grass fires were extinguished as well. Air Force officials withheld the pilot's identity pending notification of the next of kin. His body was not immediately recovered.[219]The Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, reported on 10 July that the pilot was identified as Lt. Oliver L. Dillingham, 23, from
Williams AFB, Arizona. He entered the Air Force in 1950 and saw service in Korea in 1954. The story also adds that the explosion after the crash set a house alight and slightly burned two girls.[220]
13 July
USAF
Douglas C-118A Liftmaster, 53-3301, c/n 44671, encountered windshear after takeoff at c. 16:00 from
McGuire Air Force Base, lost altitude and crashed in pine-wooded swamp near
Fort Dix, New Jersey, 46 killed, 20 survivors.[221] The aircraft broke into several pieces as it landed on its belly but did not burn. The aircraft, carrying 10 crew, 41 enlisted men, nine officers and six civilians, was bound for
Burtonwood, England, and was taking servicemen and military dependents to foreign posts. Weather was described as rain and a hail storm. "Capt. Tom Hamrick, information officer at Dix, said the pilot apparently tried to level off and crash land. The plane cut a swath through the brush and pines for 300 yards."[222]
13 July
A USAF
Boeing B-47E-100-BW Stratojet, 52-0572,[17] of the
40th Bomb Wing[4] crashes and explodes at the end of the runway on take off from
Smoky Hill Air Force Base, Kansas, killing all four crew. "Witnesses said the plane just got off the runway and cleared a fence before crashing and bursting into flames. The explosion followed."[223]
13 July
Two
North American F-86 Sabres, of the
82d Fighter Squadron, collide in mid-air c. eight miles east of
Dixon, California, and crash in an open field, the
California Highway Patrol reports. Both pilots eject and parachute safely and are recovered by state officers, a patrolman said. The pilot of Gov.
Goodwin J. Knight's plane, flying in the vicinity, spotted the chutes and radioed their position and then served as an observer until the CHP located the pilots. They were found to have suffered only minor injuries. "A spokesman at
Travis Air Force Base identified the pilots as 1st Lt. Albert C. Mitchell and 1st Lt. Albert F. Crews of the 82nd Fighter Squadron at Travis."[224]
13 July
"
EL CENTRO (
AP)-The pilot of an
AD6 Skyraider was killed Friday when his plane crashed on the desert 25 miles (40 km) northwest of here during a practice dive bombing mission. The Navy said he was attached to a fleet air gunnery unit at the
El Centro Naval Auxiliary Air Station. His name was withheld pending notification of the family."[225]
13 July
"
Belington, W. Va., July 13,
UP – A navy
Fury jet fighter plane en route from
Patuxent, Md. naval air test center to
Columbus, O., crashed, exploded and burned on a farm north of here today, killing the pilot Lt. Cmdr. Horatio Gates Sickel Jr."[226] Aircraft was FJ-3, BuNo 136091.[227]
15 July
"
CLAREMORE, Okla. (
UP)-An Air Force pilot, with both engines gone, 'deadsticked' his
C45 transport to a perfect landing between two underpasses on an uncompleted toll highway near here Sunday. The pilot, Capt. Charles Bixel, 38,
Riverside, Calif., and his sole passenger, A-2C Josef Grafues,
St. Louis, were not hurt. The plane was undamaged."[228]
16 July
Test pilot Andrey G. Kochetkov attempts first flight in first of three flying prototypes of the ultra long-range, high-altitude single-seat super interceptor
Lavochkin La-250, but encounters an unexpectedly rapid roll moment and loses control. Pilot survives.
17 July
"
FALLON, Nev. (
AP)-The runway arresting gear, plus his own sprinting ability, saved Navy jet pilot Stanley A. Roitz of
Trinidad, Colo., from death or serious injury Tuesday. Roitz, 22, who just made
lieutenant junior grade Monday, was taking off in an
FJ3 fury [sic] jet when it suffered a sudden power failure before leaving the runway, at the
Fallon Naval Auxiliary Air Station. The craft plunged into the net-like arresting gear at the end of the runway and came to a halt as it tumbled over the gear. Roitz dived out head first, somersaulted to land on his feet and took off running. The plane's fuel tanks exploded a moment later, setting a fire that consumed the craft. Roitz is regularly stationed at
Moffett Field, Calif., but was here with his squadron for aerial gunnery practice."[229] FJ-3, BuNo 136139. upgraded to FJ-3M. with
VF-191 in 1956, written off this date.[230]
27 July
A USAF
Boeing B-47E-130-BW Stratojet, 53-4230, of the
307th Bomb Wing from
Lincoln AFB,
Nebraska, crashes while making touch-and-goes at
RAF Lakenheath, skidding off runway and into nuclear weapons storage
igloo holding three
Mark 6nuclear bombs, burns. No weapons in the facility go off and all are later repaired.
Stratojet was unarmed.[231] One of the most common myths about this accident is that the weapons, if they had detonated, would have "turned southeast England into a desert." The three Mark 6 bombs were in storage, and therefore no nuclear capsules were installed, nor stored in the building (the nuclear capsule was manually installed in the Mk 6, and only when airborne and just prior to strike). Each Mk 6 did contain at least 5,000 pounds of high explosives, and depleted uranium. Even if the weapons had detonated because of fire, there would not have been a nuclear reaction (
U-238 is not fissionable through high explosive compression or fire).[232]
31 July
In a high-speed flight, prototype
Folland Gnat, G-39-2, suffers tailplane flutter which breaks away.
Folland test pilot bails out and descends safely, becoming first person to use the Folland/
Saabejection seat in action.[citation needed]
Eighth of 13
North American X-10s, GM-52-1, c/n 8, on
Navaho X-10 flight number 24, out of
Cape Canaveral, Florida, a full-range test with final dive maneuver. Final flight of vehicle eight after three successful recovered missions. During takeoff the vehicle goes aloft, then settles back to the runway with its brakes locked. The tires burst, the gear fails, the gear doors come in contact with the runway, carving grooves in the pavement as they retract. Then, astonishingly, the vehicle rises from the runway, completes a successful full-range supersonic flight with terminal dive into the waters off
Grand Bahamas.[38]
27 August
North American AJ-2 Savage, BuNo 130419, assigned to
Heavy Attack Squadron SEVEN (VAH-7) at
Naval Auxiliary Air Station Sanford, Florida experiences a loss of an engine and crashes into a residential neighborhood approximately 1/2 mile west-southwest of the air station while on an emergency approach to landing. The mishap results in the loss of the entire crew of three plus multiple fatal and non-fatal civilian casualties on the ground.[240][241][242]
31 August
Fourteenth
Lockheed U-2A, 56-6687, Article 354, delivered to the
Central Intelligence Agency 27 July 1956. Crashed at
Groom Lake, Nevada, this date during a night training flight, killing pilot Frank G. Grace Jr.[243] Pilot became disoriented by lights near the end of the runway and flew into a telephone pole.[113]
31 August
Boeing WB-50D Superfortress, 49–315, c/n 16091, "The Golden Heart", (built as a B-50D-115-BO), of the
58th Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, out of
Eielson AFB, Alaska,[244] crashed early in the morning this date on a sandy island in the
Susitna River, 50 miles (80 km) northwest of
Anchorage, Alaska, killing all 11 crew. The flight was last heard from at 03:02 local time, when it was over
Talkeetna, a check-in station 50 miles north of the ten-mile-long island. The wreckage was found about 5 1/2 hours later by a member of the
71st Air Rescue Squadron. "All that remained when helicopters landed at the crash scene was a smoking pile of rubble."[245]
10 September
During first flight of
North American F-107A at
Edwards AFB, California, prototype, 55-5118, experiences problem with engine gearbox differential pressure during a dive, North American test pilot Bob Baker lands on dry lakebed at just under 200 knots (370 km/h), after rolling about a mile, aircraft hits a depression in the lakebed, nose gear collapses. Jet slides c. three-tenths of a mile on its nose, but suffers limited damage, no fire. Total landing roll was 22,000 feet (6,700 m). Airframe repaired in under two weeks.[246]
Sixth
Lockheed U-2A, Article 346, 56–6679, delivered to the
CIA on 13 January 1956, crashes during climb-out from
Wiesbaden Air Base, Germany, when the aircraft of Detachment A, stalls at 35,000 feet (11,000 m), killing Agency pilot Howard Carey. Cause of accident never satisfactorily determined.[205]
21 September
Grumman company test pilot Tom Attridge shoots himself down in a
Grumman F11F Tiger, BuNo 138620, during a
Mach 1.0 20 degree dive from 22,000 feet (6,700 m) to 7,000 feet (2,100 m). He fires two bursts from the fighter's 20 mm cannon during the descent and as he reaches 7,000 feet (2,100 m) the jet is struck multiple times, including one shell that is ingested by the engine, shredding the compressor blades. He limps the airframe back towards the Grumman airfield but comes down at almost the same spot where the first prototype impacted on 19 October 1954. Pilot gets clear before jet burns, suffers broken leg and vertebrae – investigation shows that he had overtaken and passed through his own gunfire.[251][252]
27 September
Test pilot
Mel Apt is killed on the 17th flight of the
Bell X-2, 46–674, out of
Edwards Air Force Base, California, when he attempts a turn at Mach 3.2 (nearly 2,100 mph), and the airframe goes into a vicious case of
inertia coupling. Apt jettisons the escape capsule but runs out of height before he can bail out of the falling nose section.[253]
1 October
The
RAF's first
Avro Vulcan B.1, XA897, which completed a fly-the-flag mission to New Zealand in September, approaches
Heathrow in bad weather on
GCA approach,
crashing short of the runway. Two pilots eject, but four crew do not have ejection seats and are killed. Aircraft Captain
Squadron Leader"Podge" Howard and co-pilot
Air Marshal Sir
Harry Broadhurst survive. Signal delays in the primitive Ground-Controlled Approach system of the time may have let the aircraft descend too low without being warned.
Undercarriage damaged in contact short of runway with control lost during attempted go-around.[254]
Two U.S. Air Force
F-86 Sabre Jets collided over Lake Michigan. The
Lake freighter S/S Ernest T. Weir, Captain Ray R. Redecker, rescued one of the pilots (Lt. Kenneth R. Hughes) after he spent three hours in the water. Several other ships in the area participated in an unsuccessful attempt to locate the second pilot.
Midair collision involving USAF T-33A and civil Cessna 170. Occurred over Midland, Tx.. Seven fatalities. Accident occurred over a Southwest Midland neighborhood, one house burned, seven others damaged. No fatalities or injuries on ground. Dead included 2 USAF aircrew, 5 civilian- all from 1 family. 1 aircrewman ejected from the USAF trainer, based out of
Webb AFB, Texas, but his parachute failed to open.
25 October
First (of two)
Bell XV-3s, 54–147, first flown 11 August 1955, crashes this date when pilot Dick Stansbury blacks out due to extremely high cockpit vibrations when the rotor shafts are moved 17 degrees forward from vertical. Pilot is seriously injured and airframe is damaged beyond repair. Cause was dynamic instability, also known as air resonance. Design was initially designated XH-33.[260]
26 October
A USAF
Fairchild C-119G-FA Flying Boxcar, 51-8026A, c/n 10769, of the
61st Troop Carrier Squadron,
314th Troop Carrier Wing,
Tactical Air Command,
Sewart Air Force Base, Tennessee, on a cargo airlift mission to
Olmsted Air Force Base, Pennsylvania, crashes seven miles north of
Newport, Perry County, Pennsylvania at c. 15:15 ET, killing four crew. The weather at Olmsted was fluctuating rapidly with rain and fog, and at 14:00 the pilot reported a missed approach to the field. After being cleared to altitude over the Lancaster beacon the conditions at Olmsted improved to above minimums and the pilot requested another approach. At 1506 Eastern he was cleared for a straight-in approach from New Kingston Fan Marker to Olmsted. At 15:09 he reported leaving the New Kingston Fan Marker inbound and at 15:11 he reported leaving 3,000 feet. The aircraft crashed in mountainous terrain 22.5 nmi west of the Kingston Fan Marker. KWF are 1st Lt. Robert Siegfried Hantsch, pilot, Walter Beverly Gordon Jr., co-pilot, T/Sgt. Marvin W. Seigler, engineer, and 1st Lt. Gracye E. Young, of the 4457th USAF Hospital, Sewart AFB.[261][262] The Perry County Times reported that the aircraft struck the side of the mountain in
Toboyne Township in the Three Square Hollow of the
Tuscarora State Forest, "one of the most desolate in Central Pennsylvania." Some 150 rescuers had to battle heavy underbrush as well as fog and rain to get to the crash site and did not reach the scene until about 21:00.[263] In 2006, the
Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources erected a plaque near the site in memory of those killed.
A
Boeing B-47E-60-BW Stratojet, 51-2421, c/n 450474,[94] of the
96th Bombardment Wing,
Altus AFB, Oklahoma,[66] suffers engine trouble while on a routine training mission late Tuesday, crashing on a farm near
Hobart, Oklahoma, killing four crew. According to Ranson Hancock, publisher of the Hobart Democrat Chief, the bomber hit the ground about 320 yards west of a barn owned by Charles C. Harris, skidded into the barn and exploded. Officials identified the victims as Maj. Joseph E. Wilford, aircraft commander, Capt. Francis P. Bouschard, pilot, Capt. Lee D. Ellis Jr., instructor-aircraft observer, all having families at Altus, and 1st Lt. Andrew J. Toalson, observer, Bartlesville, Oklahoma.[265]
9 November
Second prototype
Martin XP6M-1 Seamaster, BuNo 138822, c/n XP-2, first flown 18 May 1956, crashes at 15:36 near
Odessa, Delaware, due to faulty elevator jack. As seaplane noses up at c. 21,000 feet (6,400 m) and fails to respond to control inputs, crew of four ejects, pilot Robert S. Turner, co-pilot William Cunningham, and two crew all parachuting to safety. Airframe breaks up after falling to 6,000 feet (1,800 m) before impact.[266]
24 November
A
Boeing B-47E-60-BW Stratojet, 51-5233, c/n 450518,[94] of the
341st Bomb Wing, runs off runway upon landing at
Dyess AFB, Texas, tearing away the port inboard engine nacelle. Aircraft may have been also attempting a go-around. All crew survives.[267]
Avro Shackleton MR.3, WR970, first flown 2 September 1955, and operated by
Avro for stall-warning development, crashes while on local flight out of
Woodford Airport (WFD/EGCD), United Kingdom; spirals into ground near
Foolow, killing all four crew.[268]
Seventeenth
Lockheed U-2A, 56-6690, Article 357, delivered to the
Central Intelligence Agency 21 September 1956, crashes in Arizona this date, Detachment C pilot Bob Ericson successfully bailing out after losing control due to hypoxia caused by a faulty oxygen feed.[270]
30 December
A United States Air Force
Lockheed C-121C, 54–165, of the
1608th Transport Wing, based at
Charleston AFB, South Carolina, crashes on approach to
Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, while flying UN troops into the
Suez Canal zone. It was also slated to carry Hungarian refugees back to
Charleston AFB,
South Carolina. 12 of 38 onboard killed. Air Force headquarters at
Wiesbaden, Germany, said that a manifest showed 38 persons – 27 passengers and only 11 crewmen – were aboard the aircraft. Amongst the fatalities were Major Clyde W. Ellis, aircraft commander; Master Sergeant Frank A. Lorch, flight engineer; 1st Lieutenant La Verne W. Alitz, first pilot; and Sergeant Frank A. Rodgers, flight engineer. All three were residents of North Charleston, South Carolina. As of 1 January, the names of three others reported dead on arrival at the Dharan hospital had not been released. "Seven crew members are listed among the survivors. Their conditions and that of a foreign observer are:" 1st Lieutenant Robert F. Wearley, of Charleston Heights, South Carolina, co-pilot, critical; 1st Lieutenant Peter Goch, of
Jersey City, New Jersey, navigator, critical; 1st Lieutenant Thomas W. Heenan, of
Glen Ellyn, Illinois, navigator, critical. "The condition of the following was listed as fair to good:" 2d Lieutenant Robert L. Saylors, of
Ninety Six, South Carolina, navigator; Airman 2d Class (
WAF) Florence A. Hogan, of
Stanford, Connecticut, flight attendant; Staff Sergeant Robert D. Proctor, of Charleston, flight attendant; Staff Sergeant Robert J. Sanders, of Charleston, flight attendant; and Lieutenant Colonel Ali A. Raft, a transportation observer of
MATS operations, from Iran. "The Charleston Air Base public information officer said the aircraft was on a regular transport mission to the U.S. Air Force Base at Dhahran, which is leased from Saudi Arabia and is one of the global chain of strategic bases."[271] It was one of three flying into Dhahran from
Tripoli, Libya, an eleven-hour flight.[272] The other two aircraft landed at
Muharraq Airport on
Bahrain Island, in the
Persian Gulf, a short distance from the crash site. The C-121 "is reported to have crashed into sand and burned about 1,000 yards from the runway while attempting to land during heavy fog."[271] Captain Irving H. Breslauer, the public information officer at Charleston AFB, said that the aircraft left Charleston on Thursday 27 December with 12 crew members for Dhahran, by way of
McGuire AFB, New Jersey,
Lajes Field in the Azores, and Tripoli. Colonel Clinton C. Wasem, commander of the 1608th Transport Wing, left Charleston for Dhahran on 31 December to conduct an investigation into the cause of the crash.[273]
1957
10 January
A
Boeing B-52D Stratofortress, 55-0082, of the
70th Bomb Squadron,
42d Bomb Wing, crashes near
Loring AFB, Maine, during a training flight. The Instructor Pilot (IP) directed the co-pilot to close his eyes while he put the aircraft into an unusual attitude, and then instructed him to recover. The co-pilot misread the data from the flight instruments and took the wrong corrective action, causing the airframe to disintegrate. There were nine men aboard – the crew plus the IP, and two instructors. The co-pilot survived. It was his third time in a crash, and his third time as the sole survivor. This was the fourth B-52 lost, and the first D-model attrited.[274]
One of two U.S. fighter jets flying over Long Island “disappeared†as both began to descend from a 40,000 foot altitude. The missing pilot was Lt. William J. O’Donnell, a Korean War veteran and a member of the Navy’s 836th Squadron, which was based at the Brooklyn Air Station. He took off from Floyd Bennett on a two hour training mission. Authorities believe O’Donnell’s plane either exploded or ran out of fuel while he was attempting to maneuver back to his base. His plane is believed to have gone down in the ocean 10 miles south of West Hampton Beach. Despite extensive search efforts, no trace or any evidence of the plane were ever found.[citation needed]
14 January
"
LONG BEACH (
AP) – Another death resulted yesterday from a plane crash that already had taken three lives. Mrs. Margaret Willock, 58, died at
Seaside Hospital of burns suffered when a Marine
Skyraider smashed into the bindery where she was working Monday morning. Two other persons working in the bindery were killed in the crash. They were Austin W. Rafferty, 43, of Long Beach, co-owner of the binding firm, and Mrs. Ethyl Foust, 28, of
Wilmington, an employe. [sic] First Lt. Dale Fortine, 26, of
Costa Mesa, the pilot of the single-engine plane, was killed when his parachute failed to open after he bailed out of the diving craft at low altitude. Fortine's radioman, 20-year-old Cp. Joseph P. Licato, parachuted safely from the stricken plane. Capt. John Lippard, public information officer at
El Toro Marine Station, where the plane was based, said the right leg and sleeve of Fortine's flying suit were found to have been burned off. Lippard said the pilot's leg was severely burned. This was seen as an indication that the pilot stayed with the plane as long as he could, said Lippard. Reports from witnesses indicated Fortine was trying to steer the plane away from a schoolyard about a block from the crash scene. The plane plowed through a warehouse before hitting the bindery."[278]
15 January
A major fire guts two maintenance hangars at
McChord AFB, Washington, destroying a
Douglas C-118 Liftmaster, a
Douglas C-124 Globemaster II, and damaging two smaller planes. The fire broke out about 05:30 PST and was brought under control two hours later.[279] C-118A, 53-3263, and Douglas C-124C, 52-1027, were destroyed. Two other planes, a Lockheed T-33 jet and a de Havilland Canada L-20 Beaver were damaged.[280]
17 January
During the second bomber stream of training mission, "WEDDING BRAVO", by 30
Convair B-36 Peacemaker bombers of the
7th Bomb Wing, out of
Carswell AFB, Texas, a jet engine explosion results in one B-36 landing at
Barksdale AFB,
Louisiana, on fire. There was no further damage to the aircraft and no injuries to the crew, commanded by Capt. Robert L. Lewis.[281]
17 January
A
Boeing WB-50D Superfortress, 48-093, c/n 15902, (built as B-50D-95-BO)[282] of the
58th Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, fully loaded with fuel for a 3,700-mile weather reconnaissance flight, crashes two minutes after a pre-dawn takeoff from
Eielson AFB, Alaska, with the wreckage and fuel burning in an inferno 200 yards long and 50 yards wide on the flat land three miles (5 km) north of the base. All twelve crew are killed.[283][284]
A U.S. Navy
Douglas R5D Skymaster, attempting a late afternoon landing at
NAS Sand Point,
Seattle, Washington, skids in snow on its third attempt and flips onto its back, losing the port wing in the process. The 46 aboard escape injury. Transport was out of
NAS Los Alamitos. California.[288]
20 January
As three
Grumman F9F Panthers out of
NAS Glenview, Illinois, manoeuver into the landing pattern at
Kirtland AFB, New Mexico, two collide at c. 1,000 feet, their wings become locked together, and both jets crash. One pilot ejects but his chute fails to function, his body found about a half mile from the wreckage of his plane. The other pilot was found in the burned wreckage of his fighter. Killed are Lt. Cmdr. Charles R. Walton, 38, of
Wheaton, Illinois; and Lt. Jerome Fishel, 33,
Urbana, Illinois. Cmdr. Benjamin G. Preston, executive officer at Glenview, was leading the two pilots on a training mission. He said that they were Navy reserve officers, and that they were en route to
NAS Miramar, California, for a two-week training cruise.[289]
A
Beechcraft C-45 Expeditor on the final leg home to
Nellis AFB, Nevada, strikes a snow-shrouded mountain near
Baker, California, killing the three on board. En route from
March AFB, California, the transport struck 7,933-foot
Clark Mountain, adjacent to the Baker grade at c. 16:00. Visibility was zero with a snowstorm above the 4,500-foot level (1,400 m). The plane impacted at the 5,000-foot level. "The crash scene, near the Nevada state line, was reached first by
California Highway Patrol officer Frederick J. Bosworth. He hiked three miles (5 km) to the crash site after an unidentified truck driver called the CHP station in
Barstow, telling of the crash. At first Nellis authorities did not confirm that a military plane was involved. But a casualty convoy was dispatched from the Las Vegas base and the Air Force asked the San Bernardino County Coroners Office to investigate. Chief Dep. Coroner Edward P. Doyle left
San Bernardino late last night for the
Highway 91 crash site." The C-45 was assigned to the 865th Aircraft Warning Squadron at Nellis. The flight had originated at
Luke AFB, Arizona, with March AFB as a stopover.[291]
22 January
A
Boeing KC-97 Stratofreighter on a training flight from
Westover AFB, Massachusetts to
Griffiss AFB, New York, crashes in a densely wooded section in the
Adirondack Mountains in northern
Herkimer County, about eight miles (13 km) SE of
Atwell, New York, killing all seven crew. The tower at Griffiss had directed the tanker on Tuesday night to leave the approach pattern over the field and let another plane land first. There was no further contact. A helicopter spotted the wreckage on 24 January. "At Washington, the Air Force said the following men were aboard the plane: Maj. Charles D. Mellinger,
Tacoma; Maj. Roland L. Urquhart,
Warwick, R.I.; 1st Lt. Fred V. Defrench,
Bedford, Ohio; 1st Lt. Alsia C. Stewart,
Palestine, Tex.; Sgt. Raymond E. Noah,
Paducah, Ky.; Sgt. Lars I. Bergstrom,
West Caldwell, N.J., and Sgt. Joel V. Blackwell,
Clairton, Pa."[292] KC-97G, 53-0222, c/n 17004, of the
384th Air Refueling Squadron. is involved.[293]
22 January
A U.S. Navy
Douglas R5D-3 Skymaster, BuNo 50869. c/n 10546, carrying a funeral party to
NAS Glenview, Illinois, diverts to
Willow Run Airport, Michigan, due to bad weather over Illinois. Two minutes from landing, at 21:33, the aircraft strikes the ground on vacant land near a gravel pit in a snowstorm and breaks up as it bounces and decelerates. Six of seven aboard crawl or are pulled from the wreckage. One man, a Coast Guard lieutenant commander, is pronounced dead at the
University of Michigan Hospital.[294] The wreckage burns and the casket on board is scorched in the fire. The flight originated at
NAS Miramar, California, with an intermediate stop at
Albuquerque to pick up the body of a Navy pilot who was recently killed. Cause was thought to be faulty altimeter readings due to a frozen drain in the pitot static system.[295]
An F-86D radar training jet on a routine flight crashed southwest of Perrin Air Base in Denison, TX, killing its pilot. The pilot was identified as Air Force Lt. William K. Ryan of Fort Worth, TX.[297]
25 January
The first launch attempt of a
Douglas XSM-75 ThorIRBM, 56-6751, vehicle number 101, delivered in October 1956, fails. As vehicle lifts off from Pad
LC-17,
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, it reaches an apogee of 6 inches (150 mm) whereupon contamination destroys a
LOX supply valve, causing the engine to lose thrust. The Thor slides backwards through the launch ring and explodes on contact with the thrust deflector. Vehicle destroyed by low-order detonation. Serious pad damage occurs.[298]
"A jet pilot parachuted to safety this morning as his
F86A fighter crashed on the desert five miles (8 km) southeast of
Boron. The pilot, 2nd Lt. Jarman A. Lynch, 24, from
San Dimas, was not injured, according to a spokesman at nearby
Edwards Air Force Base. The Air Force said Lynch bailed out at 7,000 feet (2,134 m) about 09:00 after he lost control of the jet. Lynch of the
196th Fighter Interceptor Squadron of the
Air National Guard at
Ontario was on a routine flight from
Vincent, California to Ontario. Lynch landed close to the plane wreckage."[300]
27 January
Douglas C-124C-DL Globemaster II. 50-0088, c/n 43226,[301] of the
1st Strategic Support Squadron,
Strategic Air Command,
Biggs Air Force Base, Texas, departs
Elmendorf AFB, Alaska, with 13 and a load of cargo aboard, bound for
McChord AFB, Washington, and Biggs AFB. An engine catches fire shortly after takeoff and the transport attempts a return to Elmendorf. In heavy fog and freezing temperatures, the pilots crash land at 09:15 AST on the ice of
Cook Inlet very close to shore, the aircraft coming down intact. "Rescue operations were completed 55 minutes later by three helicopters of the
31st Air Rescue Squadron, the Air Force public information office at Elmendorf said. None of the men was believed to be in serious condition. Twelve of the men were 'walking' cases, according to Air Force officials."[302][303]
27 January
Eleven crew successfully bail out of
Lockheed P2V-3 Neptune, BuNo 122983, after it develops engine trouble in a snowstorm, over rugged terrain in north central Arizona. Although they jump over a wide area, the seven crew and four passengers are quickly collected by
Navajo County sheriff's officers. The bomber comes down and burns at 19:00 ten miles (16 km) north of
Joseph City, Arizona. The P2V was returning to
NAS Hutchinson, Kansas, from
NAS Los Alamitos, California, on a cross-country training flight when it developed an engine fire east of
Winslow. Pilot Lt. (jg) Lawrence W. Hansen, of
Chanute, feathered the engine, but while already coping with limited visibility began also to pick up ice. He radioed the
Civil Aeronautics Administration that he was turning back. When the second engine began to cut out and the plane began to drop, bail-out was ordered at 7,500 feet, 2,500 ft (760 m) above the snowy countryside. An Air Force
B-25 in the area got permission to change course and spotted burning wreckage. Sheriff's deputies were dispatched to the scene. Deputy Jim Faucer said it was "by luck" that the crash occurred only a short distance from a seldom-used road near
U.S. 66.[304] The only injury was Arthur M. Lueck, 26, first radioman of the crew who received a broken leg. He is in a hospital at Winslow. "Other crew members were: Lt. (jg) Fred L. Geer, 23, student co-pilot,
Pontiac, Mich.; Ens. John W. Konvalinka, 23, a student,
New Rochelle, N. Y.; Donald P. Marchewka, 21, plane captain and aviation machinists mate 3rd class,
Schenectady N. Y.; Joe L. Johnson, 20, airman apprentice,
Houston, Tex., and Julius B. Fitzgerald, 34, 2nd radioman,
Stillwell. Passengers were Lcdr. Talmadge H. Morrison, 36,
Los Angeles, Calif.; Lt. Herbert C. Phelps, 35,
Wilton N. Y.; Lt. William J. Fath, 33,
Mt. Vernon, N. Y., and Lt.jg) Curtis R. Alien, 34,
Atlanta, Ga."[305][306]
29 January
"
HONOLULUUP – The Navy announced that Marine 1st Lt. James Caffey Jr. of
Newton Center, Mass., was killed when his
AD5N attack bomber crashed and cartwheeled 1,000 feet (300 m) along the runway at the
naval air station on
Maui."[307]
A mid-air collision between a non-commercial test flight of
DC-7B airliner, N8210H, c/n 45192/764,[308] and a
Northrop F-89J Scorpion, 52-1870A, c/n 4447. The Scorpion, coming out of 90-degree turn at 25,000 feet (7,620 m), struck the DC-7B almost head-on at 11:18, severing 8 1/2 feet of the transport's port wing. The DC-7B continued on a westward heading for about 4 miles (6 km) before breaking up and impacting across the street from a junior high school – flying debris killed three students and injured some 74 others. Following the collision, the radarman aboard the Scorpion ejected, and survived despite serious burns. Pilot Roland E. Owen, 36, died in the burning fighter. The collision was blamed on the failure of both aircraft crews to exercise proper "see and avoid" procedures regarding other aircraft while operating under
visual flight rules (VFR). The catastrophe prompted the
Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) to set restrictions on all aircraft test flights, both military and civilian, requiring that they be made over open water or specifically approved sparsely populated areas.[309]
1 February
A
Boeing B-47 Stratojet out of
Portsmouth Air Force Base, New Hampshire, with four crew aboard, crashes in flames into the Atlantic some nine miles (14 km) off of the fishing port of
Gloucester, Massachusetts. Fishermen pick up four life jackets and parts of the plane, but find no survivors. The bomber is reported missing when it fails to return from a routine training flight. Officials at Portsmouth AFB identified three of the crew as Capt. Orrin W. Snyder III, 31; 1st Lt. Stanley D. Jenkins Jr., 28; and Capt. Alexander A. Wawrzyniak.[310]
1 February
"
MOUNTAIN VIEW (
AP) – An Air Force
F84 jet fighter exploded and crashed into a home late yesterday only three blocks from the business section of this San Francisco peninsula community. A woman was rescued from the house. The pilot was killed. The Thunderjet from
Luke Field Ariz., bound for
Hamilton Air Force Base, was coming in for an emergency landing at nearby
Moffett Field, a Navy installation. Luke Field authorities identified the pilot as Capt. Robert Mulvehill, 32, who resided at the air base with his wife. He was on a cross-country training mission. 'I saw the plane coming down from the north,' said W. R. Wollard, Mountain View planning commissioner. 'He was in a pretty steep dive. I thought it was going to pull out but it didn't. There was a big explosion.' The pilot's body was found a block away from the Les Wright residence, which was destroyed. Wright's wife, Opal, 56, jumped out of a window and was pulled to safety before the house went up in flames. Her leg and hip were hurt. The Wright's two children were at
high school only 2 blocks away. Flaming fragments of the fighter showered nearby houses, damaging 12 in varying degrees."[311] Republic F-84G-30-RE Thunderjet, 52-3317, of the 3600th Combat Crew Training Wing,[312] was the aircraft destroyed. The pilot was a native of
Edinburg, Pennsylvania.[313] "The pilot's body landed in the driveway of 445 Bryant St., the home of Mrs. Ruby Rhett." The jet engine fell into the front yard at 420 Franklin Street, Mountain View.[314]
2 February
Two
Boeing KB-29P Superfortresses of three from the
420th Air Refueling Squadron on a weekend training mission out of
RAF Sculthorpe, UK, collide in mid-air over
Normandy, France, and crash, killing 13, injuring five, with one missing. The collision, at 15,000 ft (4,600 m), occurred in poor visibility when the lead plane lost speed and the second plane, unable to avoid it, plowed into it. Gendarmes said that the wreckage of the two tankers fell to earth about two miles (3 km) apart near the village of
Morigny, 20 miles (32 km) from
St. Lo. The third KB-29 returned safely to base. One of the injured found shelter in a farmhouse after parachuting. One airman who jumped from the flaming wreckage died from burns after reaching the ground. Two of those hospitalized were only slightly hurt and were said to be in no danger. One of the planes carried a crew of ten, the other nine.[315] Three of the victims were M/Sgt. Lawrence M. Grigory, A2C Arthur B. Kosier, and A3C Franklin D. Schweigert.[316]
2 February
"
SAN DIEGO (
AP) – A Navy
F7U Cutlass jet fighter exploded in flight and crashed on the
Camp Matthews Rifle Range north of here yesterday, killing the pilot and setting fire to a shed. William Rudolph, a witness, said he saw the plane make several barrel rolls, straighten out and go into a steep glide at 1,000. [sic] He said he saw the pilot eject, but didn't see the parachute open. Wreckage from the plane scattered over a wide area of the range, setting several small brush fires."[317] The pilot and F7U-3M were assigned to
VA-116 at
NAS Miramar, California.[318][319]
2 February
USMC 1st Lt. Ray C. Sorensen, is killed when his
Grumman F9F Panther smacks the snowy slopes of 10,064-foot
Mt. Baldy in the
San Gabriel Mountains while on a training mission out of
MCAAS Mojave, California. The body of the pilot is found in the wreckage at the 8,000-foot level, near
Wrightwood. He is survived by his wife, Susanne, and son, Gregory, 3 months, who live at
MCAS El Toro, California.[320]
2 February
A USAF
North American F-86 Sabre crashes into a hangar on landing at
Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts, killing pilot Capt. Gordon E. DeGroat, 31,
Nutting Lake, Massachusetts.[321] DeGroat had flown from
Bunker Hill AFB, Indiana, in a group of three jets. On his initial landing attempt the landing gear failed to lock down and the pilot aborted to let the tower do a visual check. On the second approach, the left wing dipped and the fighter struck an unoccupied hangar. A blaze broke out but was quickly controlled by fire crews. The hangar was not heavily damaged.[318]
Two U.S. Navy fliers are killed when their
Douglas AD-5 Skyraider goes out of control and crashes on the desert 12 miles (19 km) west of
Naval Auxiliary Air Station El Centro, California. The victims were identified as pilot Ens. James R. Benson, 22, of
College Park, Georgia, and Aviation Electronicsman 3.C Robert A. Rucinski, 20,
Rockford, Illinois.[323]
15 February
Lockheed engineer pilot Joseph "Joe" Watson Ozier, 32, is injured when a
Lockheed F-104 Starfighter crashes on landing at
United States Air Force Plant 42,
Palmdale, California, Lockheed Aircraft spokesmen said the aircraft overturned and caught fire.[324] The accident in JF-104A, 55-2958, c/n 183-1004, proves fatal.[325] Ozier dies late that night from burns and internal injuries.[326]
First
Fiat G.91 prototype, NC.1, suffers serious problem was the elimination of aeroelastic vibrations, leads to its destruction on this date in a high-speed run at low altitude over
Cavour, near
Turin,
Italy. Test pilot Riccardo Bignamini ejected successfully in a
Martin-Baker seat. Although NC.1 was completely destroyed, all the recording equipment which Fiat had installed was salvaged from the crash site. The re-engineering work to cure the problem was very extensive and resulted in the second prototype being fitted with a larger tail, a 6 cm (2 in) higher canopy, a ventral fin and some other modifications.[citation needed]
21 February
A U.S. Navy
McDonnell F3H Demon just misses a high school and crashes into a garage in
Hertford, North Carolina, killing a mechanic. The pilot's body is found hours later in a field some distance from the wreckage.[329]
21 February
A
Martin Matador missile has a mind of its own after launch from
Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, and heads northwest for points unknown with about an hour of fuel on board. Unarmed, it carries test equipment. It also fails to respond to a destruct command.[330]
22 February
A
Douglas C-124 Globemaster II with 159 Americans aboard crashes in the
Han River, South Korea. Five were known dead and 20 were unaccounted for. Minutes after departing
Kimpo Air Base for
Tachikawa Air Base, Japan, the pilot radioed that he had lost his number 3 (starboard inner) engine and was returning to Kimpo. Shortly thereafter the transport came down on a sand bar in the broad Han River. The airframe burned.[331] C-124A-DL, 51-0141, c/n 43475, was involved.[7]
23 February
A
Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star went missing over northern
Placer County, California. Though it was thought to have gone down around Blue Canyon, neither the wreckage nor its two pilots Capt. Paul Omann of North Highlands, CA and 1st Lt. J.C. Sutton of Craig Air Force Base, Alabama, were found.[332]
28 February
"
ENID, Okla. (
AP) – A twin-engine Air Force
C45 plane crashed and burned on takeoff at
Vance Air Force Base here early yesterday, killing two men and seriously injuring another. Vance authorities said the plane was based at
Shaw AFB near
Sumter, S.C. Names of the plane's three occupants were withheld."[333]
"
KANSAS CITY (
AP) – A Navy jet yesterday carried its pilot to his death, crashing only 50 yards from a home where a grandfather was babysitting with his 5-year-old grandson. The
Olathe, Kan., Naval Air Station identified the pilot as 1st Lt. Samuel M. Kenney, 26, U.S. Marine Corps, an instructor at the base. Survivors include his wife, of
Olathe, Kan., and his mother, Mrs. Bessie Kenney, 6243 Satsuma St.,
North Hollywood, Calif."[338]
U.S. Navy
Lockheed P2V-6M Neptune departs
Naval Auxiliary Air Station Chincoteague (now
Wallops Flight Facility), Virginia, in breezy, overcast and rainy conditions, and crashes at c. 06:55 in a potato field on the north side of Nocks Landing Road, about one mile east of Atlantic Road near
Powell’s Bay, c. 2 miles south of the base runways, killing all 11 crew. The plane and its crew were on a routine flight to the Navy’s
Cherry Point fleet readiness center in North Carolina. KWF were:
CIALockheed U-2, Article 341, (no military serial), the first U-2, is lost in a crash north of the Nevada Test Range during a Project Rainbow test flight, killing test pilot Bob Sieker. Engine fails at 65,000 feet (20,000 m). As pilot's pressure suit inflates, the faceplate clasp fails, pilot suffers hypoxia, loses consciousness. Aircraft goes into descending flat spin. Pilot recovers somewhat at lower altitude and bails out, but too late – parachute does not have time to fully deploy. Airframe hits flat with only small fire. Crash site, 40 miles (64 km) north of the
Ranch, takes four days to find by air. Pilot and aircraft are only 200 feet (61 m) apart.
Kelly Johnson calls for new faceplate design, a dual oxygen regulator, and an
ejection seat that can be used interchangeably with existing design.[344]
The left-hand wing of a
Royal Air ForceVickers Valetta C.1, VW832, fails during flight 25 miles (40 km) northeast of
Aqaba, Jordan at an estimated altitude of 5,000 feet (1,500 m); the transport's 24 passengers and 3 crew, all British servicemen, perish in the ensuing crash. The accident is attributed to structural failure caused by the imposition of loads in excess of the wing's design strength; the suspected cause is the pilot's attempt to recover from a loss of control in severe
clear-air turbulence.[345]
1st Lt. David Steeves departs
Hamilton AFB, California for
Craig AFB, Alabama, in
T-33A-1-LO Shooting Star, 52-9232,[122] and disappears without a trace. Declared dead by the Air Force, he emerges from the
Kings Canyon National Park in the Sierra Nevada mountains 54 days later, having ejected from the jet after an in-flight emergency. He stumbled on a ranger cabin during his ordeal where he found fish hooks, a canned ham and a can of beans. Unable to locate the downed trainer, officials eye him with suspicion and rumors that he traded to jet to the Russians, or flew it to Mexico, dog the pilot and ruin his military career. He returns to civilian life and eventually dies in an aircraft accident in 1965. Finally, in 1977,
Boy Scouts hiking in the national park discover the canopy of his T-33, too late to vindicate the pilot's story and reputation.[347]
During the first test flight of the Russian
R-7 Semyorka (Russian: Р-7 «Семёрка»), (
GRAU index 8K71) vehicle M1-5,[350] the world's first
intercontinental ballistic missile, from
Baikonur Cosmodrome,
Kazakhstan, a fire in a strap-on rocket leads to a catastrophic failure 90 seconds into the flight and an unintended crash 400 km (250 mi) from the launch site. The accident was caused by a ruptured fuel pipeline.[351]
21 May
First
Sud-Aviation (
Sud-Ouest)
SO.9050 Trident II -001, rocket-powered short-range interceptor, is destroyed during a test-flight out of Centre d'Essais en Vol (Flight Test Center) when its highly volatile fuels,
Furaline and
nitric acid, accidentally mix and explode, killing test pilot Charles Goujon. Project is discontinued following this accident.[120]
22 May
A
U.S. Air ForceB-36J-5-CF Peacemaker, 52-2816, (c/n 372), ferrying a
Mark 17 nuclear bomb[352] from
Biggs AFB, Texas to
Kirtland AFB, New Mexico, accidentally drops it through closed bomb doors, impacting 4.5 miles (7.2 km) south of Kirtland tower. High explosives detonate creating crater 25×12 feet, but no fuel capsule fitted, no injuries.[353]
29 May
A
Grumman F6F-5K Hellcat drone out of
Naval Air Station China Lake, California, breaks contact with both its mother aircraft and the ground and flies nearly 1,000 miles (1,600 km) north at 250 mph (400 km/h) at 20,000 ft (6,100 m). It dived through a dense thundercloud thus preventing two "shoot down" planes from following it. Finally out of fuel, it crashes into a knoll in a wheat field just west of
Colfax, Washington, digging a small crater and throwing scattered wreckage about. The drone ended its solo flight about 50 miles south of
Spokane after passing over California, Nevada and Oregon. It hit about a quarter of a mile from a farmhouse and burned.[354]
31 May
A
Royal Canadian NavyMcDonnell F2H-3 Banshee fighter jet, BuNo 126313, Sqn. No. 104 of
VF-870, spirals out of control after its right wing breaks in half during a high-speed flyby at naval air station
HMCS Shearwater,
Nova Scotia, Canada. The canopy is observed to separate from the aircraft, but the pilot, Lt. Derek Prout, fails to eject and is killed when the plane slams into
McNabs Island. The crash is attributed to improperly manufactured fittings in the
folding wing mechanism, and most RCN and
US Navy Banshees are grounded until improved fittings can be installed.[355]
4 June
World War II Japanese ace Maj.
Teruhiko Kobayashi (1920–1957), flying with the reconstituted Japanese Self-Defense Air Force, is killed in the crash of a
Lockheed T-33A Shooting Star during a training flight when he crashes in bad weather on approach to
Hamamatsu Air Base. He ordered his back-seater to eject when the aircraft developed problems. He had shot down three
Boeing B-29 Superfortress bombers and two
Grumman F6F Hellcats with the 244th Sentai, although his widow claimed he had twice the number of Superfortress kills, a claim discounted by historian Takashi Sakurai.[356]
7 June
Chance Vought Aircraft pilot James P. Buckner, 32, is killed while performing a high-speed flyby of CVA's tower at
Hensley Field,
Dallas, Texas, while demonstrating a
Vought F8U-1 Crusader for a graduating class from the Navy Post Graduate School there. Executing a zoom climb after his low-altitude pass, he apparently overstresses the fighter and it disintegrates before he can eject.[357] The aircraft's wreckage violently explodes at low altitude over Main Street in adjacent
Grand Prairie, Texas, causing minor injuries to several bystanders, and pieces of the fighter are scattered throughout the floodplain of the nearby
Trinity River; Buckner's body is recovered a few hours after the crash.[358]
In two separate accidents, two newly delivered
Lockheed U-2s of the
SAC's
4028th Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron based at
Laughlin Air Force Base,
Del Rio, Texas, are lost on the same day. At 08:55 Lt. Ford Lowcock is killed when his aircraft, U-2A 56-6699, Article 366, crashes while on the approach to Laughlin. Less than two hours later, Lt. Leo Smith is also killed when his aircraft, U-2C 56-6702, Article 369, crashes in the New Mexico desert. At this time U-2s are not equipped with
ejection seats to save weight, but at around this point this policy is reversed. Three months later on 26 September, the squadron's Commanding Officer, Col. Jack Nole climbs out of his disabled U-2A, 56-6694, Article 361, the first airframe of the initial USAF order, (wing flaps deployed in flight) near
Del Rio, Texas, making the highest ever parachute escape to date, from 53,000 feet.[361][362]
11 July
First
Lockheed F-104 Starfighter prototype, XF-104-LO, 53-7786, c/n 1001, with Lockheed test pilot Bill Park flying chase on an F-104A flown by Bob Matye during a tail flutter test, loses empennage in high speed, low altitude flight, successfully ejects using downward ejection seat. The XF-104 had a lower limit
Mach than the F-104A and apparently reached the flutter limit sooner than A-model.[145][363]
12 July
After missing a scheduled 11 June launch date due to defective engines in the missile's central section, a Russian
R-7 Semyorka (Russian: Р-7 «Семёрка»), (
GRAU index 8K71) lifts off from
Baikonur Cosmodrome,
Kazakhstan, but loses its in-flight stability in the 33rd second of flight and starts to deviate from its preset trajectory. "This particular malfunction was caused by a short-circuited integrator responsible for the missile’s revolution."[351]
Two
Mark 5 nuclear bombs without nuclear capsules installed were jettisoned from a
Douglas C-124 Globemaster II in the Atlantic Ocean c. 100 miles (160 km) SE of
Naval Air Station Pomona,
New Jersey, just outside
Delaware Bay east of
Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, and south of Wildwood and
Cape May, New Jersey. The aircraft was carrying three weapons and one nuclear capsule; the weapons were in Complete Assembly for Ferry (CAF) condition. Nuclear components were not installed; power supplies were installed but not connected. The C-124 was en route from
Dover AFB,
Delaware, to Europe via the Azores islands when its two port engines lost power. Maximum power was applied to the two starboard engines, however, level flight could not be maintained. The crew decided to jettison one weapon at an altitude of 4,500 feet (1,400 m) c. 75 miles (121 km) off the coast of New Jersey. The second weapon was jettisoned soon afterwards at an altitude of 2,500 feet (760 m) at a distance of 50 miles (80 km) from the New Jersey coast.[365] No detonation was seen to occur from either weapon, and both bombs were presumed to have been damaged or destroyed on impact with the sea and to have sunk almost instantly. The C-124 landed at an airfield in the vicinity of
Atlantic City,
New Jersey (probably
Naval Air Station Atlantic City), with the remaining weapon and the nuclear capsule aboard. After a three-month long search, neither the weapons nor any debris were located. By November 1957, the AEC was taking action to issue replacement weapons to the DOD. No public announcement of this incident was made at the time it happened.[366]
8 August
Mikoyan-Gurevich Ye-50, a swept-wing, experimental high-altitude interceptor, the Ye-2 airframe modified to fit Dushkin S-155 rocket motor, with design work started in 1954, first flight in 1956. Programme terminated after crash of Ye-50/3 on this date. Test pilot N. A. Korovin, of GK NII VVS, is killed when the engine explodes, escape system fails.[367]
A
Royal Canadian NavyMcDonnell F2H-3 Banshee fighter jet, BuNo 126306, Sqn. No. 103 of
VF-870, collides on a runway with an RCN
General Motors TBM-3E Avenger, BuNo 53358, of squadron
VC-921, at naval air station
HMCS Shearwater,
Nova Scotia, Canada. A flight of 3 Avengers was cleared for a formation takeoff on Runway 20 while the Banshee was performing
touch-and-go landings on intersecting Runway 16. Due to an inoperable radio, Lt. Ed Trzcinski, Banshee pilot and
U.S. Navyexchange officer, did not hear instructions from the control tower to go around, and apparently did not see red flares launched from the control tower due to patchy
fog over the airfield and a possible lack of
situational awareness. The Banshee collided with the second Avenger, killing Trzcinski and SubLt. Julian Freeman, RCN, pilot and sole occupant of the Avenger.[369]
Douglas C-124A Globemaster II, 51-5173, c/n 43583,[372] en route from
Larson AFB, Washington, crashed while attempting a landing at
Binghamton Airport,
Binghamton, New York. On final approach, just before touchdown, the airplane struck an embankment and crashed on the runway. The plane was delivering 20 tons of equipment for Link Aviation. The crew of 9 survived.[372][373]
5 September
Royal Canadian Air Force
Avro Canada CF-100 Mk.4B, 18455, pulled up, flamed out, went into inverted spin and at the Canadian International Air Show,
Toronto,
Ontario. W/C H. R. Norris and F/O R. C. Dougall were killed.[374][375]
24 September
U. S. Air Force Major James Melancon, 36, of
Dallas, Texas, is killed when the
Douglas B-26 Invader he was piloting crashes in a residential area near
Dayton, Ohio, at 16:59. Coming down at 1843 Tuttle Avenue, the flight, out of
Wright Field, strikes a home, killing the pilot, co-pilot Capt. Wilho R. Heikkinen, 31, and two on the ground, and injuring others. Mildred VanZant, 44, an assistant director of nursing at St. Elizabeth Hospital, was killed when the plane impacted her house. Her brother Walter Geisler, 53, was mowing the lawn behind the house when he was killed. Four houses were struck by wreckage and two were set alight. An investigation determined that a loose engine cowling moved forward into the propeller. The pilot's son, Mark E. Melancon, will die in the
Thunderbirds demonstration team
Diamond Crash in Nevada in 1982.[376][377]
26 September
US NavyDouglas A3D-1 Skywarrior,
BuNo135417, 'AB 7', of Heavy Attack Squadron ONE (
VAH-1) crashes on the deck of the aircraft carrier
USS Forrestal (CVA-59) during
Operation Strikeback in the Norwegian Sea. It was a day landing, second approach, CCA (first approach mode one without); 1.6 km visibility, low, ragged ceiling, intermittent rain showers. After a low approach the aircraft settled at the ramp and the mainmounts and fuselage struck the ramp. The aircraft continued up the deck in flames, crashing off angle. Parts of the plane struck a parked
Douglas AD-5N Skyraider. Only two helmets and one boot were later recovered. It was estimated that one possible contributing factor was that the rain caused the optical illusion of "high ball" (on the landing mirror), combined with low airspeed. This was a fatal mishap for all crewmembers: Pilot, CDR Paul Wilson (71 total carrier landings); Bombardier/Navigator, LTJG Joseph R. Juricic; and third crew member, ADC Percy Schafer. As a sea-based high altitude bomber, the A3D was not equipped with ejection seats in order to save weight for operations from aircraft carriers.[378]
1 October
Aborted takeoff at
Homestead AFB, Florida, causes write-off of
Boeing B-47B-50-BW Stratojet, 51-2317, of the
379th Bomb Wing. Gear collapses, aircraft burns, but base fire department is able to quench flames such that crew escapes – pilots blow canopy to get out, navigator egresses through his escape hatch.[379]
2 October
A
Royal Canadian NavyMcDonnell F2H-3 Banshee, BuNo 126403 of
VF-870, suffers flight control problems during carrier qualifications on
HMCS Bonaventure (CVL 22) off southeast coast of
Nova Scotia. Commanders order pilot Lt. Howard Cooper to return to naval air station
HMCS Shearwater,
Nova Scotia 30 mi (48 km) north for repairs, but Cooper flies out to sea and runs out of fuel; a second Banshee pilot had determined the errant aircraft's approximate heading by tracking Cooper's radio signals, but the missing aircraft and pilot are not found after 4 days of intensive searching. On 2 June 1964, Canadian
fishing trawlerBarbara Dawn snags a wrecked jet in her nets 70 mi (113 km) southwest of
Sable Island; fishermen briefly observe entire aircraft before forward half breaks off and sinks, tail section is recovered, and RCN investigators are able to identify wreckage as 126403 based on serial-numbered parts.[380]
9 October
Boeing DB-47B-35-BW Stratojet, 51-2177A, of the
447th Bomb Squadron,
321st Bomb Wing, taking part in a practice demonstration at
Pinecastle Air Force Base suffers wing-failure during the annual Strategic Air Command Bombing Navigation and Reconnaissance Competition. The aircraft comes down north of downtown
Orlando killing pilot Colonel
Michael N. W. McCoy, commander of the 321st Bombardment Wing, Group Captain John Woodroffe of the
Royal Air Force, Lieutenant Colonel Charles Joyce, and Major Vernon Stuff. Pinecastle AFB is renamed McCoy Air Force Base in McCoy's honor on 7 May 1958. Details of the accident remained classified for five decades, presumably because they would reveal flaws in the aircraft, but an FOIA request resulted in the release that showed that the investigation laid the blame on pilot McCoy.[381][382]
11 October
On takeoff shortly after 00:00 from
Homestead AFB, Florida, a
Boeing B-47B-35-BW Stratojet, 51-2139, c/n 450192,[94] of the
379th Bomb Wing, participating in exercise Dark Night, suffers port-rear wheel casing failure at 30 kn. The bomber's tail hits the runway and a fuel tank ruptures, crashing in an uninhabited area approximately 3,800 feet from the end of the runway, four crew KWF.[383] The aircraft burns for seven hours after the firecrew evacuates the area, ten minutes after the crash.[66] The aircraft was carrying an unarmed nuclear weapon in the bomb bay and fuel capsule in a carrying case in the cabin. "Two low order detonations occurred during the burning."[384][385] The nuclear capsule and its carrying case were recovered intact and only slightly damaged by heat. Approximately one-half of the weapon remained. All major components were damaged but were identifiable and accounted for.[386]
29 October
Boeing KC-97G-27-BO Stratofreighter, 52-2711, c/n 16742, of the
509th Bomb Wing,[198] out of
Walker AFB, New Mexico, crashes 35 miles north of
Flagstaff, Arizona, while on nine-hour low-level survey flight to determine minimum altitude restrictions for
B-47 training routes. Aircraft was seen over
Gray Mountain, Arizona, at altitude of 60 feet shortly after 08:30, and then heard striking a cloud-shrouded cliff face, killing 16 crew and strewing wreckage for 200 yards along mountainside.[387][388]
30 October
DAVID[389] King Hutchins was the pilot of a plane which was reported missing in the Adriatic Sea area on October 30. His Skyraider plane, which took off from the carrier Randolph at O4:00 that day, was due back at 13:00 that afternoon.
USAFBoeing TB-29-75-BW Superfortress, 44-70039, c/n 10871, of the 5040th Radar Evaluation Flight, 5040th Consolidation Maintenance Group,
Elmendorf AFB,
Alaska, crashed 39 miles (63 km) SE of
Talkeetna, Alaska at c. 18:22. Mission departed Elmendorf on a ground radar calibration mission at 0954 under instrument flight rules on flight path to the Aircraft Control and Warning radar stations at
Campion near
Galena and then
Murphy Dome, north of
Fairbanks. Flight covered 1,800 nmi (3,300 km). with c. ten hours in the air.
Superfortress had fourteen hours' fuel and a crew of eight plus an instructor pilot. On final leg of approach to
Elmendorf, bomber came down on glacier now known as "Bomber Glacier", three crew with major injuries and one with a minor injury later upgraded to major, others KWF. Due to remoteness of crashsite, wreckage is still there.[citation needed]
28 November
Second of three flying prototypes of the ultra long-range, high-altitude single-seat super interceptor
Lavochkin La-250, is written off in landing crash, in part due to the restricted view from the cockpit over the very long nose. Third prototype will have its nose dropped by six degrees to improve visibility.
28 November
Lockheed U-2A, 56-6704, Article 371, eleventh airframe of first USAF order, delivered April 1957, moved to
4080th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing,
Laughlin AFB, Texas, June: 1957, crashes at night this date. Capt. Benny Lacombe killed when he unsuccessfully attempts to bail out of crippled aircraft 13 miles SE of Laughlin. Ejection seats had not yet been fitted to U-2s at this point.[391]
6 December
The first launch attempt of the first all-up
three-stageVanguard rocket,
Vanguard TV3, developed by the
Naval Research Laboratory, from
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 18, Florida, fails as the vehicle reaches an apogee of c. four feet (1.2 meters), then suffers a loss of thrust, fails back onto the pad, the fuel tanks rupture and explode, destroying the rocket and severely damaging the launchpad. The 1.36 kilogram satellite is thrown clear, landing near the pad, whereupon it begins transmitting a signal. No exact cause for the failure is determined, but the commonly accepted explanation is that low
fuel tank pressure during the start procedure allowed some of the burning fuel in the
combustion chamber to leak into the fuel system through the
injector head before full propellant pressure was obtained from the
turbopump. The press dubs the failed attempt "Kaputnik". The satellite is now on display at the
National Air and Space Museum, Washington, D.C.
12 December
A
U.S. Air ForceBoeing B-52D Stratofortress, 56-0597[392] of the
92d Bomb Wing, crashes at either c. 16:02 PDT[393] or 17:00.[394] on takeoff at
Fairchild AFB near
Spokane, Washington. All crew members are killed except the tail gunner. The incident is caused by trim motors that were hooked up backwards. The aircraft climbed straight up, stalled, fell over backwards and nosed straight down. Among the dead crewmen was the commanding officer of the
SAC 92d Bomb Wing to which the aircraft was assigned, Col. Clarence Arthur Neely, 42, of
Rockford, Illinois. The tail section broke away in the crash and the gunner, T/Sgt. Gene I. Graye, 25,
Augusta, Kansas, survived a low-level ejection, relatively unscathed. All eight others on board perished, although four attempted ejection.[395] Wreckage was strewn over a radius of more than 1,000 feet (300 m) in a stubble field about a mile west of the airbase. One source states that the crash site was "in a field between the runway (05) and the hospital".[394] Although the Air Force has never indicated whether or not nuclear weapons were aboard the aircraft, this crash was cited in a February 1991 EPA report as having involved nuclear materials[citation needed] This was the seventh B-52 to be lost, and the first that was not serving with a training wing.[395] Also KWF were: Maj. Ralph Romaine Alworth, 38,
Oilton, Oklahoma; Capt. Douglas Earl Gray, 33,
Guthrie, Kentucky; 1st Lt. James Dennis Mann, 33,
Mountain View, California; Capt. Thomas N. Peebles, 33,
Carson, Virginia; Capt. Douglas Franklin Schwartz, 37,
Minneapolis, Minnesota; Capt. Herbert Henry Spiller Jr., 32,
Lowell, Arkansas; and 1st Lt. Jack Joseph Vainisi, 26, of
Oakhill, Illinois.[396]
A U.S. Navy
Martin P4M-1Q Mercator, BuNo 124373,[398] of JQ-3, JQ tailcode, with 12 aboard,[399] loses power in its port reciprocating engine while on final approach to
NAS Norfolk, Virginia, comes down at 22nd Bay Street and East Ocean View Avenue in
Ocean View, "demolishing three small houses and damaging three others. The plane and the last house it struck burned. Four of the airmen were unaccounted for. The eight survivors, of whom only one was seriously injured, were hospitalized. All were suffering from shock. Three civilians – occupants of three of the houses that were struck – were injured, none critically," stated the Associated Press. The aircraft was on a ferry flight from its base at
Port Lyautey,
French Morocco, via
Bermuda, to NAS Norfolk, and had entered the landing pattern when the port engine failed, the pilot, Cmdr. Clyde Curley, 41, reported to Navy officials.[400]
14 January
A U.S. Navy
Lockheed R7V-1 Super Constellation, BuNo 128437, c/n 1049B-4104,[401] of VW-11,
NS Argentia, Newfoundland,[402] practicing instrument landings at
NAS Patuxent River, Maryland, is waved off during an 08:30 approach in what the Associated Press terms "murky weather", crashes into a wooded area and explodes, killing all nine aboard.[403][404] The pilot "had tried to land once before but was waved off because [his] approach to the end of the runway was too low. Visibility was reduced to about a half mile by fog and mist. On the second run, the plane also came in too low and to the left. The tower again waved it off. The pilot gunned his ship as it started over the 'Cinder Block,' the station's name for a housing area for married enlisted personnel. Mrs. Howard Snyder, in one of the one-story, two family buildings, said, 'I looked out the window and all I saw was wings.' The plane cleared the housing area, but clipped treetops as the engines roared. The impact with the trees threw the plane out of control, and it seared a strip through the thin woods a quarter-mile long. Then it struck the ground and erupted into a huge ball of fire. Eight bodies were thrown clear of the wreckage by the exploding gasoline. A ninth was pulled out of the mangled cockpit section while it still smouldered. Of the nine killed, three were officers and six were seamen. A Patuxent spokesman said Cdr. William W. Lamer Jr., of
Charleston, S. C., was the plane commander, while Cdr. Richard H. Hart of
Natchitoches, La., and Lt. (j.g.) Harry G. Morgan Jr., of
Little Ferry N.J., were pilots in training. The spokesman said it was not known which man was at the controls at the time of the crash."[405] Victims included:
Cmdr. Lamar Jr., husband of Mrs. Eva C. Lamar, now living at Patuxent, and son of Capt. and Mrs. William W. Lamar, Charleston, S.C.
Cmdr. Hart, husband of Mrs. Thelma E. Hart, now living at Patuxent, and son of Simon M. Hart, Natchitoches, La.
Seaman Floyd O. Taylor, husband of Mrs. Kathleen Henrickson Taylor,
Lexington Md., and son of Mrs. Velma Dowdy,
Los Angeles.
Seaman William C. Thurau, husband of Mrs. Mary Lee Seward Thurau,
South Hill Va., and son of Mrs. William S. Thurau,
Flint Mich.
15 January
A U.S. Air Force
Boeing WB-50D Superfortress weather reconnaissance plane, 49–295, c/n 16071, (built as a B-50D-115-BO Superfortress), of the
54th Weather Reconnaissance Squadron,[406] stationed on
Guam, with ten crew on board (some sources incorrectly state that there were nine crew),[407][408] vanishes as it penetrates the eye of
Typhoon Ophelia. The bomber was last heard from as it headed towards the typhoon, 600 miles north of Guam. Rescue efforts continued on 18 January after reports of flares, faint radio signals, and mirror flashes. The ammunition ship
USS Firedrake reported sighting flares in the search area. "The navy destroyer escort
USS Moore and an air rescue squadron plane both reported hearing a radio distress call, possibly from a hand-operated radio such as those carried by the missing craft. In
Honolulu a naval officer told of seeing a series of flashes on the water yesterday. He was a passenger on a
MATS plane 200 miles west of Guam. Lt. Comdr. Wendell K. Howard said he thought they were mirror flashes but did not report them at the time because he hadn't known the plane was down."[409] No additional evidence of the WB-50 was reported during the following week, when a
Military Air Transport ServiceBoeing C-97 Stratofreighter disappeared southwest of
Oahu on a flight to
Kwajalein on 19 January, adding to the search complexities for those seeking evidence of the missing weather plane.[410] The search for survivors of the C-97 is abandoned on Wednesday night, 22 January, when a half-ton of aircraft debris is returned to
Pearl Harbor, much of it damaged by fire. However, the navy continued to search for survivors of the lost WB-50 after faint radio signals of a type that could have come from a hand-cranked radio on a raft were again heard on 22 January.[411] The following crew were switched from "missing" to "dead" on 20 February:
Aircraft Commander- Captain Albert J Lauer AO 2095765
Pilot- Captain Clyde W Tefertiller AO 751488
Weather Observer- Captain Marcus G Miller AO 751488
Navigator- First Lieutenant Courtland Beeler III AO 2210728
Navigator- First Lieutenant Paul J Buerkle Jr AO3053321
Flight Engineer- Technical Sergeant De1ivan L Gordon AF 57625218
Flight Engineer- Staff Sergeant Kenneth L Tetzloff AFl7336278
Radio Operator- Staff Sergeant Kenneth L Houseman AF 17319484
Radio Operator- Airman First Class Randolph C Watts AF 14382160
Weather Technician- Airman First Class Bernard G Tullgren[412]
18 January
A U.S. Navy
Douglas R6D-1 Liftmaster crashes and burns, moments after take off from
Kadena Air Base,
Naha, Okinawa, but all 35 on board survive. Two were burned, and were taken to Ryukyus Army Hospital. Their names were withheld. As the transport departed Kadena it suffered a failed engine. "The plane faltered, headed down, and struck a hillside, a mile from the runway."[413]
19 January
A U.S. Air Force
Boeing C-97A-BO, 49-2597, c/n 16219,[406] probably assigned to the
47th Air Transport Squadron, of the
Military Air Transport Service, disappears over the Pacific during a flight from
Honolulu to
Kwajalein. Pieces of wood and foam rubber were found on Monday night, 20 January, pinpointing where the cargo plane vanished Sunday with seven aboard. The plane was last heard from 385 miles southwest of
Oahu Island. The carrier
USS Philippine Sea (CV-47) messaged Navy headquarters at
Pearl Harbor that it had found the wreckage and believed it came from the cargo plane.[414] "Hope of finding any survivors in the crash of a C95 [sic] Military Air Transport Stratocruiser [sic] waned today (22 January 1958) and the Navy withdrew most of the ships searching the area southwest of
Hawaii. Seven men were aboard the four-engine plane, Col. Darlene Bailey of the
1501st Air Transport Wing,
Travis Air Force Base, Calif., said here last night chances of finding any of them were 'pretty hopeless.' The navy confirmed that debris found 277 miles to the southwest was wreckage of the plane. It apparently crashed Sunday on a flight to Kwajalein."[415] The search for survivors of the C-97 is abandoned on Wednesday night, 22 January, when a half-ton of aircraft debris is returned to
Pearl Harbor, much of damaged by fire.[411] The flight had originated at
Travis AFB, California, bound for Tokyo, with fuel stops at
Hickam AFB, Hawaii, and
Wake Island.[416]
21 January
The last of the seven Finnish
Fokker C.Xs that survived World War II crashes in
1958. The airframe, FK-111, served as a target-towing craft in the
Finnish Air Force. The plane crashed into a forest this date, killing the pilot,
Second Lieutenant Aimo Allinen, and the winch-operator 2d Ltn. Antti Kukkonen.
24 January
"
Fuchu, Japan (
AP) – Three U.S. Air Force
F84G jet trainers [sic] crashed into the sea tonight after takeoff from
Iwakuni air base, [sic] western Japan. The bodies of the three pilots, whose names were withheld, had not been located five hours later, the Air Force said. The planes, from the
418th Fighter Training Squadron,
Misawa Air Base, were on a training flight. 'Engines of all three aircraft appeared to flame out almost simultaneously on takeoff. The planes hit the water about 1,000 feet from the end of the runway,' the Air Force said."[417] According to Joe Baugher, F-84G-20-RE, 51-1237, had a mid-air collision with flight mates F-84G-25-RE, 51–1300 and F-84G-25-RE, 51-1312, during the takeoff sequence.[94]
24 January
A U.S. Navy
Convair R3Y-1 Tradewind, BuNo 128446, "Indian Ocean Tradewind",[234] assigned to VR-2, claims a new
Honolulu-
Alameda speed record for seaplanes, despite the loss of one engine en route. The Navy said that the Tradewind's 5 hours and 54 minutes bettered an old record for a seaplane, also set by a
Tradewind, at 6 hours and 54 minutes. After departing from
Keehi Lagoon, Hawaii, the Tradewind suffered the loss of the number one propeller (port outer) when it tore loose about 350 miles (560 km) from the mainland, slashing a six- to eight-foot hole (2.5 m) in the hull below the waterline, and damaging electrical control lines. None of the 17 on board were injured, either, when the R3Y slammed into the breakwater after landing in
San Francisco Bay, California, due to a runaway turboprop engine that would not respond to control inputs due to the electrical system damage from the propeller strike. Lt. Cdr. Homer C. Ragsdale was the pilot on this flight.[418] The Navy announces on 30 January that all three R3Y Tradewinds will remain grounded until a five-man accident board can determine what caused the crash of a fourth when it struck a seawall at
Naval Air Station Alameda, California, after also losing a propeller in flight.[419] Ultimately, this was the last straw for the troubled P5Y and R3Y programme. Four of the design had crashed, including one of two XP5Y-1 prototypes, all attributed to on-going issues with the problematic
Allison T-40 turboprop powerplants and their associated gearboxes. The Navy abandoned further interest in the engine and all aircraft using it. VR-2 was disestablished 16 April 1958, and all P5Y and R3Y airframes broken up.
"
George Air Force Base, Calif., Jan. 31 (
AP) – Two propeller-driven
B-26 medium bombers collided over the Southern California desert today. The Air Force said one crashed, killing its two-man crew. The other plane limped 75 miles with one of its two engines feathered and made a belly landing here on a foam-covered runway. Base officials said the crew escaped injury. Names of the dead were withheld pending notification of relatives."[420] Douglas TB-26B Invader, 41-39310, c/n 7023, built as an A-26B-25-DL,[421] crashed 14 miles NNE of
Bagdad, California, killing pilot 1st Lt. Alexander Aros and A/1C Patrick Hughes.[422]
1 February
A USAF
Douglas C-118A Liftmaster military transport, 53-3277, c/n 44648/602,[145] of the
1611th ATW, based at
McGuire AFB, New Jersey, and a United States Navy
Lockheed P2V-5F Neptune patrol bomber, BuNo 127723,[234] '7L 203', collided over
Norwalk, California (a suburb of Los Angeles) at 19:13. The C-118 had departed
Long Beach Municipal Airport for a flight to
McGuire AFB, while the P2V had just departed
Naval Air Reserve Station Los Alamitos on a training flight with eight Reservists on board. The C-118 disintegrated and the tail section crashed through the roof of a service station, while wreckage fell into the parking lot of the Norwalk Sheriff's Station, setting a gasoline supply dump alight. The Neptune crashed into an excavated clay pit on Norwalk Boulevard. 47 servicemen were killed (35 passengers and six crew aboard the transport, six of eight on the P2V – one more survived the impact but died later) as well as a 23-year-old civilian woman on the ground who was hit by falling debris. A plaque commemorating the disaster was erected by American Legion Post 359 in 1961 at the location of the accident, the corner of
Firestone Boulevard and Pioneer Boulevard.[423][424][425]
3 February
Two
North American F-86 Sabres engaged in a mock attack maneuver collide near
Andrews, South Carolina, killing one pilot and forcing the second, First Lieutenant Raymond G. Bronk, to parachute to safety. Capt. E. R. Breslauer, base public information officer at
Charleston Air Force Base, South Carolina, stated that the dead pilot, First Lieutenant John William Calvert, 29, of
Abbeville, South Carolina, in an F-86D of the
515th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron. The
515th Air Defense Group was active at
Duluth Municipal Airport, Minnesota, 16 February 1953 – 18 August 1955, flying D-model Sabres, but it reequipped with
F-89 Scorpions before inactivating, and was out of the picture by the time of this event.[4] was practicing a maneuver in which his aircraft was bearing down on a pair of F-86L Sabres of the
444th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron in a collision course with the intent of zeroing in his guns as if to fire, then pulls away. "Capt. Breslauer said the interceptor apparently misjudged the distance or took too long to zero in. He started to pull away at the same time Lt. Bronk did, and the two jets, each doing at least 500 miles an hour, crashed belly to belly." Bronk's wingman, First Lieutenant Delbert T. Grumbach, flew through the scattered debris from the two disintegrating jets, but was able to land safely at Charleston AFB, where he was treated and released from the hospital. "Observers said Grumbach's plane lost its canopy and had 50 or 75 holes in its body resembling flak hits." Lt. Bronk reportedly telephoned his own location near Andrews to authorities, and a helicopter was dispatched to pick him up. He suffered a cut chin. Capt. Breslauer said that the body of the dead pilot was found near the wreckage of his plane, between the towns of Andrews and
Lane, South Carolina. Lt. Calvert was the son of Mrs. Harriet Coan Calvert and the late John W. Calvert Sr., of Abbeville. He was a 1953 graduate of
West Point. He was a member of the Abbeville Presbyterian Church. He was also survived by one sister, Mrs. Jerry E. Dempsey, of
Atlanta, Georgia. Bronk's mother, Mrs. Mary Martha Bronk, lives at
Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Grumbach's mother is Mrs. Esther E. Larson, of
Mountlake Terrace, Washington.[426]
A United States Air Force
Boeing B-47B-IV-51-BW Stratojet, 51-2349A, c/n 450401,[94] of the
28th Bomb Squadron,
19th Bomb Wing, Ivory 2, second aircraft in two-plane Ivory Cell, out of
Homestead AFB, Florida, on unit simulated combat mission (USCM), has c. 00:33 mid-air collision with
USAFNorth American F-86L-50 Sabre, 52-10108, Gold Two, second of three-plane Gold Flight, of the
444th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron,
Charleston AFB, South Carolina, near
Sylvania, Georgia, jettisons
Mark 15, Mod 0
nuclear bomb training weapon casing, No. 47782,[428][429] from 7,200 feet (2,200 m) over
Wassaw Sound off
Tybee Beach,
Georgia. Stratojet recovers to
Hunter AFB, Georgia, bomb is still missing. The Pentagon disputes reports that the plutonium trigger WAS on the weapon.[430] The B-47 was subsequently scrapped. Sabre pilot Lt. Clarence A. Stewart, 23, of
Isola, Mississippi, ejects safely,[431][432] and the B-47 crew are uninjured in emergency landing. Some accounts say pilot Major Howard Richardson made three attempts to land,[433] but the pilot has been quoted as saying he made a straight-in approach, as he wasn't about to risk additional flight time in the damaged bomber.[434]
"
PALMDALE, Calif. (
AP) – A jet fighter plane crashed into the front yard of a home today just after taking off from the
airport of this city 35 miles north of
Los Angeles. The sheriff's substation said it had no report on casualties. The house itself was not damaged by the diving plane, according to first reports."[438]Lockheed F‑104A-20-LO Starfighter, 56‑0792, c/n 183-1080,[439] suffered engine failure shortly after take-off, coming down one mile west of the airport. Lockheed test pilot Henry C. Bosserman attempts ejection but is killed.[440]
7 February
While on a flight from
Fort Gordon, Georgia, to
Fort Bragg, North Carolina, a
Piasecki H-21C Shawnee of the
8th Transport Helicopter Company, Fort Bragg, crashes in a swampy area 10 miles (16 km) northwest of
Hartsville, South Carolina, killing the commander of the 8th, Capt. John H. Asbury, and seriously injuring two others. "The H21 helicopter attached to the outfit commanded by Capt. Asbury was reported missing last night after reporting its position at 18:33 near
Columbia. Forty military aircraft searched a 10-mile wide strip between Ft. Bragg and Columbia today before two Negroes came on the wrecked helicopter and notified authorities. The dead man and the two survivors were carried out on litters by members of a rescue party who had to tramp through almost two miles of underbrush and swamp to
U.S. Highway 15."[441] The rescue party had to cut the three crewmen out of the wreckage. Capt. Asbury, 35, of Ft. Bragg, and
Cape Elizabeth, Maine, C.W.O. Alva William Kepner, 27, of
Burbank, California, and Sp.2C. Kenneth R. Struchen, 25, of
Garvin, Minnesota, lay trapped in the downed ship "through a night of bitter cold weather. The temperature got down to 32 degrees (0°C) this morning at Columbia, 50 miles (80 km) from the crash scene." Kepner was treated at Byerly Hospital at Hartsville for a broken leg, shock, and exposure. Struchen, also hospitalized at Hartsville, was treated for a broken shoulder, shock, and exposure. "Officials said the cause of the crash was not determined, and a board would investigate."[441]
8 February
A
nuclear weapon was inadvertently dropped from a
Boeing B-52D Stratofortress bomber parked at a pad and ready to be unloaded at
Ellsworth AFB,
South Dakota. Preliminary reports indicated that an airman erred and pulled the manual release handle which released the weapon from the bomb bay and through the unopened bomb bay doors. Damage to the weapon included a dented afterbody, two smashed fins, and a displaced secondary. There was no capsule aboard the aircraft. The bomb was loaded aboard a trailer and removed to the Q Area weapons maintenance depot (Site F) at
Rushmore Air Force Station,
South Dakota, adjacent to Ellsworth AFB.[442] The damaged weapon was later exchanged for an operational weapon from stockpile.[443]
8 February
"
THOMASTON, Ga., Feb. 8
AP – One Army officer was injured fatally and another hurt seriously tonight in a crash of their plane near this west central
Georgia town. One was pronounced dead upon arrival at a Thomaston hospital. The hospital declined to give the names of either of the officers. It was reported that their plane crashed en route from
Ft. Bragg, N.C. to
Ft. Benning, Ga."[444] On 9 February, the public information office at Ft. Benning released the identities of the officers involved. Killed was 1st Lt. Marshall E. Stephenson, 23, whose parents live in
Macon. He was a 1955 graduate of
Mercer University, and was en route from his unit at Ft. Bragg to Ft. Benning, when the small plane suffered a power failure. "A companion on the flight, Capt. Bernard Towsed II, 29, (hometown unavailable) was injured in the crackup. He was brought to Upson County Hospital here (Thomaston) with a broken leg and facial cuts."[445]
In the third accident for the unit in nine days,[446] pilot Lt. Joseph O. Sweeney, 24, of Orleans Road, St. Andrews Parish, Charleston, South Carolina, is killed in the 14:04 takeoff crash of a
North American F-86L Sabre of the
444th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron c. two miles off the end of the main instrument runway at
Charleston Air Force Base, South Carolina, the plane coming down in a wooded area in the vicinity of Midland Park Road and exploding on impact. He had taken off on a practice intercept mission. Base spokesmen on 13 February said that Lt. Sweeney's fighter was fully loaded with rockets but that none exploded and all were accounted for by that morning. "Squadron spokesmen today (13 February) said the cause of the plane's trouble was materiel failure due to fire. The plane's engine was reported to have sputtered and caught fire immediately after lifting from the end of the runway. The crash occurred on civilian-owned property near the Midland Park Road."[447]
15 February
A
Douglas VC-47A Skytrain, 42-93817, c/n 13771, built as a C-47A-25-DK and upgraded,[448] en route from its home base,
Ramstein-Landstuhl Air Base, Germany, to
Istanbul, departs
Capodichino Airport,
Naples, for a flight to
Athens, with 16 servicemen aboard. Following a radio call 30 minutes after departure when the crew reported en route at 6500 feet and switching to the Rome ATC, nothing further is heard from the flight, which never contacts Rome,[449] nor arrives in Greece. Dense fog over the
Ionian Sea and mountainous southern
Italy on 17 February greatly impeded search efforts for the missing aircraft. "U.S. authorities did not exclude the possibility the plane might have been forced down in Communist
Albania."[450] The burned and scattered wreckage is found 19 February high on the rugged slope of
Mount Vesuvius at the 3,800 foot level, about 200 feet below the top of the cone of the
volcano which overlooks Naples Bay. A search plane first spotted the wreckage following "four days of fruitless ground, sea and air search impeded by fog, rain and snow." Patrols of U.S. servicemen, Italian soldiers and
carabinieri reached the crash site four hours after it was found, battling though heavy snow, but reported no survivors amongst the 16 on board. They stated that all had been identified. "A surgeon said death apparently was instantaneous." There were 15 Air Force officers and men from Ramstein-Landstuhl Air Base, and one seaman of the
USS Tripoli on board. "Officials declined to venture a theory on the cause of the crash except that the weather was bad and the pilot, Capt. Martin S. Schwartz of
Ashland, Kentucky, had not previously flown from Capodichino field."[451] The bodies of the victims were brought to Capodichino Airport and on Friday 21 February, they were flown to Germany.[452]
17 February
A
Republic F-84F Thunderstreak from
Dobbins Air Force Base, Georgia, crashed in flames c. 5 miles south of
Barnwell, South Carolina, "narrowly missing a church and striking a power line in its plunge to the ground." The pilot, identified only as having the last name of Morrell, rank and first name not included in the initial press account, safely ejected from the jet and parachuted to safety. "He was taken to the
Barnwell airport where an Air Force plane returned him to Dobbins. Police listed his last name as Morrell and said he was not injured. His first name and rank were not immediately available here. Officers said no single piece of the airplane more than four feet long could be found at the crash site."[453] Additional Associated Press accounts identified the pilot as Lt. Billy Morrell, 24, of the
128th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron,
Georgia Air National Guard. Morrell, of
Marrietta, Georgia, and a native of
Greer, South Carolina, was on a "normal scramble" flight, according to a Dobbins spokesman, when his jet flamed out at 10,000 feet.[454]
18 February
"
OCEANA, Va., Feb. 18 – A Navy jet pilot, making practice carrier landings at the
Fentress Auxiliary Air Station near here, was killed early today when his plane apparently lost power and he rode it down through a crash landing. The pilot was identified as Lt.(j.g.) Ralph Walker Anderson, 24, of
Orlando, Florida."[455]
20 February
The launch of
Convair XSM-65 Atlas 11A, 56-6748, from LC-12,
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, at 17:46 GMT (14:48 EST), ends in failure about two minutes into the flight at an apogee of 90 km (56 mi) when the flight controls fail and stage 1 explodes.[456]
20 February
"
SAN DIEGO, Calif.
AP – The deaths of three Navy men and injury to two others in a plane crash and explosion on the aircraft carrier
Shangri-la off the
California coast was disclosed by the Navy last night. One of those killed was the pilot of an
F11-F Grumman Tiger Jet coming in for a landing on the carrier. The other victims were working on the flight deck when the accident occurred Thursday afternoon, the Navy reported. The dead were: Lt. David Oscar Gudal, the pilot, whose wife, Maureen, lives at
Sunnyvale, Calif.; Ronald G. Payne, Airman 3.c., whose wife, Myrle, lives at
San Jose, Calif., and Clandell N. Hardeman, airman, of
Smithville, Tex. The injured were identified only as: Richard Leon Davis, airman, and S. N. Brown, an airman. The Navy said the accident occurred when the plane attempted a landing and failed to engage the arresting gear on the flight deck."[457] F11F-1, BuNo 141734, was assigned to
VA-156, coded 'NH-xxx',[458] the first Tiger squadron to complete carrier qualifications.[459]
25 February
During joint exercises with the U.S. Navy at
Naval Station Mayport,
Duval County, Florida, a flight of four
Royal Canadian NavyMcDonnell F2H-3 Banshee fighters performs a formation takeoff but immediately flies into a dense fog bank; the rearmost aircraft, BuNo 126428 of
VF-871, drops out of formation and vanishes. The airplane's nosewheel and pilot Lt. Barry Troy's helmet are later found floating in the ocean nearby, but no other signs of the missing aircraft or pilot are ever found.[460]
25 February
North American XSM-64 Navaho (G-26), 54–3097, comprising missile 8 and booster 12, the final launch from LC-9,
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, of this early attempt at a supersonic
cruise missile design, under Project RISE (Research In the Supersonic Environment) to gather data for the X-15 and XB-70 programs for NASA, ends abruptly when the booster cuts off at T+20s. The vehicle "arched over and plunged toward the Atlantic Ocean. Just above the water it burst into orange flame and black smoke."[461] Of 12 vehicles built, eleven were launched but no flight reached a successful conclusion. The whole project had been cancelled in July 1957 as
ICBM developments had overtaken this piggy-back design. The many failed launch attempts earned the project the uncomplimentary appellation, "Never go, Navaho."[462] At the time of cancellation, $700 million had been expended on the program with less than 90 minutes flight time accrued.[463]
26 February
A
Boeing RB-47E-25-BW Stratojet, 52-0720, c/n 450941,[198] of the
26th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing,
Lockbourne AFB, Ohio, crashes on approach at
Sugar Grove, Ohio, six miles south of
Lancaster.[464] The aircraft hit the ground at an angle of 50 degrees, narrowly missing an
Ohio Fuel natural gas pumping facility by a few hundred feet. It was determined that the aircraft was allowed to get into an unusual attitude and/or high speed, through disorientation, from which there was no recovery. In actuality a wheel door had broken away and prevented the control surfaces to be fully active.[66] KWF were 1st Lt. Theodore L. Jenner, 26, of
Evanston, Illinois, aircraft commander; 1st Lt. George M. Reiley, 25,
Hyattsville, Maryland, pilot; 1st Lt. Earl N. Fogle, 27,
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, navigator; and 1st Lt. Alvin B. Storey, 25, of
Charlotte, North Carolina, an additional pilot aboard for training.[465]
27 February
A
Douglas-Tulsa B-47E-30-DT Stratojet, 52-0181, c/n 44035, of the
40th Bombardment Wing (Medium), based at
Schilling Air Force Base, Kansas,[198] crashes short of the runway due to fuel exhaustion during a landing at
Biggs Air Force Base, Texas, killing one member of the four crew on board. Navigator Lt. Samuel G. Hardin, of
Salina, Kansas, died as the bomber came down on short final, scattering wreckage over a half-mile area. Three other crew members walked away from the wrecked airframe, with minor injuries. They were Lt. Col. Hilding L. Jacobson Jr., instructor pilot; Capt. Gerald Weimar, plane commander; and Lt. Donald Maisel, copilot; all of Salina, Kansas. Lt. Hardin is survived by his wife, Lucia Hardin, of Salina.[466]
A
Royal Canadian NavyMcDonnell F2H-3 Banshee, BuNo 126333, Sqn. No. 142 of
VF-871, suffers an apparent brake failure while taxiing aboard
HMCS Bonaventure (CVL 22) and rolls off the carrier's deck. Pilot LCDR Brian Bell-Irving ejects as airplane falls, but partially opened canopy does not jettison, and Bell-Irving is knocked unconscious and severely injured as ejection seat smashes through canopy and slams into ocean surface. The damaged fighter jet catches fire and sinks; Bell-Irving is subsequently hauled aboard escort
destroyerHMCS Haida (DDE 215) but dies from his injuries. This is the only operational ejection from a RCN Banshee.[468]
7 March
A
USMCFairchild R4Q-1 Packet transport, BuNo 128741, c/n 10570, crashes in the Pacific Ocean off
Naha, Okinawa while returning from
Naval Air Station Cubi Point to
Atsugi, Japan.[469] The R4Q was being accompanied by a
Douglas AD-6 Skyraider, BuNo 135350, both aircraft an instrument approach into Naha AFB. Apparently the AD-6 had communication or navigation problems and elected to fly wing on the R4Q during the approach. Both planes collided and crashed in the Pacific Ocean, 5 km. from the base. Seven crew and 19 passengers on the transport were KWF, as was the Skyraider pilot.[470] Nine of the victims were members of
VMA-323.[471]
A United States Air Force
Boeing B-47E-60-LM Stratojet, 53-1876, c/n 290,[145] from
Hunter AFB, Georgia, jettisons
nuclear weapons casing from 15,000 feet (4,600 m) over rural section of
Florence, South Carolina, high-explosives detonate on impact causing property damage, several civilian injuries. No fuel capsule installed on bomb.[472]
13 March
A
Boeing B-47B-30-BW Stratojet, 51-2104, of the
379th Bombardment Wing, from
Homestead AFB, Florida, crashes shortly after take-off, breaking into four parts while making a shallow turn at 1,500 feet (460 m), coming down 10 nm southwest of Homestead.[94] Four crew killed: Maj. Leon F. Hatcher Jr., aircraft commander; Maj. Frank H. Whyte Jr., instructor pilot; 1st Lt. Paul J. Pennington, Co-Pilot; Capt. George Reid, Navigator.[66] On the same date, a
TB-47B-10-BW Stratojet, 50‑0013, c/n 450028, of the
3520th Combat Crew Training Wing, out of
McConnell AFB breaks up in flight over
Tulsa, Oklahoma. Student pilot, instructor eject, parachute to safety, but crewman occupying the navigator's position does not eject and is killed.[473] Both accidents are due to unexpected fatigue issues in the B-47 fleet.[474]
18 March
Test pilot Leo J. "Pete" Colapietro bails out of
Douglas F4D Skyray during routine test flight over the Pacific Ocean which goes out of control, ejects at c. 650 mph (1,050 km/h), suffers right arm broken in two places, fractured pelvis, two cracked vertebrae, and a dislocated shoulder. Parachute deploys automatically, however, and pilot is rescued from the water after 45 minutes by a helicopter and a rescue launch. He remains in hospital for over six weeks.[475]
A United States Air Force
Douglas C-124C Globemaster II, 52-0981, collides in midair with a USAF
Fairchild C-119C Flying Boxcar, 49-0195, over farmland near
Bridgeport, Texas, United States, killing all 15 on the Globemaster and all 3 on the Flying Boxcar. The two transports crossed paths over a
VHF omnidirectional range (VOR) navigational radio beacon during cruise flight under
instrument flight rules; conditions were overcast with zero visibility within the clouds, and haze and fog were observed in the area. The C-124 was on a north-northeasterly heading flying at its properly assigned altitude of 7,000 ft (2,100 m); the C-119 was on a southeasterly heading, and the crew had been instructed to fly at 6,000 ft (1,800 m), but their aircraft was not flying at this altitude when the collision occurred.[477][478]
A
USAFDouglas RB-66B-DL Destroyer, 54–422, c/n 44722, of the
10th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing,[482] crashes in an open field four miles (6 km) from
RAF Sculthorpe, UK, while making a blind landing as part of a routine training flight. All three crew KWF. The aircraft was receiving flight instructions from the radar control tower at Sculthorpe. Although the weather was good, the jet was operating under simulated blackout conditions.[483]
15 April
Two more
Boeing B-47 Stratojet bombers of
Strategic Air Command suffer crashes this date.[476] One was B-47E-20-LM, 52–235, c/n 43,[198] of the
306th Bomb Wing, which crashed after take-off from
MacDill AFB, Florida, with 4 crew KWF.[484] The bomber was destroyed when it encountered the parent
thunderstorm of one of five tornados that touched down in Florida and Georgia that day. The plane unsuccessfully attempted to fly at lower altitudes and avoid the system.[485] The other was B-47E-100-BW, 52-0562, c/n 450847,[198] of the
509th Bomb Wing, which crashed after take-off from
Pease AFB, New Hampshire. 4 crew KWF.[484]
A
Tupolev Tu-16 is forced down on an ice runway at Soviet North Pole drift station Severnyy Polyus-6, (North Pole) NP-6, where it is discovered and photographed by a
RCAFAvro Lancaster of
No. 408 Squadron on an Apex Rocket reconnaissance sortie, the first detailed images of the design to be made by the West. Additional photo missions find the Soviets dismantling the bomber, that its starboard main gear was missing, and that an engine had visible damage.[488]
An
Indian Air Forcede Havilland Vampire crashed into the Delhi Flying Club hangar at
Safdar Jung Airport,
Delhi while attempting an emergency landing following an in-flight fire. Both Vampire crew died and four engineers working in the hangar were killed and 11 aircraft were destroyed.[491]
9 May
A USAF
North American F-100F-10-NA Super Sabre, serial number 56-3810, crashed 8 miles (13 km) NNE of
Kadena Air Base, Japan. Instructor/test pilot Capt. Theodore Christos and rear seat pilot Capt. James Looney ejected but were killed. Crash Investigation Board report indicated cause of crash was undetermined.[citation needed]
20 May
A United States Air Force
Lockheed T-33A-5-LO Shooting Star, 53-5966, operated by the Maryland Air National Guard collided in mid-air with a
Capital AirlinesVickers Viscount, registered N7410 operating flight Capital 300 at 8,000 ft (2,400 m) four miles (6 km) east of
Brunswick, Maryland. All 11 on board the Viscount were killed and the T-33 co-pilot, the T-33 pilot ejected and survived.[492]
23 May
A
Nike Ajax missile of Battery B, 526th AAA Missile Battalion, exploded accidentally at a battery at Site NY-53 near
Leonardo, New Jersey, at 13:15 on this date,[493][494] setting off six other missiles of A Section, killing 6 soldiers and 4 civilians. The nearest missile in B Section had its booster ignited by flying shrapnel and it flew into a nearby hill, but the warhead fortunately failed to explode. This was the first fatal Nike Ajax accident. A memorial can be found at
Fort Hancock in the
Sandy Hook Unit of
Gateway National Recreation Area.[495]
A
USAFBoeing KC-135A-BN Stratotanker, 56-3599,[499] c/n 17348, call sign Cocoa, of the
4050th Air Refueling Wing,
Strategic Air Command, crashes on takeoff from
Westover AFB,
Chicopee, Massachusetts, attempting to set a world speed record from New York-London. 7 crew and 8 passenger fatalities. Departing Westover's Runway 23 just after midnight, with a takeoff weight of over 289,000 pounds, the aircraft failed to climb, and after 45 seconds of flight, dragged the port wingtip, the right wing struck powerlines, and the plane came down across the
Massachusetts Turnpike, exploding in the backyard of a family farm adjacent to the highway. Amongst those killed were aircraft commander Lt. Col. George Broutsas, commanding officer of the
99th Air Refueling Squadron, 39, of
Brattleboro, Vermont; 1st Lt. Joe C. Sweet, 26, of
Chandler, Arizona, co-pilot; Capt, James E. Shipman, 35, of Kansas City, navigator; M/Sgt. Donald H. Gabbord, 38, of
Los Gatos, California, boom operator; Capt. John B. Gordon, third pilot and aide to 8th Air Force commander Maj. Gen. Walter C. Sweeny Jr.; and T/Sgt. Joseph G. Hutter, crew chief.[500] Also aboard was Brig. Gen. Donald W. Saunders, 45, commander of the
57th Air Division at Westover, and commander of the four plane record attempt, of which Cocoa was the third to depart. Eight civilians also died: William J. Cochran, 36, and William R. Enyart, 57, representatives of the
National Aeronautic Association as official observers; and six journalists covering the flight, retired Brig. Gen. A. Robert Ginsburgh, 63, and Glen A. Williams, 41, of U.S. News & World Report; Time-Life's Washington bureau chief James L. McConaughy Jr., 42; the Boston Herald Traveler's veteran aviation writer, Robert B. Sibley, 57;
United Press International's foreign affairs writer Norman J. Montellier, 37; and Daniel J. Coughlin Jr., 31, of the
Associated Press. The first two tankers to depart, call signs Alpha and Bravo, completed the speed run over 3,442 miles in 5 hours, 27 minutes, 42.8 seconds, and 5 hours, 29 minutes, 37.4 seconds, respectively. The fourth KC-135 did not depart. This was the first loss of the type since in entered service nearly two years before.[501][502] Maj. Gen. Walter Sweeney, after a lengthy and exhaustive investigation, explained the possibility of a peculiar combination of circumstances. As the ground dropped away at the edge of the runway, a wind-shear may have occurred at a crucial moment, interfering with the lift of the plane. In 1960, the USAF established the “Saunders Trophy,†to be awarded to the Air Refueling Squadron compiling the highest score in combined refueling and navigation. The inscription reads, "Saunders Perpetual Trophy, SAC Combat Competition."[503]
4 July
A
USAFDouglas C-124C Globemaster II, 50–107, c/n 43245, on a flight from
Hickam Air Force Base,
Hawaii to
Wake Island crashed 320 km northwest of Johnston Island due to an engine failure. A propeller blade of the No. 3 engine broke away and struck the aileron, causing severe control problems. The plane crashed at about 01:33 Hawaii time. 3 of the crew 7 on board were rescued twelve hours later by a
HO4S helicopter from
USS Boxer (CVS-21).[504]
8 July
A
Lockheed U-2A, 56-6713, Article 380, of the
SAC's
4028th Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron (SRS), based at
Laughlin Air Force Base,
Del Rio, Texas, is lost near
Wayside, Texas, when it goes out of control at high altitude, killing
RAF pilot, Sqn. Ldr. Christopher Walker, one of four RAF officers in U-2 training.[505] This aircraft, the 40th U-2 built, was delivered to the USAF in July 1957, and assigned to the 4080th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing,
Laughlin AFB, Texas, where it was configured as a "ferret" aircraft.[506]
9 July
A second
Lockheed U-2A, 56-6698, Article 365, of the
SAC's
4028th Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron (SRS) based at
Laughlin Air Force Base,
Del Rio, Texas, crashes southwest of
Tucumcari, New Mexico, killing its pilot, Capt. Al Chapin Jr., the second in two days. It went out of control at high altitude.[505] This aircraft, the 25th U-2, and fifth of the first USAF production batch, was delivered to the Air Force at
Groom Lake in January 1957, moving to the
4080th SRW at Laughlin AFB in June 1957.[507]
Two Armee de l'AirSud Aviation Vautour IIBs, 617 and 618, are lost in crash landings, on one day, due to a failure in the hydraulic system of the "Monoblock" tail.[510]
6 August
A
Lockheed U-2A, 56-6697, Article 364, the fourth airframe of the initial USAF order, delivered January 1957 to USAF at
Groom Lake, then to
4080th SRW,
Laughlin AFB, Texas, in June: 1957, crashes this date killing trainee Lt. Paul Haughland. Despite
Cessna L-27 chase plane to radio instructions, Haughland's U-2 rolled rapidly to starboard at 200 feet during landing approach and struck ground in a near-vertical attitude. Accident report notes that the flight manual did not sufficiently highlight the unusual stall characteristics.[391][511]
Third of three flying prototypes of the ultra long-range, high-altitude single-seat super interceptor
Lavochkin La-250, is written off in landing crash, despite having its nose dropped by six degrees to improve visibility. This final design from the Lavochkin bureau will be cancelled without entering service and before all testing is completed. Radar and missile armament never fitted to airframe.
16 September
A
Boeing B-52D Stratofortress, 55-065, crashes in the August Kahl farmyard at
Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota,[512] near
St. Paul, after losing its tail section in flight. Only the co-pilot, Capt. Jack D. Craft, 29, of
Sturgis, Massachusetts, survived of the eight crew. Air Force officials said that he was in shock and unable to answer questions. The jet tore a hole 300 feet long by 15 feet deep in the farmyard. The plane exploded as it hit, setting fire to the farm buildings. Eight members of the Kahl family were injured, and three remain hospitalized. They lost all their possessions in the explosion and fire.[513]
Prototype
Avro VulcanVX770 in an airshow at
RAF Syerston suffers total collapse of the plane's right wing. The craft spirals out of control and crashes, killing the entire aircrew and 3 people on the ground.[515]VX770 was known to have had a weaker wing structure then production aircraft. The aircraft had been testing the
Rolls-Royce Conway installation and was returning from a test flight via Syerston. See
here for more details.
24 September
Twelfth of 13
North American X-10s, GM-52-5, c/n 12, on X-10 Drone
BOMARC target mission 1, out of
Cape Canaveral, Florida. The remaining X-10s are expended as targets for Bomarc and
Nike antiaircraft missiles. The X-10 flies out over the ocean, then accelerates toward the Cape at supersonic speed. A Bomarc A missile comes within lethal miss distance. The X-10 then autolands on the Skid Strip, but both the drag chute and landing barrier fail. The vehicle runs off the runway and explodes.[38]
25 September
Supermarine Scimitar F.1, XD240, 'V-145', of
803 Naval Air Squadron, arriving aboard from
RNAS Lossiemouth via
RNAS Yeovilton, falls off the side of
HMS Victorious at low speed into the
English Channel off
Portsmouth after failure of the No.1 arrestor wire upon landing. The pilot, Cdr. John Desmond Russell, the Squadron CO, is unable to open the canopy, and trapped in the cockpit, he drowns when the airframe sinks to the seabed, despite efforts of plane guard crewman Lt. R. A. Duxbury[516] from the rescue
Westland Whirlwind. Members of the press had been invited along to watch 803 Squadron embark.[517][518] Nose of aircraft and pilot's body recovered four weeks later.
Thunderbirds support aircraft,
Fairchild C-123B Provider, 55-4521, en route from
Hill AFB, Utah to
McChord AFB, Washington, with five flight crew and 14 maintenance personnel, flies through a flock of birds, crashes into a hillside six miles (10 km) east of
Payette, Idaho, just before 18:30, killing all on board. This remains the worst accident in Thunderbirds team history.[citation needed]
15 October
A USAF
Fairchild C-123B-6-FA Provider, 54-0614, c/n 20063,[127][519] en route from
Dobbins AFB, Georgia, to
Mitchel Field,
Long Island, New York, runs out of fuel, comes down on the
Southern State Parkway on Long Island while attempting emergency landing at
Zahn's Airport at
North Amityville, one-half mile short, injuring five, and killing one motorist. The transport skids several hundred feet, passes through an underpass, and strikes three cars. Harold J. Schneider,
West Islip, New York, dies of head injuries shortly after the accident. Three Air Force men and two women motorists suffer minor injuries. They are identified as Mrs. Mary Rehm,
Islip Terrace, and Mrs. Frank Calabrese,
West Islip. The injured Air Force men are identified as Capt. John Florio, Sgt. Wallett A. Carman and Sgt. Edgar H. Williamson. The pilot was Lt. Gary L. Moolson. The aircraft, with a 119 foot wingspan, passed through a 50-foot wide underpass, shearing both outer wings, the port engine, and the vertical fin, before coming to a stop on fire.[520]
18 October
NAVY SQUADRON AEWRON FIFTEEN (VW-15) AIRCRAFT:
Lockheed WV-2 Warning Star, BuNo 141294, LOCATION: NAS Argentia, Newfoundland. EVENT: Crashed into
Placentia Bay 1000 feet short of runway during CGA landing trying to get under weather; flight from Pax to Arg. U.S. Naval Aviation Safety Center, Accident Brief No. 10, May 1960: "The ceiling was reported indefinite 200 feet, visibility 2 miles in drizzle and fog. A precision approach was commenced to the duty runway. The approach was within tolerances and normal until after passing through GCA minimums, at which time the aircraft went below glide path and the pilot was instructed to take a waveoff. The waveoff was not executed until after the aircraft had actually made contact with the runway. After climbout, GCA was contacted and a second approach was requested to commence with no delay. The pilot advised GCA that the runway was in sight just before GCA gave him a waveoff on the first approach. The second approach was again normal until the final controller gave the instructions, "Approaching GCA minimums." The aircraft immediately commenced dropping below glide path. An emergency pullup was given, but the aircraft collided with the water [Placentia Bay] and came to rest 2050 feet east of the approach end of the runway. It sank in 26 feet of water and 11 persons lost their lives." LOSS: 11 of 29-man crew & passengers killed: CREW: LT Donald A. Becker, PPC, CDR Raymond L. Klassy, VW-13, ENS Donald E. Mulligan, Lyle W. Foster, American Red Cross, A. S. Corrado, Robert N. Elliot, AN, R. J. Emerson, Clarence J. Shea, J. E. Strange, William Jerome Taylor, AD3 (body never recovered), and D. D. Wilson.[521]
RAF
Avro Vulcan B.1XA908 of
83 Squadron crashed into the residential neighbourhood of Grosse Pointe Park on the East side of
Detroit, Michigan, USA after a complete electrical systems failure. The failure occurred at around 30,000 ft (9,100 m) and the backup system should have provided 20 minutes of emergency power to allow the aircraft to divert to Kellogg Airfield, Battle Creek, MI. Due to a short circuit in the service busbar, backup power only lasted three minutes before expiring and locking the aircraft controls. XA908 then went into a dive of between 60–70° before it crashed, leaving a 40 foot (13 m) crater in the ground, which was later excavated to 70 ft (21 m) deep in an unsuccessful attempt to find the cockpit of the aircraft. All six crew members were killed, including the co-pilot, who had ejected. The co-pilot’s ejector seat was found in
Lake St Clair but his body was never found. Conflicting sources claim his body was found the following spring in the lake without a life vest. There were no reports of casualties on the ground.[523]
A United States Air Force
Boeing B-47E-56-BW Stratojet, 51-2391, of the
12th Bomb Squadron,
341st Bomb Wing (M), catches fire during take-off from
Dyess AFB, Texas, crashes from 1,500 feet (460 m) altitude. Three crew eject, okay: Capt. Don E. Youngmark, 37, aircraft commander; Capt. John M. Gerding, 27, pilot; and Capt. John M. Dowling, 30, observer and navigator. The crew chief was killed – no bail out attempted. Fire sets off single bomb casing on board, creating crater 35×6 feet. Some tritium contamination at crash site.[citation needed]
13 November
Seventh of 13
North American X-10s, GM-19313, c/n 7, on X-10 Drone
BOMARC target mission 2, out of
Cape Canaveral, Florida. The X-10 flies out over the ocean, then accelerates toward the Cape. However the
Bomarc A fails to launch. Autoland is successful, but again the drag chute and landing barrier both fail, and the vehicle burns after overrunning the runway.[38][83]
21 November
Fairey Gannet AS.1, WN345, fitted with
Armstrong Siddeley ASMD.8 Double Mamba 112 coupled
turboprop powerplant, suffers belly landing this date during test programme, caused by a partially retracted nosewheel. The pilot tries unsuccessfully to get the gear to deploy. Lands gear-up on foam-covered runway 22 at
Bitteswell, suffering minimal damage. Repaired, it is back in the air within weeks.[525]
26 November
A United States Air Force
Boeing B-47 Stratojet on Alert Status at
Chennault AFB,
Louisiana, accidentally ignites
RATO assisted take-off bottles, is pushed off runway into tow vehicle, catches fire, completely destroying single nuclear weapon on board. Contamination limited to area within aircraft wreckage.
U.S. Army Major General Bogardus Snowden "Bugs" Cairns, a key proponent of the concept of armed helicopters, was killed instantly when his
Bell H-13 Sioux helicopter crashed minutes after take off in dense woods northwest of
Fort Rucker, Alabama headquarters. He was en route to Matteson Range to observe a firepower rehearsal in preparation for a full-scale armed helicopter display. He was commander of the Aviation Center and Commandant of the Aviation School. Ozark Army Airfield at Fort Rucker was subsequently renamed
Cairns Army Airfield in his honor in January 1959.[527][528] H-13 was taking off from field site when it hit a wire extended between two tents causing pilot to lose control and fly into trees.[529]
9 December
Boeing B-52E Stratofortress, 56-0633, of the
11th Bomb Wing, crashes near
Altus AFB, Oklahoma, due to improper use of stabilizer trim during an overshoot.[439] Returning from a routine night training mission, aircraft makes a
GCA approach, requests climb to altitude for another penetration, experiences stab trim problems, crashes c. four miles from base at 23:45. Pilot Major Byard F. Baker, 39, of
Azle, Texas, ejects; eight other crew die.[530]
16 December
Convair RB-58A Hustler, 58-1008[531] accepted and delivered to the 6592nd Test Squadron,
43rd Bomb Wing, for pod and suitability testing during October: 1958. Crashed this date, the first B-58 accident, 38 nautical miles (70 km) NNE of
Cannon AFB, New Mexico, due to loss of control during normal flight when auto trim and ratio changer were rendered inoperative due to an electrical system failure. Air Force pilot Maj. Richard Smith killed; AF Nav/bombardier Lt. Col. George Gradel, AF DSO Capt. Daniel Holland, both survive.[532]
1959
1959
The fourth of five pre-production
Dassault Étendard IVM, and the first to receive the keel housing the anti-roll antenna telemetry, is destroyed in a ground fire.[533]
4 January
Single-engine
de Havilland Canada UC-1A Otter cargo aircraft, BuNo 144673, c/n 163,[534] from
VX-6, participating in
Operation Deep Freeze IV, crashed during takeoff at
Marble Point,
Antarctica, about 50 miles (80 km) from
McMurdo Station. "As the aircraft departed the Marble Point runway it made a very steep left turn and the left wing hit a small knoll. The aircraft cart-wheeled and crashed."[535] Lieutenant Harvey E. Gardner and Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Lawrence J. Farrell died.[259] Joe Baugher lists crash date as 1 April 1959.[534]
9 January
A U.S. Air Force
F-89 Scorpion with two crew members crashes minutes after takeoff from
Portland Air National Guard Base, Oregon. Crew were pilot Powell and radar observer James Long. Powell transmitted a distress call after takeoff. The jet crashed about 3.75 miles (6.04 km) northeast of the airport just north of
U.S. Route 830 (now
State Route 14), Vista Road,
Clark County, Washington. The jet carried 42 live "Mighty Mouse" unguided missiles when it went down.
14 January
During its final approach to
Naval Air Station Key West,
Florida, a
Royal Canadian NavyMcDonnell F2H-3 Banshee, BuNo 126488, Sqn. No. 105 of
VF-870, suffers a double engine flameout and crash-lands in a nearby lagoon, shearing off the landing gear and starboard wing. Pilot SubLt. Jean Veronneau only suffers minor injuries, but the fighter is written off. The crash is attributed to fuel starvation caused by the pilot's failure to transfer fuel from the auxiliary wingtip fuel tanks to the main fuselage tank earlier in the flight.[536]
22 January
A
Boeing KB-50 Superfortress takes off from
England AFB, Louisiana, one of seven on an early morning refuelling mission with fighters, but the pilot radios that he has a problem and is returning to the field. The tanker crashes shortly thereafter, killing all six crew, with the tail section on the right-of-way of the
Texas and Pacific Railway at
Alexandria, Louisiana.[537][538]
22 January
"
HONOLULU, Jan. 22 (
AP) – An air force
Super-Constellation lost both of its port engines but the pilot landed the craft safely one hour later, using only the two starboard engines. Nineteen airmen were aboard the
C-121 radar plane which was on a reconnaissance flight. Maj. Earl W. Bierer, the pilot, said the No. 2 engine dropped off, damaging the propeller of No. 1."[539][540]
26 January
Tenth of 13
North American X-10s, GM-52-3, c/n 10, on
Navaho X-10 Drone
BOMARC target mission 3, out of
Cape Canaveral, Florida. The X-10 is launched with only one electrical generator due to a lack of any remaining spares. As it headed out over the ocean, that generator fails. It loses all electrical power, and crashes into the ocean 105 km downrange. This is the final X-10 mission, the
Navaho program having been cancelled on 13 July 1957.[38][541]
USAF test pilot Capt.
Halvor M. Ekeren Jr. is killed in the crash of his
Convair JF-106A-50 Delta Dart near
Indian Springs AFB,
Nevada. Ekeren reports an oil pressure warning light and attempts to make an emergency landing. Black smoke begins issuing from Ekeren's tailpipe, and he ejects at about 6,000 feet (1,800 m) before the plane explodes. Ekeren's parachute becomes entangled with his ejection seat, and once freed it streams behind him without opening. Ekeren dies two and a half hours later at the
Nellis AFB hospital. Earlier in the year Ekeren had been one of the 32 finalists for
NASA Astronaut Group 1, but ultimately was not selected.[546]
A
USAFLockheed C-130A Hercules57-0468, c/n 3175 overshot the runway at
Ashiya AB, Japan. The pilot tried to pull up, but the C-130 crashed into Air Force barracks. 9 fatalities.[550]
31 May
A
U.S. Marine Corps aviator, flying into
NAS Glenview, Illinois, from
MCAS Cherry Point, North Carolina, was killed when his
Douglas AD Skyraider crashed into an adjacent cemetery after two missed approaches in conditions of zero ceiling and visibility of only three-sixteenths of a mile. Lt. William P. Byrne, 25, originally of
Cleveland, was being directed by the tower on a guided control approach system on the north-south runway but was waved off twice for being too low. After the second missed approach, his aircraft veered right, hit a row of trees along Shermer Road west of the airfield, sheared off part of the porch of the home of Richard Wood, 1990 Old Willow Road, and impacted in Sunset Memorial Park. "Wheels and parts of the plane's fuselage were ripped off as it struck a huge gravestone. The remainder of the plane plowed onward for 500 feet, leveling gravestones and uprooting trees. Lt. Byrne's body was found lying near the wreckage." Lt. Byrne was graduated from
Notre Dame University in 1955, and had been in the Marine Air Corps since then. He is survived by his wife, Margaret, and his daughter, Kathy, 18 months, who were staying with Mrs. Byrne's parents, Mr. and Mrs. William P. Burke, at 5904 N. Kolmar Avenue, whom the pilot was coming to visit.[551] Byrne's widow,
Jane, will eventually become
Mayor of Chicago.
Lockheed F-104A-5-LO Starfighter, 56–742, c/n 183-1030, to
General Electric Flight Test, June: 1957, performed accelerated service tests on
J79 engine. Crashes this date on landing approach at
Edwards AFB, California, when split flap condition occurs. Pilot ejects too low and is killed.[439]
Third production
Avro Vulcan, XA891, fitted with revised wing leading edge and used as engine testbed for
Bristol Olympus 200, crashes at
Yorkshire, but crew escapes unhurt.[555]
6 July
A
USAFDouglas C-124A-DL Globemaster II, 49-254A, c/n 43183, Jumbo 14, of the
3d Strategic Support Squadron,
Strategic Air Command,
Barksdale AFB, Louisiana, is involved in a
Broken Arrow when it crashes on takeoff from that base at 14:11 CST, two minutes after the start of the takeoff roll, coming down 3,300 feet (1,000 m) south and slightly to the right of runway 14. The cargo load of an unspecified number and type of nuclear weapons was to be transported to
Little Rock AFB, Arkansas. One weapon was destroyed by the post-crash fire which also burned out the airframe. No nuclear or high explosive detonation occurred, and contamination was limited to a confined area directly below the weapon. Six flight crew of crew R-41, and one substitution, all survived the crash. Although they denied any knowledge of engine malfunctions during the takeoff roll, witnesses stated that one or more engines were after firing or backfired from the beginning of the roll throughout the entire flight. After approximately 6,000 feet (1,800 m) of ground roll, the airframe assumed a nose high attitude as it climbed to between 50 and 100 feet (30 m), with one or more engines after firing excessively during the climb. The aircraft leveled off briefly before again assuming a nose high attitude when it then settled back to earth amidst smoke and dust. An intense fire then broke out (the aircraft was carrying c. 5,000 gallons of fuel). After firefighters extinguished the blaze, weapons were removed using a M246 wrecker and a 40-foot (12 m) trailer.[556]
6 July
A
USAFLockheed F-104C-5-LO Starfighter, 56-0905, of the
436th Tactical Fighter Squadron,
George Air Force Base, California, suffers a right main tire failure on take off from that base. The pilot aborted and engaged the barrier dead center. The aircraft decelerated and came to rest off the right side of the overrun in the dirt. There was no fire. The pilot, Lt. Morris Ballard Larson, of the,
434th Tactical Fighter Squadron,
479th Tactical Fighter Wing, was not injured. Taking-off in formation as number 2/Wing, Lt. Larson felt the right main gear tire blow at 4,200 ft. down the runway and at c. 150 knots. He started to veer towards Lead and corrected with left brake and reduction of power to avoid collision. The pilot then aborted t/o, reducing throttle and engaging nose wheel steering and deploying drag chute. The pilot was able to keep the F-104C centered and radioed that he was taking the barrier. Aimed at the center of the barrier the pilot moved throttle to OFF. A successful barrier engagement was made and the aircraft decelerated, then veered right into the dirt just off the hard overrun surface. The pilot engaged the fuel shut off switch, opened the canopy and evacuated without injury.
A Hunter VII of the Dutch Royal Air Force crashed in
Nieuwkoop. At a night of 10000 feet an engine failed. While trying to elevate an explosion occurred. Due to the crash a farm burned down. The two pilots could escape before the crash, one was injured. A livestock of 20 pigs were killed.[558]
26 July
A
Vought F8U-1 Crusader, BuNo 143696, from
VMF-122,
MAG-32,
MCAS Beaufort, South Carolina,[559] was passing through 47,000 feet (14,000 m) when the engine seized. The
ram air turbine did not deploy and the pilot lost control of the aircraft causing him to eject from that altitude. Lt. Col. William H. Rankin, then commanding officer of the squadron earned a place in the
Guinness Book of Records by surviving the longest recorded parachute descent in history. Leader of a flight of two aircraft, the second piloted by Lt. Herbert Nolan, he had ejected into a violent thunderstorm over the
South Carolina coast which caused his descent to last 40 minutes vice the expected 11 minutes, finally coming down in
North Carolina,[560] near
Ahoskie. In 1960 he published his account of the experience in a book, "The Man Who Rode the Thunder".[561][562]
In what was intended to be a routine
NACA flight but turns out to be the final flight ever of a
North American F-107A, the second accident involving the type occurs when pilot
Scott Crossfield cannot get 55-5120 to lift off of the dry lakebed at
Edwards AFB, California due to improperly set stabilizer trim. Nosewheel tires blow, pilot aborts take-off, tries to taxi airframe into the wind when the left main gear catches fire, airframe suffers fire damage, F-107 flight program ends. Airframe of 55–5120 cut up at Edwards, fuselage shipped to
Sheppard AFB, Texas, for use as fire training aid.[564]
10 August
A
Royal Canadian Air ForceCanadair F-86 Sabre of the
Golden Hawks aerobatic team overshot when landing at McCall Airfield, Alberta, with the rest of the team and collided with a
Piper Pacer about 2 miles (3.2 km) west of the field. Pilot of the Sabre and two occupants of the Pacer were killed.[565]
14 August
Martin XSM-68-1-MA Titan I missile B-5, 57–2692,[566] explodes on launchpad at Launch Complex 19 during sub-orbital flight,
Cape Canaveral, Florida, when its tie-down bolts explode prematurely as the vehicle builds up thrust. An umbilical generates a "no-go" signal prompting an engine-kill signal from the flight controls and the Titan loses all thrust, falls back through the launcher ring and explodes. The umbilical tower is damaged in the ensuing fire.[567]
16 September
A
Convair YB-58A-10-CF Hustler, 58-1017, c/n 24, of the
43rd Bomb Wing, is totally destroyed by fire following an aborted take-off from
Carswell Air Force Base,
Fort Worth, Texas. The loss was directly attributed to tire failure, followed by disintegration of the wheel. Sturdier tires and new wheels will be retrofitted to the type to address this problem.[568]
24 September
A
Lockheed U-2C, 56-6693, Article 360, of the
SAC's
4028th Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron (SRS), Detachment C, out of
Atsugi Air Force Base, Japan, and clandestinely operated by the
CIA, runs out of fuel and pilot Tom Crull makes an emergency landing at the civilian airfield at
Fujisawa, damaging belly. The black-painted aircraft with no identity markings attracts curious locals, and officials and
military police are quickly dispatched to cordon off the area. This they do at gunpoint, which attracts even more attention and pictures of the highly secret U-2C soon appear in the Japanese
press.[505] Factory repaired and assigned to Det. B, this is the airframe that pilot
Francis Gary Powers will be shot down in on 1 May 1960. The 20th U-2 built, it was delivered to the CIA on 5 November 1956. Used for test and development work from 1957 to May 1959. Converted to U-2C by 18 August 1959.[569]
25 September
A
United States NavyMartin P5M-2 Marlin, BuNo 135540, SG tailcode, '6', of
VP-50, out of
NAS Whidbey Island, Washington on
Puget Sound, is forced to ditch in the Pacific Ocean, about 100 miles (160 km) west of the Washington-
Oregon border after fire in the port engine, loss of electrical power. Pilot was Lt. James D. Henson of Hot Springs, Arkansas. A
Betty depth bomb casing is lost and never recovered, but it was not fitted with a
nuclear core.[570] The weapon was jettisoned immediately after ditching, in 1430 fathoms of water.[571][572] Coast Guard cutter
USCGC Yocona, out of
Astoria, Oregon, rescues all ten crew after ten hours in a raft. A Coast Guard
Grumman UF Albatross amphibian directed the vessel to the crew. The press was not notified at the time.[citation needed]
1 October
English Electric test pilot Johnny W.C. Squier, flying prototype two-seat
English Electric Lightning T.4, XL628, suffers structural failure, ejects at
Mach 1.7, becoming first UK pilot to eject above the speed of sound. Radar tracks the descending fighter, but not the pilot as he landed in the
Irish Sea, and despite an extensive search, Squier has to make his way ashore by himself after 28 hours in a dinghy. Squier passes away 30 January 2006, aged 85.[573]
A
USAFBoeing B-52F Stratofortress, 57-036, collides with
Boeing KC-135A Stratotanker, 57-1513, over
Hardinsberg, Kentucky, crashes with two nuclear weapons on board, killing four of eight on the bomber and all four tanker crew. One bomb partially burned in fire, but both are recovered intact.[574] Bombs moved to the
AEC's
Clarksville, Tennessee storage site for inspection and dismantlement. Both aircraft deployed from
Columbus AFB,
Mississippi.
27 October
Convair YB-58 Hustler, 55-0669, crashes 7 miles (11 km) west of
Hattiesburg, Mississippi;
Convair pilot Everett L. Wheeler, and Convair flight engineer Michael F. Keller survive; Convair flight engineer Harry N. Blosser killed. Accident cause was loss of control during normal flight.[citation needed]
2 November
A
Lockheed F-104 Starfighter crashed into a home in suburban
Dayton, Ohio killing to young girls. The pilot, Major James W. Bradbury, had ejected and landed safely a mile from the crash site.[575]
5 November
A small engine fire forces pilot
Scott Crossfield to make an emergency landing on
Rosamond Dry Lake,
Edwards AFB, California, in
North American X-15, 56-6671. Not designed to land with fuel on board, test craft comes down with a heavy load of propellants and breaks its back, grounding this particular X-15 for three months. Footage of this accident was later incorporated in the Outer Limits episode "
The Premonition", first aired 9 January 1965.[576]
10 November
The combination of a blizzard and a blocked runway at
Malmstrom AFB,
Great Falls, Montana leads to the loss of three
Northrop F-89 Scorpion aircraft. During a blizzard the runway was unusable due to a
Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star which had sheared its landing gear on touch down. The Scorpions and an undisclosed number of other aircraft were returning to the base low on fuel and in near zero visibility. Four were lost in two of the crashed planes while the two man crew of the third parachuted to safety. No one was injured in the T-33 incident.[577]
30 November
A Hunter of the Dutch Royal Air Force crashed in
Nispen into a farm. The 34-years old pilot died. The farm burned down. The wife and child at the farm were able to escape. The 20-animals consisting livestock didn’t survive.[578]
2 December
A USAF
Douglas VC-47D Skytrain, 43-49024, c/n 14840/26285, built as C-47B-10-DK, crashes and burns in woods 10 miles (16 km) north of
Oslo, Norway, killing all four on board. There was fog in the area at the time of the accident.[579]
4 December
On Friday, December 4, 1959, Ensign
Albert Joe Hickman was practising aircraft carrier landings as part of a training mission conducted from
Naval Air Station Miramar, California. When his
McDonnell F3H Demon suddenly stalled, Hickman was still 2,000 feet (610 m) above ground. He could easily have ejected from the cockpit in time to save his own life. Below him, however, and directly in the path of the crippled plane was Hawthorne Elementary School, where more than 700 children were playing in the schoolyard. Hickman chose to remain in the cockpit. He somehow maneuvered the descending plane away from the school, assuring the safety – and probably saving the lives – of several hundred people. Now at an altitude of only 60 feet (18 m), he no longer had the option to eject. The plane crashed into a nearby canyon, exploding on impact, and Albert J. Hickman was killed. A school in the San Diego community of
Mira Mesa was later named after him.
American Legion Post 460 in San Diego,
Department of California, is named the Albert J. Hickman Post.[580]
14 December
Boeing KC-97G Stratofreighter, 53-0231, of the
384th Air Refueling Squadron, out of
Westover AFB, Massachusetts, collides with a
B-52 during a refueling mission at an altitude of c. 15,000 feet. The aircraft loses the whole left horizontal stabilizer and elevator, the rudder, and the upper quarter of the vertical stabilizer. Crew makes a no-flap, electrical power off landing at night at
Dow AFB, Maine, seven crew okay. "Spokesmen at Dow Air Force, Bangor, said the B52 [sic] apparently 'crowded too close' and rammed a fuel boom into the tail of a 4 engined KC95 [sic] tanker plane."[581] Aircraft stricken as beyond economical repair. Two crew on the B-52 eject, parachute safely, and are recovered by helicopters in a snow-covered wilderness area. The bomber and remaining eight crew members continue to Westover AFB, where a safe landing is made.[582]
21 December
Two prototypes of the
Tupolev Tu-105 (Samolët 105) were built with the first flying on 21 June: 1958. The second modified prototype was designated the Tu-105A (Samolët 105A), first flown 7 September 1959. On its seventh test flight, this date, Samolët 105A was lost, the radio operator successfully ejecting, the pilot Yuri Alasheev and the navigator being killed.[583] The 105A was accepted for production as the
Tupolev Tu-22B.
^Staff (14 January 1955). "Famous Pilot Missing In Desert Crash – Verdin, Speed Record Holder, Hunted in Wilds". The San Bernardino Sun. Vol. LXI, no. 117. San Bernardino, California. p. 1.
^Staff (15 January 1955). "Jet Test Pilot's Body Found On Desert: Verdin's Chute Failed to Open, Air Force Says – Scores of Planes, Thousands of Men Join in Wide Search". The San Bernardino Sun. Vol. LXI, no. 118. San Bernardino, California. p. 1.
^United Press, "Flying Boxcars Grounded Until Engines Inspected", The Sun-Telegram, San Bernardino, California, 16 January 1955, Vol. VIII, No. 41, p. 1.
^Associated Press, "37 Bail Out In Air Crash", Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 12 January 1955, Vol. 28, No. 141, p. 2.
^Associated Press, "Navy 'Weekend' Flier Is Killed – Plane Hits Muddy Field Near El Toro", The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Monday 17 January 1955, Vol. LXI, No. 119, p. 1.
^United Press, "Navy Plane Crashes Into Stormy Sea; 12 Men, 1 Woman Missing", The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Tuesday 18 June 1955, Vol. LXI, No. 120, p. 1.
^Associated Press, "Airmen Safely Land Jet in Muddy Field", The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Thursday 20 June 1955, Vol. LXI, No. 122, p. 2.
^Associated Press, "Jet Crashes Into Sea", The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Saturday, 22 January 1955, Vol. LXI, No. 124, p. 1.
^Associated Press, "Seven Survive Pacific Crash", The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, 22 January 1955, Vol. LXI, No. 124, p. 1.
^Associated Press, "Jet Fighter Crashes In Navy Prison Area", The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Friday 21 June 1955, Vol. LXI, No. 123, p. 3.
^United Press, ""Copter Crash Kills 6", The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Saturday 29 January 1955, Vol. LXI, No. 130, p. 1.
^Associated Press, "Navy Jet Flier Dies in Crash; Helicopter Pilot Killed at Scene", The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Saturday 29 January 1955, Vol. LXI, No. 130, p. 1.
^
abHaas, Michael E., "Apollo's Warriors: US Air Force Special Operations During the Cold War", University Press of the Pacific, Honolulu, Hawaii, 2002,
ISBN1-4102-0009-4, p. 92.
^Santa Cruz, California, "10 Die As B 29 Crashes in Okinawa", Santa Cruz Sentinel, Thursday 28 April 1955, p. 14.
^Associated Press, "4 Army Men Killed In Helicopter Crash", Charleston Evening Post, Charleston, South Carolina, Wednesday 4 May 1955, Vol. 61, No. 184, p. 3-A.
^"Three Killed at Navy Base". Daily Herald, Provo. 6 May 1955.
^Derrel S. Fulwider (Winter–Spring 1986). "From Resource Management to People Management: Reflections of a Federal Land Manager". The Humboldt Historian: 5–7.
^Associated Press, "Pilot Stays In Damaged Plane To Give Men Chance To Jump", Charleston Evening Post, Monday 9 May 1955, Vol. 61, No. 188, p. 8-B.
^Gibson, James N. Nuclear Weapons of the United States – An Illustrated History . Atglen, Pennsylvania.: Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 1996,
LCCN96-67282,
ISBN978-0-7643-0063-9, pp. 152, 154.
^Associated Press, "Plane Crashes Aboard Carrier During Exercises", Charleston Evening Post, Charleston, South Carolina, Tuesday 17 May 1955, Vol. 61, No. 195, p. 6-A.
^Charleston, South Carolina, "Plane Crash Fatal To S.C. Test Pilot", The Charleston Evening Post, 19 May 1955, Vol. 61, No. 197, p. 7-B
^Maggelet, Michael H., and Oskins, James C., "Broken Arrow: The Declassified History of U.S. Nuclear Weapons Accidents", Lulu Publishing, www.lulu.com, 2007,
ISBN978-1-4357-0361-2, chapter 29, pp. 279–287.
^
abvan Waarde, Jan, "Crossed Swords", Flypast, Key Publishing, Ltd., Stamford, Lincs., UK, No. 371, June 2012, p. 110.
^"One Crew Member Of Crashed Jet Critically Injured," Playground Daily News, Fort Walton Beach, Florida, 5 September 1957, p. 1A.
^Associated Press, "Six Men Killed In B-25 Crash At Mitchel Field", Lewiston Evening Journal, Lewiston, Maine, Tuesday 13 September 1955, Vol. XCV, p. 2.
^Stoff, Joshua, "Long Island Aircraft Crashes 1909 – 1959", Arcadia Publications, an imprint of Tempus Publishing, Inc., Portsmouth, NH, Charleston, SC, Chicago, IL, San Francisco, CA, 2004,
LCCN2003-116337,
ISBN978-0-7385-3516-6. p. 105.
^Just, Megan, 452 AMW Public Affairs, "MARCH IN REVIEW: 55 years after the crash", March Air Reserve Base, California, 27 October 2010, updated 4 May 2011.
^Shettle, M. L. Jr. (1995). United States Naval Air Stations of
World War II: Vol. I – Eastern States.
Bowersville, Georgia: Schaertel Publishing Co. p. 17.
ISBN978-0-9643388-0-7.
^Jacobsen, Annie M., "Area 51: An Uncensored History of America's Top Secret Military Base", Back Bay Books, Little, Brown and Company, New York, Boston, London, 2011,
LCCN2011-925205,
ISBN978-0-316-13294-7 (hardcover),
ISBN978-0-316-20230-5 (trade paperback), pp. 59–60.
^Associated Press, "41 Dead in Two U.S. Air Crashes: 14 Dead in
Nevada Smashup", The Lima News, Lima, Ohio, Friday 18 November 1955, Vol. 71, No. 319, p. 1.
^"The Souls". coldwarmonument.org. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
^Independent News Service, "Jet Pilot Killed In 2-Plane Crash", The Lima News, Lima, Ohio, Friday 18 November 1955, Vol. 71, No. 319, p. 1.
^Cooper, Peter J., "Picking up the Pieces", Air International,
Stamford, Lincs., UK, November 1998, Vol. 55, No. 5, p. 281.
^
abJackson, Robert, "Combat Aircraft Prototypes since 1945", Arco/Prentice Hall Press, New York, 1986,
LCCN85-18725,
ISBN978-0-671-61953-4, p. 91.
^Nicolaou, Stephane, "Master of the Seas: The Martin P6M Flying Boat", Wings, Sentry Publications,
Granada Hills, California, December 1986, Vol. 16, No. 6, pp. 25–26.
^The Unhymnal – Unofficial songbook of the Clemson University bands, edit circa 1967, Clemson University,
Clemson, South Carolina.
^Harte, Michael; Ring, Rachel; Woodward, Heather (2006). The Day Wadhurst Changed Friday 20th January 1956. Wadhurst: Wadhurst History Society. pp. 19–21, 61.
ISBN0-9545802-2-2.
^United Press, “Three Officers Die In Bomber Crash,†The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Friday 27 January 1956, Vol. LXII, No. 128, p. 1.
^Associated Press, “Five Sabres Crash; Pilots Escape Unhurt,†The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Saturday 28 January 1956, Vol. LXII, No. 129, p. 2.
^United Press, “Guided Missile Strikes Grove – Blast Rips Hole 25 Feet Wide, 10 Deep,†The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Tuesday 31 January 1956, Vol. LXII, No. 131, p. 1.
^Associated Press, “B25 Ditches in Turbulent River – Four of Six Men On Board Rescued,†The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, 1 February 1956, Vol. LXII, No. 132, p. 1.
^Letter dated 6 April 1956 to Honorable Clinton P. Anderson, Chairman, JCAE, from Herbert B. Loper, Assistant to the Secretary of Defense (Atomic Energy).
^Crestview, Florida, "Crestview Man On Ill-Fated Plane", The Okaloosa News-Journal, Thursday 8 March 1956, Vol. 42, No. 10, p. 1.
^Associated Press, "B25 Crashes In Texas; 6 Airmen Die", The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Friday 23 March 1956, Vol. LXII, No. 176, p. 9.
^Associated Press, "Skyraider Crashes in Desert", The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Friday 23 March 1956, Vol. LXII, No. 176, p. 4.
^Associated Press, "3 Bodies Found In Plane Wreck", The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Saturday 24 March 1956, Vol. LXII, No. 177, p. 1.
^Associated Press, "Rocket, Mother Plane Land Safely After Freak Mishap",The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Saturday 24 March 1956, Vol. LXII, No. 177, p. 6.
^Associated Press, "Rancher Sues for Jet Plane Crash Damage", The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Saturday 2 February 1957, Vol. LXIII, No. 133, p. 2.
^Associated Press, "XB51 Bomber Crashes and Burns; One Killed, Pilot Saved", The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Monday 26 March 1956, Vol. LXII, No. 178, p. 1.
^Peterson, Wayne, "Toward The Unknown", Wings, Woodland, Hills, California, June: 2002, Vol. 32, No. 3, p. 13.
^Feather, Bill, "Plane Crash Kills Engineer; Pilot Injured As Bomber Falls", El Paso Times, El Paso, Texas, 26 March 1956.
^Associated Press, "Seven Killed In Crashes of Navy Planes", The San Bernardino Daily Sun, Sam Bernardino, California, Tuesday 27 March 1956, Vol. LXII, No. 179, p. 2.
^Associated Press, "Seven Killed In Crashes of Navy Planes – Four Lost In Crash", The San Bernardino Daily Sun, Sam Bernardino, California, Tuesday 27 March 1956, Vol. LXII, No. 179, p. 2.
^United Press, "Three Burned in Fire At Edwards AF Base", The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Wednesday 28 March 1956, Vol. LXII, No. 180, p. 1.
^United Press, "3 Die In Jet Plane Blast", Anderson Herald, Anderson, Indiana, 29 March 1956.
^Associated Press, "Jet Fighter Crashes Near Edwards Air Base", The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, 29 March 1956, Vol. LXII, No. 181, p. 4.
^United Press, "35 Who Escaped Burning Ship, 3 In Plane Rescued", The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Friday 30 March 1956, Vol. LXII, No. 182, p. 14.
^Associated Press, "Norton Cargo Plane Crashes; 3 Killed – Two Survive Fiery Disaster On Oregon Hill", The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Saturday 31 March 1956, Vol. LXII, No. 183, p. 1.
^Associated Press, "Norton Plane Wreck Probed – Three Killed, Two Survive Fiery Crash", The Sun-Telegram, San Bernardino, California, Sunday 1 April 1956, Vol. IX, No. 52, pp. 1, 2.
^United Press, "B29 Hits Tower Of Radio Station, Crashes To Ground", The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Wednesday 4 April 1956, Vol. LXII, No. 186, p. 6.
^Associated Press, "C119 Wreckage Sighted on Peak", San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Friday 6 April 1956, Vol. LXII, No. 188, p. 5.
^Associated Press, "Test Pilot Bails Out of Navy Jet Over Edwards AFB", The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Friday 6 April 1956, Vol. LXII, No. 188, p. 1.
^Associated Press, "Giant Transport Crashes, Burns; 3 Die", San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, 7 April 1956, Vol. LXII, No. 189, p. 1.
^United Press, "Two In F89C Killed", San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Saturday 7 April 1956, Vol. LXII, No. 189, p. 1.
^United Press, "Two Navy Planes Collide Over City; Four Men Killed", The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Friday 20 April 1956, Vol. LXII, No. 200, p. 1.
^Mills, Carl. Banshees of the Royal Canadian Navy. Willowdale, Ontario, Canada: Banshee Publication, 1991,
ISBN978-0-9695200-0-9, pp. 278–279.
^
abUnited Press, "Jet Rips Into Convent, 50 May Be Dead: Plane Strikes As Nuns Sleep; Building Blazes", The Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Wednesday 16 May 1956, Vol. LXII, No. 222, p. 1.
^198History of Task Group 7.4 (Provisional), June: 1956, Joint Task Force Seven, pp. 15, 22; THE GLOBEMASTER, Anthony J. Tambini, Branden Publishing Company, Brookline Village,
Massachusetts, p. 134.
^Associated Press, "Air Tanker Crashes; 11 Men Killed", The Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Wednesday 27 June 1956, Vol. LXII, No. 258, p. 1.
^United Press, "10 Missing in Military Plane Crashes in Labrador and Oahu", The Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Saturday 7 July 1956, Vol. LXII, No. 267, p. 1.
^Associated Press, "Four Lost On Oahu", The Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Saturday 7 July 1956, Vol. LXII, No. 267, p. 1.
^Langeveld, M. Dirk, "The ultimate sacrifice; wreck sites a reminder of military plane disasters", Sun Journal,
Lewiston, Maine, 12 September 2010.
^Associated Press, "Pilot Bails Out", The Sun-Telegram, San Bernardino, California, 8 July 1956, Vol. X, No. 14, p. 2.
^United Press, "Norton Jet Crashes In San Dimas Street", The Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Monday 9 July 1956, Vol. LXII, No. 268, pp. 1, 3.
^Associated Press, "Pilot Killed in Crash At San Dimas Identified", The Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Tuesday 10 July 1956, Vol. LXII, No. 269, p. 1.
^United Press, "GI Plane Crash Kills 45!: 2 Children, 2 Women Are Among Dead", Chicago Tribune, Chicago, Illinois, Saturday 14 July 1956, Vol. CXV, No. 168, Part 1, pp. 1, 4
^United Press, "Bomber Crashes", Chicago Tribune, Chicago, Illinois, Saturday 14 July 1956, Vol. CXV, No. 168, Part 1, p. 4
^Associated Press, "Jets Collide; Pilots Rescued", The Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Saturday 14 July 1956, Vol. LXII, No. 273, p. 2.
^Associated Press, "Navy Pilot Killed In Imperial Crash", The Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Saturday 14 July 1956, Vol. LXII, No. 273, p. 2.
^United Press, "Navy Jet Fighter Pilot Dies as Plane Explodes", Chicago Tribune, Chicago, Illinois, Saturday 14 July 1956, Vol. CXV, No. 168, Part 1, p. 4
^United Press, "Pilot 'Deadsticks' C45 To Landing on Highway", The Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Monday 16 July 1956, Vol. LXII, No. 274, p. 1.
^Associated Press, "Arresting Gear, Sprinting Ability Save Fighter Pilot", The Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Wednesday 18 July 1956, Vol. LXII, No. 276, p. 2.
^Maggelet, Michael H. and Oskins, James C., "Broken Arrow: The Declassified History of U. S. Nuclear Weapons Accidents", www.lulu.com, 2007, Chapter 8, pp. 83–87.
^Maggelet, Michael H. and Oskins, James C., "RAF Lakenheath- Fact vs. Fiction", Nuclear Weapons Accidents- The Maggelet/Oskins Broken Arrow Blog, Thursday 27 September 2012.
^Associated Press, "Plane Crashes High in Sierra", The Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Friday 3 August 1956, Vol. LXII, No. 290, p. 1.
^Cruz, Gonzalo Avila, "Birth of a Modern Force – North American F-86F Sabres in
Spain", Air Enthusiast, Stamford, Lincolnshire, UK, No. 109, January–February 2004, p. 40.
^Pocock, Chris, "50 Years of the U-2: The Complete Illustrated History of the 'Dragon Lady' ", Schiffer Publishing, Ltd., Atglen, Pennsylvania,
LCCN2005-927577,
ISBN978-0-7643-2346-1, p. 406.
^Associated Press, "Fear 11 Dead In Weather Plane Crash – B-50 Wrecked on Isle in Alaska River", Chicago Daily Tribune, 1 September 1956, Vol. CXV, No. 210, Part 2, p. 10.
^Simone, William J., "One Oh Seven", Aerophile, Austin, Texas, August 1978, Vol. 1, No. 5, pp. 251–252.
^Stoff, Joshua, "Long Island Aircraft Crashes 1909 – 1959", Arcadia Publications, an imprint of Tempus Publishing, Inc., Portsmouth, NH, Charleston, SC, Chicago, IL, San Francisco, CA, 2004,
LCCN2003-116337,
ISBN978-0-7385-3516-6. p. 107.
^Perry County, Pennsylvania, "Air Force C-119 Crashes in County; Four Are Killed", Perry County Times, Thursday 1 November 1956.
^Werrell, Kenneth P., "The Evolution of the Cruise Missile", Air University, Maxwell Air Force Base,
Montgomery, Alabama, first printing 1995, second printing 1998,
LCCN85-8131, p. 98. [ISBN missing]
^United Press, "Four Killed In Crash of Stratojet", Brownsville Herald, Brownsville, Texas, 7 November 1956.
^Nicolaou, Stephane, "Master of the Seas: The Martin P6M Flying Boat", Wings, Sentry Publications, Granada Hills, California, December 1986, Vol. 16, No. 6, pp. 26–27.
^Pocock, Chris, "50 Years of the U-2: The Complete Illustrated History of the 'Dragon Lady' ", Schiffer Publishing, Ltd., Atglen, Pennsylvania,
LCCN2005-927577,
ISBN978-0-7643-2346-1, pp. 51, 406.
^
abCharleston, South Carolina, "Plane Crash Death Toll Rises To 7", Charleston Evening Post, Tuesday 1 January 1957, Vol. 63, No. 79, p. 2-A.
^Charleston, South Carolina, "Charleston-Based Plane Crashes: 26 Survive Crack-up In Saudi Arabia – 3 Dead, 12 Missing As MATS Aircraft Plunges To Earth", Charleston Evening Post, Monday 31 December 1956, Vol. 63, No. 78, p. 1-A.
^Charleston, South Carolina, "Plane Crash Death Toll Rises To 7", Charleston Evening Post, Tuesday 1 January 1957, Vol. 63, No. 79, pp. 1-A, 2-A.
^Editors, "B-52 Database",B-52 Stratofortress: Celebrating 60 Remarkable Years, Key Publishing Ltd., Stamford, Lincs., UK, 2014, p. 92.
^Associated Press, "B52 Explodes In Flight; Searchers Find 7 Bodies", publication not listed, 11 January 1957.
^Associated Press, "4th Life Taken In Plane Crash", San Bernardino Sun, San Bernardino, California, Wednesday 16 January 1957, Vol. LXIII, No. 118, p. 18.
^United Press, "Hangars Burn; $3 Million In Airplanes Destroyed", San Bernardino Sun, San Bernardino, California, Wednesday 16 January 1957, Vol. LXIII, No. 118, p. 18.
^Staff, "Destruction at air base", Walla Walla Union-Bulletin, 16 January 1957.
^Associated Press, "Weather Plane Crashes, Burns; 12 Die: Blown to Bits In Takeoff on Arctic Flight – Eight Bodies Found Five Hours After Disaster In Alaska", San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Friday 18 January 1957, Vol. LXIII, No. 120, p. 1.
^Associated Press, "Two In B57 Killed", San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Friday 18 January 1957, Vol. LXIII, No. 120, p. 8.
^Associated Press, "Navy Transport Flips", San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Monday 21 January 1957, Vol. LXIII, No. 122, p. 3.
^Associated Press, "Fighters Lock Wings; 2 Killed", San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Monday 21 January 1957, Vol. LXIII, No. 122, p. 2.
^Associated Press, "Jet Plane Explodes In Stormy Skies", San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Monday 21 January 1957, Vol. LXIII, No. 122, p. 2.
^Staff, "Plane Slams Desert Peak, Three Killed: Air Force Transport Caught in Snowstorm Along Baker Grade", San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Monday 21 January 1957, Vol. LXIII, No. 122, p. 13.
^Associated Press, "Tanker Plane Found; 7 Dead – Wreckage in Dense Adirondack Woods", The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Friday 25 January 1957, Vol. LXIII, No. 126, p. 1.
^Associated Press, "Crash Takes Life of One", The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Wednesday 23 January 1957, Vol. LXIII, No. 124, p. 2.
^United Press, "Three Lost Fliers Taken Off Barren Caribbean Isle", The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Saturday 26 January 1957, Vol. LXIII, No. 127, p. 1.
^"Lt. William K. Ryan". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. January 26, 1957. p. 2 – via
Newsbank.
^Associated Press, "Test Of Air Force Missile Thor Fails: Usual Secrecy Thrown About Launch Attempt – Big Rocket Climbs Short Distance, Crashes and Burns", The Sun-Telegram, San Bernardino, California, Sunday 27 January 1957, Vol. X, No. 43, p. 1.
^United Press, "Pilot Lost Off Guam", The Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Monday 28 January 1957, Vol. LXIII, No. 128, p. 3.
^Staff, "Jet Pilot Bails Out Over Desert", The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, 26 January 1957, Vol. LXIII, No. 127, p. 16.
^United Press, "11 On Crippled Navy Plane Bail Out In Storm, Saved", The Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Monday 28 January 1957, Vol. LXIII, No. 128, p. 1.
^"Eleven NAS Hutch Plane Crewmen Saved By Chutes", The Hutchinson News-Herald, Hutchinson, Kansas, Monday 28 January 1957, p. 1.
^Associated Press, "B47 Crashes In Flames in Atlantic, 4 Lost", The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Saturday 2 February 1957, Vol. LXIII, No. 133, p. 1.
^Associated Press, "Jet Explodes, Shatters Home: Woman Rescued, Pilot Is Killed", The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Saturday 2 February 1957, Vol. LXIII, No. 133, p. 1.
^Associated Press, "Giant Tanker Planes Collide; 14 Lost: Five Injured In Crash High Above St. Lo – Two Craft Plunge In Flames; Third Returns To Base", The Sun-Telegram, San Bernardino, California, Sunday 3 February 1957, Vol. X, No. 44, p. 1.
^Associated Press, "Navy Jet Explodes In Flight, Crashes", The Sun-Telegram, San Bernardino, California, Sunday 3 February 1957, Vol. X, No. 44, p. 1.
^
abAssociated Press, "2 More U. S. Jets Smash Up; Icing Hinted In Liner Crash: Navy, AF Pilots Die In Mishaps", The Sunday Press, Binghamton Press Sunday Edition, Sunday 3 February 1957, Vol. 8, No. 22, p. 1.
^Associated Press, "Marine Jet Crashes High On Mt. Baldy", The Sun-Telegram, San Bernardino, California, Sunday 3 February 1957, Vol. X, No. 44, p. 1.
^Associated Press, "Air Tragedies Series Kills 51", The Sun-Telegram, San Bernardino, California, Sunday 3 February 1957, Vol. X, No. 44, p. 5.
^United Press, "Two Officers Killed In Jet Plane Crash", The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Tuesday 5 February 1957, Vol. LXIII, No. 135, p. 1.
^United Press, "Two Navy Fliers Killed In Crash at El Centro", The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Saturday 16 February 1957, Vol. LXIII, No. 145, p. 1.
^United Press, "Lockheed Test Pilot Injured at Palmdale", The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Saturday 16 February 1957, Vol. LXIII, No. 145, p. 1.
^Associated Press, "Plane Crash Kills 9", The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, 16 February 1957, Vol. LXIII, No. 145, p. 4.
^Arnold, Peter R.; Kearns, Tony (October 2016). "Spitfires over the Emerald Isle". Aeroplane. 44 (10). Stamford: Key Publishing: 40–48.
ISSN0143-7240.
^Associated Press, "Navy Jet Hits School Field – Garage Destroyed, Mechanic, Pilot Die", The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Friday 22 February 1957, Vol. LXIII, No. 150, p. 1.
^Associated Press, "Huge Matador Missile Breaks From Controls – Roars Towards Utah, Colorado From Its New Mexico Base", The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Friday 22 February 1957, Vol. LXIII, No. 150, p. 1.
^Associated Press, "Five Of 159 Aboard Plane Die In Crash; 20 Missing", The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Saturday 23 February 1957, Vol. LXIII, No. 151, p. 1.
^"Three Killed [sic] When C45 Crashes, Burns". The San Bernardino Daily Sun. Vol. LXIII, no. 156. San Bernardino, California. Associated Press. 1 March 1957. p. 18.
^United Press. "12 in Plane Escape", San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Tuesday, March 5, 1957, Vol. LXIII, No. 159, p. 1.
^Associated Press, "British Plane Smashes Houses", San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Wednesday 6 March 1957, Vol. LXIII, No. 160, p. 2.
^Associated Press, "Plane Crashes; 6 of 11 Escape Serious Injury", San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Thursday 7 March 1957, Vol. LXIII, No. 161, p. 8.
^United Press, "Blast, Flames Destroy B47s",San Bernardino Da ily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Friday 8 March 1957, Vol. LXIII, No. 162, p. 16.
^"Jet Narrowly Misses Man and Grandson". San Bernardino Daily Sun. Vol. LXIII, no. 163. San Bernardino, California. Associated Press. 9 March 1957. p. 5.
^Chincoteague, Virginia, "Naval Station Bomber Crashes", Chincoteague Beacon, Wednesday 3 April 1957, p. 1.
^Pocock, Chris, "50 Years of the U-2: The Complete Illustrated History of the 'Dragon Lady' ", Schiffer Publishing, Ltd., Atglen, Pennsylvania,
LCCN2005-927577,
ISBN978-0-7643-2346-1, pp. 50–51, 406.
^Gero, David B. "Military Aviation Disasters: Significant Losses Since 1908".
Sparkford, Yoevil, Somerset, UK: Haynes Publishing, 2010,
ISBN978-1-84425-645-7, p. 75.
^Werrell, Kenneth P., "The Evolution of the Cruise Missile", Air University, Maxwell Air Force Base, Montgomery, Alabama, first printing 1995, second printing 1998,
LCCN85-8131, p. 102.[ISBN missing]
^Maggelet, Michael H. and Oskins, James C., "Broken Arrow: The Declassified History of U. S. Nuclear Weapons Accidents", www.lulu.com, 2007, Chapter 9, pp. 88–93.
^
abGibson, James N. Nuclear Weapons of the United States – An Illustrated History . Atglen, Pennsylvania.: Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 1996,
LCCN96-67282,
ISBN978-0-7643-0063-9, pp. 61–62.
^Associated Press, "'Drone' Plane Roams Skies For 1,000 Miles – Escapes in California, Falls Near Spokane", Chicago Daily Tribune, Chicago, Illinois, Thursday 30 May 1957, Vol. CXVI, No. 129, Part I – p. 3.
^Mills, Carl. Banshees of the Royal Canadian Navy. Willowdale, Ontario, Canada: Banshee Publication, 1991,
ISBN978-0-9695200-0-9, pp. 280–281.
^Sakaida, Henry, "Japanese Army Air Force Aces 1937–1945", Osprey Publishing, Botley, Oxford, UK, 1997,
ISBN978-1-85532-529-6, p. 75.
^Pace, Steve, "Crusader With A Cause", Wings, Granada Hills, California, August 1987, Vol. 17, No. 4, p. 34.
^Aeroplane Monthly – May 1984 issue – Dragon Lady – the Accident File P. 270-271
^Pocock, Chris, "50 Years of the U-2: The Complete Illustrated History of the 'Dragon Lady' ", Schiffer Publishing, Ltd., Atglen, Pennsylvania,
LCCN2005-927577,
ISBN978-0-7643-2346-1, pp. 340, 407.
^Upton, Jim, "Lockheed F-104 Starfighter", Warbird Tech Series Vol. 38, Specialty Press Publishers and Wholesalers, North Branch, Minnesota, 2003,
ISBN978-1-58007-069-0, pp. 45, 100.
^Maggelet, Michael H. and Oskins, James C., "Broken Arrow: The Declassified History of U. S. Nuclear Weapons Accidents", www.lulu.com, 2007, Chapter 10, p. 94.
^Hansen, Chuck, "The Swords of Armageddon, Version 2: Vol. VII – The Development of U.S. Nuclear Weapons", Accident Report summary received on 30 April 1992 from Vincent P. Murone, Chief, Reports Division, Directorate of Reports & Analysis, HQ Air Force Safety Agency, Norton AFB, California; letter dated 1 August 1957 to Honorable Carl T. Durham, Chairman, JCAE, from Herbert B. Loper, Assistant to the Secretary of Defense (Atomic Energy); letter dated 1 November 1957 to Carl T. Durham, Chairman, JCAE, from W. Libby, Acting Chairman, USAEC; letter dated 22 April 1966 to Honorable Chet Holifield, Chairman, JCAE, from W. J. Howard, Assistant to the Secretary of Defense (Atomic Energy).
^Huffman, Dale, "Do you remember the bomber crash in '57?", Dayton Daily News, Dayton, Ohio, 21 September 2007.
^Huffman, Dale, "Dozens recall 1957 crash of B-26 bomber – Beavercreek woman lost her dad, who was piloting the plane that crashed in a Dayton neighborhood", Dayton Daily News, Dayton, Ohio, 25 September 2007.
^"Display". naval.aviation.museum. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
^Lloyd, Alwyn T., "Boeing's B-47 Stratojet", Specialty Press, North Branch, Minnesota, 2005,
ISBN978-1-58007-071-3, p. 151.
^Mills, Carl. Banshees of the Royal Canadian Navy. Willowdale, Ontario, Canada: Banshee Publication, 1991,
ISBN978-0-9695200-0-9, pp. 281–283.
^MacDill AFB. 306thbw.org. Retrieved on 2010-11-25.
^Maggelet, Michael H. and Oskins, James C., "Broken Arrow: The Declassified History of U. S. Nuclear Weapons Accidents", www.lulu.com, 2007, Chapter 11, pp. 95–99.
^Jenkins, Dennis R., "Magnesium Overcast: The Story of the Convair B-36", Specialty Press, North Branch, Minnesota, 2001–2002,
LCCN2001-49195,
ISBN978-1-58007-129-1, p. 238.
^
abPocock, Chris, "50 Years of the U-2: The Complete Illustrated History of the 'Dragon Lady' ", Schiffer Publishing, Ltd., Atglen, Pennsylvania,
LCCN2005-927577,
ISBN978-0-7643-2346-1, pp. 342, 407.
^Associated Press, "Nine Men Killed In Plane Crash", The Anderson Independent, Anderson, South Carolina, Wednesday 15 January 1958, Vol. 41, No. 107, p. 1.
^Associated Press, "Nine Dead In Plane Crash", Morning Herald, Hagerstown, Maryland, Wednesday 15 January 1958.
^Kohus, Julie, "Into the Eye of the Storm: Flying Into the Destructive Forces of a Hurricane", The Ohio State Engineer, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, Spring 2006, p. 18.
^United Press, "Flares Spur Search For Missing Plane", Charleston Evening Post, Charleston, South Carolina, 18 January 1958, Vol. 64, No. 94 p. 7-A.
^Associated Press, "Pieces Of Wood, Rubber Pinpoint Plane Search", The Charleston Evening Post, Charleston, South Carolina, 21 January 1958, Vol. 64, No. 96, p. 4-A
^
abUnited Press, "Search Ended For MATS Plane", Charleston Evening Post, Charleston, South Carolina, 23 January 1958, Vol. 64, Number, p. 10-A.
^Associated Press, "All 35 Safe In Okinawa Plane Crash", Charleston Evening Post, Saturday 18 January 1958, Vol. 64, No. 94, p. 2-A.
^Associated Press, "Pieces Of Wood, Rubber Pinpoint Plane Search", The Charleston Evening Courier, Charleston, South Carolina, Tuesday 21 January 1958, Vol. 64, No. 96, p. 4-A
^Associated Press, "Hopes Fade For C95 [sic] Crash Survivors", The Charleston Evening Courier, Charleston, South Carolina, Wednesday 22 January 1958, Vol. 64, No. 97, p. 10-B.
^Associated Press, "Three U.S. Jets Crash In Japan", The Charleston Evening Post, Charleston, South Carolina, Saturday 25 January 1958, Vol. 64, No. 99. p. 7-B.
^Associated Press, "Disabled Navy Plane Sets Record", The Charleston Evening Post, Charleston, South Carolina, Saturday 25 January 1958, Vol. 64, No. 100, p. 8-A.
^Associated Press, "Tradewind Seaplanes Grounded Indefinitely", The Charleston Evening Post, Charleston, South Carolina, Thursday 30 January 1958, Vol. 64, No. 104, p. 3-A.
^Associated Press, "B26 Bombers Ram; 1 Crashes, 2 in Crew Die", The State, Columbia, South Carolina, Saturday 1 February 1958, No. 24,273, p. 10-B.
^Gibson, James N. Nuclear Weapons of the United States – An Illustrated History . Atglen, Pennsylvania.: Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 1996,
LCCN96-67282,
ISBN978-0-7643-0063-9, pp. 64–65.
^Charleston, South Carolina, "Pilot Bails Out Safely: Jet From Base Here Collides With B47", Charleston Evening Post, Wednesday 5 February 1958, Vol. 64, No. 109, p. 1-A
^Charleston, South Carolina, "Condition Of Pilot Is Good", Charleston Evening Post, Thursday 6 February 1958, Vol. 64, No. 110, p. 1-B
^Richardson, Colonel Howard, USAF (Ret.), "B-47 and F-86 Mid-Air Collision", published in "Boeing B-47 Stratojet: True Stories of the Cold War in the Air", Natola, Mark, editor, Schiffer Publishing, Ltd., Atglen, Pennsylvania, 2007,
LCCN2007-932937,
ISBN978-0-7643-2779-7, p. 79.
^Associated Press, "Jet Crashes In California", The Charleston Evening Post, Charleston, South Carolina, Thursday 6 February 1958, Vol. 64, No. 108, p. 2-A.
^Hansen, Chuck, The Swords of Armageddon, Version 2: Vol. VII – The Development of U.S. Nuclear Weapons, Letter dated 13 February 1958 to Honorable
Carl T. Durham, Chairman,
JCAE, from
Herbert B. Loper, Assistant to the Secretary of Defense (Atomic Energy); letter dated 25 March 1958 to Honorable Carl T. Durham, Chairman, JCAE, from Herbert B. Loper, Assistant to the Secretary of Defense (Atomic Energy); Minutes of 1332nd AEC Meeting, 11 February 1958; Memorandum dated 12 February 1958, from W. B. McCool, Secretary, to Brig. Gen. A. D. Starbird, Director, Division of Military Application, Subject: Recent Weapon Accident; Memorandum dated February 12, 1958, from James E. Ammons, Office of the Secretary, to Files, Subject: Recent Weapon Accident. Since many internal components of nuclear weapons are supported only by plastic foam of varying densities, it is not unusual that weapon components might be dislocated when the foam is crushed by the movement of the components incurred during a sudden impact.
^Associated Press, "Officer Killed In Plane Crash", The Charleston Evening Post, Charleston, South Carolina, Sunday 9 February 1958, No. 24,281, p. 9-B.
^Anderson, South Carolina, "Ga. Soldier Dies In Crash At Benning", The Anderson Independent, Monday 10 February 1958, Vol. 41, No. 233, p. 2.
^Charleston, South Carolina, "In Wooded Area: Jet Crashes, Burns Near Air Base Here", The Charleston Evening Post, Wednesday 12 February 1958, Vol. 64, No. 115, p. 1-A.
^Charleston, South Carolina, "Following Crash: 444th Jet Planes Under Inspection", The Charleston Evening Post, Thursday 13 February 1958, Vol. 64, No. 116, pp. 1-A, 2-A.
^Associated Press, "Fog Hurts Search For Missing Plane", The State, Columbia, South Carolina, Tuesday 18 February 1958, No. 24,290, p. 5-A
^Associated Press, "On Mount Vesuvius: Plane Is Found; 16 Dead", The State, Columbia, South Carolina, Thursday 20 February 1958, No. 24,292, p. 3-A.
^Associated Press, "Crash Victims' Bodies Flown To Germany", Charleston Evening Post, Charleston, South Carolina, Friday 21 February 1958, p. 6-D.
^Associated Press, "Jet Pilot Leaps Safely At Barnwell", The Charleston Evening Post, Charleston, South Carolina, Monday 17 February 1958, Vol. 64, No. 119, p. 9-A.
^Associated Press, "Plane Crash In Barnwell: Greer Pilot Bails Out at 10,000 Feet", The State, Columbia, South Carolina, Tuesday 18 February 1958, No. 24,290, p. 1-B.
^Charleston, South Carolina, "Navy Pilot Dies In Jet Crash", The Charleston Evening Post, Wednesday 19 February 1958, Vol. 64, No. 121, p. 7-B.
^Associated Press, "Atlas Explodes In Test Flight", Charleston Evening Post, Charleston, South Carolina, Thursday 20 February 1958, Vol. 64, No. 122, p. 1-A.
^Associated Press, "3 Die, 2 Hurt In Carrier Plane Crash", Charleston Evening Post, Charleston, South Carolina, Saturday 22 February 1958, Vol. 64, No. 124, p. 3-B.
^Mahnken, Thomas G., "Technology and the American Way of War Since 1945", Columbia University Press, New York, Chichister, West Sussex, 2008, Library of Congress Card No. 2007050421,
ISBN978-0-231-12336-5, p. 34.
^Associated Press Wirephoto, "Crash Debris", Charleston Evening Post, Thursday 27 February 1958, Vol. 64, No. 128, p. 1-A.
^Associated Press, "One Killed In Crash Of B47 Bomber", Charleston Evening Post, Charleston, South Carolina, Friday 28 February 1958, Vol. 64, No. 129, p. 2-A.
^Smith, Dave, "Hit The Deck", Flypast, Stamford, Lincs., UK, No. 328, November 2008, p. 43.
^Mills, Carl. Banshees of the Royal Canadian Navy. Willowdale, Ontario, Canada: Banshee Publication, 1991,
ISBN978-0-9695200-0-9, pp. 283–284.
^Gibson, James N. Nuclear Weapons of the United States – An Illustrated History . Atglen, Pennsylvania.: Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 1996,
LCCN96-67282,
ISBN978-0-7643-0063-9, p. 65.
^
abcHabermehl, Mike, "Fatigue", Airpower, Granada Hills, California, January 1979, Vol. 9, No. 1, p. 53.
^Gero, David B. "Military Aviation Disasters: Significant Losses Since 1908".
Sparkford, Yoevil, Somerset, UK: Haynes Publishing, 2010,
ISBN978-1-84425-645-7, p. 78.
^Chicago Tribune Press Service, "Crash in Britain Kills 3 U.S. Airmen", The Washington Post and Times-Herald, Washington, D.C., Tuesday 15 April 1958, Vol. 81, No. 131, p. A10.
^
abcAeroplane Monthly – May 1984 issue – Dragon Lady – the Accident File article P. 271
^Pocock, Chris, "50 Years of the U-2: The Complete Illustrated History of the 'Dragon Lady' ", Schiffer Publishing, Ltd., Atglen, Pennsylvania,
LCCN2005-927577,
ISBN978-0-7643-2346-1, pp. 74, 408.
^Pocock, Chris, "50 Years of the U-2: The Complete Illustrated History of the 'Dragon Lady' ", Schiffer Publishing, Ltd., Atglen, Pennsylvania,
LCCN2005-927577,
ISBN978-0-7643-2346-1, pp. 74, 407.
^"The Globe". doncondra.org. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
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^Mills, Carl. Banshees of the Royal Canadian Navy. Willowdale, Ontario, Canada: Banshee Publication, 1991,
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^Associated Press, "Six Die in Air Force Plane Crash", Chicago Daily Tribune, Chicago, Illinois, Friday 23 January 1959, Vol. CXVIII, No. 20, Sports – Business, p. 10.
^Associated Press, "U. S. Plane with 19 GIs Lands Minus 2 Engines", Chicago Daily Tribune, Chicago, Illinois, Friday 23 January 1959, Vol. CXVIII, No. 20, Sports – Business, p. 9.
^Greene, Warren E., "The Development of the SM-68 Titan", Historical Office, Deputy Commander for Aerospace Systems, Air Force Systems Command, DCAH-62, August 1962, p. 92.
^Olausson, Lars, Lockheed Hercules Production List 1954–2012. Såtenäs, Sweden: Self-published, 28th Edition, March 2010.
^Chicago, Illinois, "Plane Crashes In Cemetery, Pilot Killed – Marine Was Flying to See Family Here", Chicago Daily Tribune, Monday 1 June 1959, Vol. CXVIII, No. 130, Part 3, p. 1.
^"A5Vigilantee". ejection-history.org.uk. Archived from
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^ã²ã¾ã‚ã‚Š [Himawari] (in Japanese). "Himawari Okinawa wa Wasurenai Ano hi no sora o" Seisaku Iinkai. 2012. Retrieved Dec 18, 2012.
^Buttler, Tony, "Triumph and Tragedy", Aeroplane, London, UK, No. 408, April 2007, p. 58.
^Maggelet, Michael H., and Oskins, James C., "Broken Arrow: The Declassified History of U.S. Nuclear Weapons Accidents", Lulu Publishing, www.lulu.com, 2007,
ISBN978-1-4357-0361-2, chapter 18, pp. 123–127.
^Leggett, Dick, "Don't You Know There's A War On", Flypast, Stamford, Lincs., UK, No. 216, July 1999, pp. 39–41.
^Knaack, Marcelle Size, Post-World War II Bombers, 1945–1973. Washington, D.C.: Office of Air Force History, 1988,
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^Pocock, Chris, "50 Years of the U-2: The Complete Illustrated History of the 'Dragon Lady' ", Schiffer Publishing, Ltd., Atglen, Pennsylvania,
LCCN2005-927577,
ISBN978-0-7643-2346-1, p. 407.
^Gibson, James N. Nuclear Weapons of the United States – An Illustrated History . Atglen, Pennsylvania.: Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 1996,
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ISBN978-0-7643-0063-9, p. 214.
^Howard, W. J., Assistant to the Secretary of Defense (Atomic Energy), Letter to Holifield, Chet, Chairman, Joint Committee on Atomic Energy, Congress of the United States, Washington, D.C., 22 April 1966.
^Stamford, Lincs., UK, FlyPast, "Johnny Squier and the Supersonic 'Bang-Out'", May 2006, No. 298, p. 80.
^Gibson, James N. Nuclear Weapons of the United States – An Illustrated History . Atglen, Pennsylvania.: Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 1996,
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