1948 — Nov 3, USAF B-29 flies into Higher Shelf Stones, above High Peak, England –all 13
Compiled by Wayne Blanchard Sep 20, 2023 for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/
–13 Aviation Safety Network. USAF B-29 crash, Bleaklow, High Peak, Derbyshire UK, 11-3-1948.
–13 Waterloo Daily Courier, IA. “B-29 Crash Kills 13.” 11-3-1948, p. 4.
–13 Wikipedia. “List of accidents and incidents…military aircraft (1945–1949).” 11-13-2011.
Narrative Information
Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation, Database, 1948:
“Date: Wednesday 3 November 1948
“Time: 11:00 LT [local time]
“Type: Boeing RV-29A Sup4rfortress
“Owner/operator: United States Air Force (USAF)
“Registration: 44-61999
“MSN: 11476
“Fatalities: Fatalities: 13 / Occupants: 13
….
“Location: Bleaklow, High Peak, Derbyshire – United Kingdom
“Phase: En route
“Nature: Military
“Departure airport: RAF Scampton, Lincolnshire
“Destination airport: RAF Burtonwood, Lancashire
“Narrative:
“….Written off (destroyed) on November 3, 1948: The Superfortress took off at around 10.15 from RAF Scampton, Lincolnshire for Burtonwood USAF base, near Warrington, Lancashire. It was a routine flight with 2 other aircraft, the RB-29 carrying USAF wages among other things. The crew were due to return to the States a few days later.
“When ‘Over Exposed!’ failed to arrive at Burtonwood, an air search was initiated and that afternoon the burning wreck was spotted high on the moors near Higher Shelf Stones. By chance members of the Harpur Hill RAF Mountain Rescue Unit were just finishing an exercise two and a half miles away, so they quickly made their way to the scene of the crash, but there was clearly nothing that could have been done for any of the crew.
“All 13 men on board had been killed instantly when the aircraft flew into the moor. It is not known why Captain Tanner did not fly at a height sufficient to clear the high ground. Wreckage was found at the 2,007 feet (612 meter) Higher Shelf Stones, above Bleaklow, High Peak, near Glossop, Derbyshire (at approximate Coordinates: 53.4600°N 1.8626°W). All 13 men on board were killed.”
Nov 3, UP: “London – (UP) – A U.S. Air Force Superfortress crashed in murky weather near Manchester Wednesday apparently killing the three officers and 10 enlisted men aboard. The big bomber, one of the fleet stationed in Britain since last summer when the Berlin crisis became acute, was reported to have hit a high hill and burned.
“Medical crews sped to the scene of the crash 13 miles southeast of Manchester in north-central England. Authorities reported a 2,000-foot broken ceiling in the area at the time of the crash. While the first reports lacked any confirmed word of casualties, an official statement said no signs of life were seen around the wreckage.” (Waterloo Daily Courier, IA. “B-29 Crash Kills 13.” 11-3-1948, p. 4.)
Wikipedia: “3 November – RB-29A Superfortress, 44-61999, “Overexposed”, of the 16th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, 91st Reconnaissance Group, 311th Air Division, Strategic Air Command, USAF, crashes on Shelf Moor, Bleaklow, in between Manchester and Sheffield, Derbyshire, while descending through cloud. All 13 crew KWF. It is doubtful they ever saw the ground. The time was estimated from one of the crew members wrist watch. The plane, piloted by Captain L. P. Tanner, was on a short flight, carrying mail and the payroll for American service personnel based at USAF Burtonwood. The flight was from Scampton near Lincoln to Burtonwood near Warrington, a flight of less than an hour. Low cloud hung over much of England, which meant the flight had to be flown on instruments. The crew descended after having flown for the time the crew believed it should have taken them to cross the hill. Unfortunately the aircraft had not quite passed the hills and struck the ground near Higher Shelf Stones, being destroyed by fire.”[1] (Wikipedia. “List of accidents and incidents…military aircraft (1945–1949).” 11-13-2011. modification.)
Sources
Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation, Database, 1948. USAF B-29 crash, Bleaklow, High Peak, Derbyshire UK, 11-3-1948. Accessed 9-20-2023 at:
https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/69124
Waterloo Daily Courier, IA. “B-29 Crash Kills 13.” 11-3-1948, p. 4. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=5286405
Wikipedia. “List of accidents and incidents involving military aircraft (1945–1949).” 11-13-2011 mod. Accessed at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_accidents_and_incidents_involving_military_aircraft_(1945%E2%80%931949)#1948
[1] Cites: “Warbird Report“, Air Classics, Canoga Park, California, April 1975, Volume 11, Number 4, p. 17.
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