1944 – Dec 30, USAAF B-29 engine fire, crash, 12M N of Walker Army Air Field, KS– 10
Compiled by Wayne Blanchard; last edit 1-28-2024 for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/
–10 AP. “Ten Die in Bomber Crash.” Lawrence Daily Journal World, KS. 12-30-1944, p.1.
–10 Mireles 2006. Fatal Army AF Aviation Accidents…US…, V3, Aug 1944-Dec 1945, 1010.
Narrative Information
Mireles: “At 1025 CWT, a Boeing B-29 suffering an engine fire crashed 13 miles northwest of Walker Army Air Field, Walker, Kansas, killing ten fliers. Three crewmembers parachuted to safety and received minor injuries.
“The airplane took off from Walker Army Air Field at 0915 on a high-altitude bombing mission. The airplane climbed to 25,000 feet. During the climb, the number-three engine began to run hot. Investigators stated,
Apparently the number-three engine swallowed a valve causing a backfire and forcing the manifold pressure to 65 inches and immediately after a fire broke out on the underside of the engine. In the meantime the throttle had been retarded as soon as the fire was reported and the [propeller] was feathered, the fuel, mixture, booster pump, and ignition switch were shut off. One fire extinguisher was pulled and the flames were reported to have subsided. However a few seconds later they burst forth again and the second extinguisher was pulled. The warning signal was given, the emergency bomb release and emergency cabin air pressure release were pulled, and the wheels were put in the down position. Only the right main wheel extended according to the indicator lights.
Examination of the wreckage proved the right gear to be extended and the left gear and flaps to be retracted in that it normally extends first and here the right gear had extended first. Next the bail out execution signal was given and almost at the same instant a severe explosion occurred blowing the number-three engine from its mounting, tearing the right gear and oleo strut off, and weakening the wing structure to such an extent that it immediately broke off.
Close examination revealed the main spars to be broken and torn but not burned. The left wing and the fuselage, with the exception of the tail, remained generally intact and crashed together with the number-one and number-two engines, which, it is believed, had been pulling normal power up until the crash. The tail probably tore loose at a high altitude soon after the spin started in that it was found a great distance from the wreckage. A second explosion somewhere between 3,000 and crashed together with the number-one and number- two engines, which, it is believed, had been pulling normal power up until the crash. The tail probably tore loose at a high altitude soon after the spin started in that it was found a great distance from the wreckage. A second explosion somewhere between 3,000 and 6,000 feet caused by a fuel cell is believed to have blown several of the bodies out of the airplane and into the propellers. The airplane fire was caused by a fire in the induction system of the number-three engine….” (Quoted in Mireles 2006, p. 1010.)
Newspaper
Dec 30, AP: “Training Accident Near Hays, Kan.; Three Out by Parachute
“Hays, Kan., Dec. 40 (AP) – A 4-engine bomber on a routine training flight crashed 12 miles north of the Walker army air field today, killing 10 men. Col. Claude E. Putnam, commanding officer of the field, announced. Three other occupants of the plane parachuted to safety, but were slightly injured, Colonel Putnam said. The plane was from the Walker base and crashed on a farm.” (Assoc. Press. “Ten Die in Bomber Crash.” Lawrence Daily Journal World, KS. 12-30-1944, p.1.)
Sources
Associated Press. “Ten Die in Bomber Crash.” Lawrence Daily Journal World, KS. 12-30-1944, p.1. Accessed 1-29-2024: https://newspaperarchive.com/lawrence-daily-journal-world-dec-30-1944-p-1/
Mireles, Anthony J. Fatal Army Air Forces Aviation Accidents in the United States, 1941-1945 (Volume 3: August 1944 – December 1945). Jefferson, NC: McFarland and Co., 2006.