1952 — May 13, USMC Corsair collides with USAF B-29, 30M W of Oceanside, CA–12 or 8

Blanchard note: While the Aviation Safety Network webpage for this collision, clearly notes 11 deaths from the USAF B-29 and one from the USMC Corsair, we have only been able to verify eight deaths via newspaper reporting at the time – showing two examples. It appears to us, therefore, that there were eight deaths.

–12 Aviation Safety Network. USAF B-29A and USMC Corsair collide 30M W of Oceanside CA
— 8 UP. “Never Saw Fighter, Five B-29 Survivors…Say.” Long Beach Independent, CA. 5-15-1952, 16A.
— 8 United Press. “Planes Crash in Air; 6 of 14 Safe, 7 Lost.” New York Times, 5-14-1052, p. 23.)

Narrative Information

Aviation Safety Network:
“Date: 13 May 1952
“Time: 12:20
“Type: Boeing B-29A-65-BN Superfortress
“Owner/operator: …New York ANG…United States Air Force
“Registration: 44-62119
“MSN: 11596
“Fatalities: 11 / Occupants: 17 [Blanchard: normal crew size was 10-14. ]
“Other fatalities: 1 [UMMC F4U-r Corsair pilot]
“….
“Location: Pacific Ocean, 30 miles west of Oceanside, California.
“Phase: En route
“Nature: Military
“Departure airport: March AFB, Moreno Valley, Riverside County, California
“Destination airport: March AFB, Riverside County, CA
“Confidence Rating: Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources
“Narrative:

“Boeing B-29A-65-BN Superfortress 44-62119: Delivered to USAAF August 1945. Assigned to 102nd Bomb Squadron, 106th Bomb Group, New York Air National Guard, March AFB, California.

“Written off (destroyed) 13 May 1952: Four Marine F4U-4 Corsairs with VMF-251 took off from MCAS El Toro, taking part in a Ground Control Intercept (GCI) and camera gunnery training mission with four B-29A bombers. According to VMF-251 squadron records, the B-29’s requested head-on gunnery runs from the Corsairs. The first three Corsairs executed their simulated attacks with no problems. The fourth Corsair, BuNo 81218, piloted by 2nd Lt. Joe K. Jensen, collided with one of the B-29 aircraft. Both aircraft crashed into the Pacific Ocean about 30 miles west of Oceanside, California. Jensen, 22, was killed as well as 11 crew members from the Superfortress, six others having been rescued.”

Baugher: “81218 belonged to VMA-251 Jan -Jun 1952. Destroyed in midair collision with B-29 44-62119 off Pacific coast 30 mi W of Oceanside, CA May 13, 1952.”

Newspaper

May 13, UP/NYT: “Long Beach, Calif., May 13 (UP) – Two planes collided 15,000 feet in the air today and plunged into the ocean off the coast of California. Of the fourteen persons in them, six were rescued and one body was recovered. The Coast Guard said only seven parachutes were seen after the crash, indicating that the other seven could not get out of the falling planes. They were in a flight of four bombers and four fighters taking part in a joint Air Force-Marine maneuver.

“One of the greatest rescue efforts in memory here got under way within minutes after the Air Force B-29 carrying thirteen men collided with a Marine Corsair fighter. The cruiser Toledo, engaged in a training mission in the crash area between Santa Cataline and San Clemente Islands, sped to the scene and picked up five of the survivors and the dead flier.

“Lieut. Comdr. Lloyd E. Franke of San Diego, piloting a Coast Guard amphibian plane, spotted a parachute and made a hazardous landing on the water to pick up the other survivor.

“In addition to the Toledo, three Coast Guard cutters and more than a half-dozen planes converged on the accident scene.

“The joint Air Force-Marine flight was made up of four four-engined B-29s from March Air Force Base and four F4U Corsairs from the El Toro Marine Air Station.” (United Press. “Planes Crash in Air; 6 of 14 Safe, 7 Lost.” New York Times, 5-14-1052, p. 23.)

May 14, UP/Long Beach Independent: “”San Diego, May 14 – (UP). Five survivors of a collision between a B-29 bomber and a fighter plane 15,000 feet above the Pacific Ocean said today they never saw the craft that struck their Superfortress, and only one remembered abandoning the bomber. The men were brought here aboard the cruiser U.S.S. Toledo, which rescued them from the sea between Santa Catalina and San Clemente Islands yesterday after a Marine Corsair fighter rammed into the wing of their B-29, sending both planes hurtling into the water. The Toledo also recovered by bod of one of the 14 victims….

“Meanwhile the Coast Guard and Air Force called off a search today for seven airmen listed as missing in the collision….
Missing Listed

“The March Air Force Base at Riverside, Calif., identified the missing this morning. Listed were:

1st Lt. George S. Pope, aircraft commander, 27, Inwood, Long Island, N.Y.
1st Lt. Raymond C. Dodson, 28, navigator, Missoula, Mont.
Capt. James E. Capies [unclear], 30, second pilot, Rochester, N.Y.
1st Lt. Kenneth N. Gillespi, 31, bombardier, Bellflower, alif.
Airman 3/c James S. Svoboda, 20, radioman, Bradley, O.
Airman 1/c Russell Dale Brown, 29, electrical specialist, Watertown, S.D.
Airman 2/c Benjamin L. Siegal, 20 gunner, Tuscaloosa, Ala.

“Airmen who witnessed the accident said it was amazing than any of those aboard the big bomber survived. When the Corsair chewed into the bomber, the wing span of the B-29 collapsed, tearing open into fuel tanks and spewing gasoline onto the engine. Fire broke out aboard the bomber as it turned over on its back in a lazy roll, then screamed down into the sea, a column of greasy black smoke trailing from its fuselage.” (UP. “Never Saw Fighter, Five B-29 Survivors of Mid-Air Crash Say.” Long Beach Independent, CA. 5-15-1952, p. 16-A.)

Sources

Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation, Database. USAF B-29A and USMC Corsair collide 30M W of Oceanside CA, 13 May 1952. Accessed 6-28-2023 at:
https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/178352

Baugher, Joseph. US Navy and US Marine Corps BuNos, Third Series (80259 to 90019). Last revised April 13, 2023. Accessed 6-28-2023 at: http://www.joebaugher.com/navy_serials/thirdseries9.html

Britannica. “B-29 aircraft.” 6-22-2023 update. Accessed 6-28-2023. Accessed 6-28-2023 at: https://www.britannica.com/technology/B-29

United Press. “Never Saw Fighter, Five B-29 Survivors of Mid-Air Crash Say.” Long Beach Independent, CA. 5-15-1952, p. 16-A. Accessed 6-28-2023 at:
https://newspaperarchive.com/long-beach-independent-may-15-1952-p-16/

United Press. “Planes Crash in Air; 6 of 14 Safe, 7 Lost.” New York Times, 5-14-1052, p. 23. Accessed 6-28-2023 at: https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1952/05/14/issue.html