1958 — Sep 8, USAF B52’s collide on approach to Fairchild AFB, ~Airway Heights, WA–13

–13 Gero. Military Aviation Disasters: Significant Losses Since 1908. 1999, p. 77.
–13 Sturkey. Mid-Air: Accident Reports and Voice Transcripts…Mid-Air Collisions. 2008, 101.

Narrative Information

Gero: “Date: 8 September 1958 (c.19:20)
“Location: Near Airway Heights, Washington, US

“First aircraft
“Operator: US Air Force
“Type: Boeing B-52D (56-661)

“Second aircraft
“Operator: US Air Force
“Type: B-52D (56-681)

“This remains as the worst disaster in the history of the US Strategic Air Command’s jet bomber operations. Both aircraft had been on pilot profi¬ciency flights and were preparing to land on Runway 23 at Fairchild Air Force Base when 681 was advised to pull up and break to the right after dropping below the glide path during a ground-controlled procedure approach.

“After being advised by the control tower of what the other B-52 was doing, 661 radioed back, ‘Roger tower, tell him to turn the other way’, and the latter then banked to the right. Seconds later, the bombers collided at an approximate above-ground height of 900ft (275m) some 2½ miles (4km) north-east of the base and about 5 miles (10km) west of Spokane, and both then plunged to earth and exploded.

“Killed in the accident were a total of 13 airmen, eight from 661 and five from 681. Among the three survivors, who bailed out with three others that did not survive, one crewman from 661 was slightly injured, while one of the co-pilots assigned to 681 suffered serious injuries and that aircraft’s tail gunner escaped unscathed.

“The collision occurred at dusk, and the weather conditions in the area consisted of a broken overcast at 10,000ft (3,000m), with a visi¬bility under the clouds of 20 miles (30km) and a slight breeze from a north-north-easterly direction. Prior to the collision, the instrument flight rules clearances of both aircraft had been cancelled.” (Gero 1999, p. 77.)

Sturkey: “Mid-Air Collision near Fairchild AFB, Washington, 8 September 1958

“Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, Serial No. 56-661 (Outcome 55)
“U.S. Air Force in-flight refueling training mission
“9 aboard, 8 killed

“Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, Serial No. 56-681 (Outcome 54)
“7 aboard, 5 killed

“Synopsis: “In VFR [visual flight rules] conditions two Boeing B-52 Stratofortress bombers approached the same runway at the same time. The two big aircraft rammed into each other 900 feet above the ground and crashed, killing 13 of the 16 men aboard.” (p.103.)
….
“The Collision: Both aircraft had slipped down the approach course for Runway 23 in the dim twilight. The Outcome 54 pilot had heeded the GCA controller’s final message to ‘break out to the right.’ He added power and turned right. Two and one-half miles from the runway, 900 feet above the ground, he turned directly into the path of Outcome 55. An eyewitness explained:

Then they hit….The nose, from the wing forward, on one plane fell off, while the other plane slammed into the ground. The bomber with the missing nose became tail heavy and started to climb with its eight engines screaming like banshees. Then [it] stalled and fell off on its left wing. It hit the ground with [the] engines at full power.

“Aboard Outcome 55 about half the crew had a slim chance at survival. The pilot, the copilot, and two navigators ejected. One navigator parachuted to safety. The other three had ejected too late. They died along with the five remaining crewmen who had been unable to get out of the stricken bomber.

“On the other B-52, Outcome 54, two crewmembers managed to get out before the bomber plowed into the earth. One of the two copilots, a captain, parachuted to the ground. He suffered extensive trauma to all parts of his body and would be hospitalized for over a year. Without an ejection seat the tail gunner manually bailed out and parachuted to safety. The remaining five members of the crew, including a navigator who was able to eject, all perished….” [pp. 104-105.]

“The Investigation: “In clear VFR twilight both bombers had been making an approach to Runway 23 at the same time. Weather had not been a factor, for the lowest clouds were at 10,000 feet, and visibility had been at least 20 miles.

“Investigators found that anticollision lights had not been installed on one B-52 and were not fully operational on the other. In addition, Outcome 54 had made a military-style 180 degree continuous left turn from the downward leg to the final approach course. Banked to the left, the crew could not see Outcome 55 on their right.

“Outcome 54 had been in radio contact with the GCA controller. Outcome 55 had been tuned to the tower frequency. Consequently, neither crew could hear radio messages to and from the other aircraft.

“Clouding the issue, investigators found that procedures for breaking-off GCA practice approaches in VFR weather were not clearly defined at Fairchild AFB. In this instanced:

The tower operator failed to notify Outcome 55 of conflicting traffic [Outcome 54], and the tower coordinator failed to pass [conflicting] traffic information to the [GCA] precision controller for relay to Outcome 54.

“The tower officer-in-charge had been aware that both aircraft had been cleared onto final approach. For an undetermined reason he took no action to eliminate the conflict. Also, investigators noted that the tower controller had made a serious judgement error when he directed Outcome 54 to break right. The right turn had taken the bomber directly into the path of Outcome 55…..” [pp. 105-106.]

Sources

Gero, David. Military Aviation Disasters: Significant Losses Since 1908. UK and Newbury Park, CA: Patrick Stephens Limited, an imprint of Hayes Publishing, 1999.

Sturkey, Marion F. Mid-Air: Accident Reports and Voice Transcripts from Military and Airline Mid-Air Collisions. Plum Branch, SC: Heritage Press International, 2008.