1946 – Oct 1, USAAF B-29 Superfortress crash in storm, burns, Buffalo Valley, NV –all 11
Compiled 11-4-2023 by Wayne Blanchard for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/
— 11 Hutchinson News-Herald, KS. “B-29 Explodes in Air and 11…are Dead.” 10-2-1946, 1
— 11 Nat. Fire Protec. Assoc. “Large Loss Fires of 1946.” Quarterly, 40/3, Jan 1947, 239.[1]
–10-11 Nevada State Journal. “B-29 Super-Fortress Crashes…Killing 10…Fliers.” 10-3-46, 16.
— 11 Salt Lake Tribune, UT. “Nevada Plane Crash Kills 11.” 10-4-1946, p. 9.
Narrative Information
Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation, Database, 1946, p. 25 (1 October 1946):
“Date” Tuesday 1 October 1946
….
“Type: Boeing V-29A Superfortress
“Registration: 45-21726
“MSN: 13620
“Fatalities: Fatalities: 11 / Occupants: 11
….
“Location: 30 miles SE of Battle Mountain, Lander County, Nevada – USA
“Phase: En route
“Nature: Military
“Departure airport: Grand Island AFB, Nebraska
“Destination airport: Hamilton AFB, Novato, Marin County, California.
“Narrative: ….
“Written off when crashed during storm October 1, 1946 when flew into the ground 30 miles South East of Battle Mountain, Lander County, Nevada, en-route on training flight to Hamilton AAF, Novato, Marin County, California. No survivors among the eleven crew on board.”
National Fire Protection Association: “Oct. 2, near Battle Mountain, Nev. Aircraft. Over $250,000. An Army B-29 Boeing bomber, with a crew of eleven, crashed into the side of Buffalo Mountain, 26 miles from Battle Mountain. The giant aircraft burst into flame immediately upon contact with the ground and all lives were lost. Adverse weather conditions (ceiling 150 ft) and poor visibility were believed responsible for the accident, although the pilot had been in radio contact with nearby Army Air Force fields and had ample altitude at last report. The fire, fed by 4,000 gallons of gasoline, oil, and hydraulic fluids, was so intense that only burned and twisted scraps of metal remained when ranchers reached the scene.” (NFPA. “Large Loss Fires of 1946.” Quarterly of the National Fire Protection Assoc., Vol. 40, No. 3, Jan 1947, p. 239 in pp. 179-248.)
Newspapers
Oct 2, Associated Press: “Wendover Utah (AP) – An army B-29 plane exploded in the air over Buffalo Valley, in remote central Nevada, and army authorities said Wednesday they believed there were no survivors among the probable ten crewmen. Wreckage was strewn over the desolate area 30 miles southeast of Battle Mountain, Nev. ….
“The girl who reported the crash was Marian Saval. From her ranch home she said she saw the
plane explode about 10:45 a. m. mountain time yesterday [Oct 1]….
“Constable Dave Clancy of Battle Mountain said he was told by army men there that 11 persons
were aboard and none survived.
“In addition to Miss Saval, several cowboys also told Clancy they saw ‘a flash in the sky, and then heard an explosion,’ adding to reports that the plane blew up while still aloft over the flat, desert country….” (Hutchinson News-Herald, KS. “B-29 Explodes in Air and 11 Men are Dead.” 10-2-1946, p. 1.)
Oct 2, United Press: “Battle Mountain, Oct. 2. (UP) – Ten or possibly 11 army fliers lost their lives Tuesday when a B-29 superfortress crashed in Buffalo Valley 30 miles south of here in a driving rain storm, searchers reported tonight.
“Late last night, there was still no official word from an army searching party which battled muddy desert alkali flats to reach the wreckage. Deputy Sheriff Gene Danberg returned from the scene of the wreckage last night and reported that ‘apparently there were ten crewmen aboard the plane.’ He indicated that all ten men were dead but refused to divulge any further information, declaring that the ‘army doesn’t want any information given out about the wreck at this time.’
“Earlier, Sheriff Wallace Van Reed of Pershing county, who came here to investigate the wreckage because the crash occurred in the northern tip of that county, said he had been informed there were 11 men aboard the giant bomber – ten crewmen and a military passenger.
“The army search party was guided by an 18-year-old girl who saw the bomber explode Tuesday morning on the sagebrush-covered hill in Buffalo Valley.
“The heaviest rainstorm in years, depositing nearly two inches of rain, swept the area from late Monday night to noon yesterday and the roads in the area were described as impassable.
“First word of the crash was brought to Battle Mountain by Marian Saval, the ranch girl who heard a ‘giant noise like an explosion’ and saw the flash of the exploding bomber through the rainstorm. With several ranch hands from the Joe Saval ranch in Buffalo Valley, the girl went to investigate the explosion and resulting flash. She told authorities in Battle Mountain that they found bits of the airplane scattered for several acres over the gently rolling sagebrush-covered hills. Miss Saval told authorities that the only trace of the missing fliers was a man’s arm found lying among the wreckage.
“Ray Knickren, a civilian flier at Battle Mountain airport flew over the scene of the crash early today and reported the only visible sign of wreckage was a bright yellow oxygen bottle and a darkened patch in the sagebrush where the plane’s giant tires apparently had burned.
“The big bomber was en route from Grand Island. Neb., to Fairfield-Suisun army air field at Fairfield, Calif., when the crash occurred about 10 a.m. yesterday, officials at Wendover, Utah, army air base reported.
“Officers there said that the airfield there was closed in when the plane passed over Wendover and that weather conditions were ‘extremely poor.’ Residents in the Battle Mountain area described the rainstorm in that region as the worst in years….
“The crash occurred seven miles north of the Joe Saval ranch and six miles from the abandoned Buffalo Valley airport in Pershing county….” (Nevada State Journal, Reno. “B-29 Super-Fortress Crashes Near Battle Mountain in Storm, Killing 10 Army Fliers.” 10-3-1946, p. 16.)
Oct 4: “Battle Mountain, Nev. (AP) – Eleven men, perished in the crash of an Army B-29 bomber in Buffalo valley south of here Tuesday [Oct 1], it was determined Thursday [Oct 3] by Robley E. Burns funeral home at Elko. That type of airplane usually carries only 10 persons. Bodies of the victims were taken to Elko Wednesday night after Army authorities from the Wendover, Utah, Army air base spent the day at the scene of the accident. Burns said identifications had been established and would be made public by the Army after next of kin have been notified.
“Sheriff W. C. Van Reed of Pershing county said the bomber exploded after it crashed onto the desert during a driving rain storm. Earlier reports had indicated the plane exploded in the air.
“The plane’s motors, buried in the mud, and an oxygen tank were the only pieces of large wreckage left after the explosion the sheriff said. He added that Army authorities advanced no theory as to the cause of the accident.” (Salt Lake Tribune, UT. “Nevada Plane Crash Kills 11.” 10-4-1946, 9.)
Sources
Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation, Database, 1946, p. 25. USAAF B-29 Superfortress, crash during storm 10-1-1946, 11 fatalities. Accessed 11-5-2023 at: https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/98628
Hutchinson News-Herald, KS. “B-29 Explodes in Air and 11 Men are Dead.” 10-2-1946, 1. At: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=138302197&sterm=buffalo+plane+crash+army+battle+mountain+b29
National Fire Protection Association. “Large Loss Fires of 1946.” Quarterly of the National Fire Protection Association, Vol. 40, No. 3, Jan 1947, pp. 179-248.
Nevada State Journal, Reno. “B-29 Super-Fortress Crashes Near Battle Mountain in Storm, Killing 10 Army Fliers.” 10-3-1946, p. 16. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=12306857&sterm
Salt Lake Tribune, UT. “Nevada Plane Crash Kills 11.” 10-4-1946, p. 9. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=91105483&sterm
[1] Inaccurately, but understandable, dating the crash Oct 2 (date of first newspaper reports). The NFPA note reports that the crash was on Buffalo Mountain. Newspaper reports have the crash in Buffalo Valley. Buffalo Mt. is nearby.