1955 — June 10, USAF B29 Superfortress flies into Mt. Teckberg in fog ~Owen Germany–10

–10 Aviation Safety Network. USAF B-29 crash on mt. slope near Owen Germany 10 June 1955
–10 UP. “Ten Dead in Superfort Crash…Germany.” Evening Journal-Tribune, Marysville, OH. 6-11-1955, p.1.

Narrative Information

Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation, Database:
“Date: 10 Jun 1955
“Time: 23:30 LT
“Type: Boeing B-29A Superfortress
“Owner/operator: United States Air Force (USAF)
“Registration: 44-61780
“MSN: 11257
“Fatalities: Fatalities: 10 / Occupants: 10
“Other fatalities: 0
….
“Location: ca 1 mi E of Owen – Germany
“Phase: En route
“Nature: Military
“Departure airport: RAF Molesworth, Cambridgeshire
“Destination airport: Furstenfeldbruck airfield, Munich, West Germany
“Confidence Rating: Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources
“Narrative:

“The crew was performing a flight from RAF Molesworth, Cambridgeshire, to Stuttgart. While approaching Stuttgart-Echterdingen Airport by night, the crew was contacted by ATC and rerouted to Fürstenfeldbruck Airbase near Munich due to insufficient visibility caused by foggy conditions. A few minutes later, while cruising at low height, the airplane hit the slope of the 775-metre/2,543 foot Mount Teckberg, located about 1 mile east of Owen. All ten crew members were killed.

June 11, UP: “Kirchhcim, Germany (UP) – A U.S. Air Force B-29 Superfortress plane on a non-stop training flight from England crashed in the mountains near here, the Air Force reported today. The announcement said there were ‘no known survivors’ among the plane’s crew of 10.

“American officials in Stuttgart said the four-engined aircraft crashed and burned late Friday night in the wooded foothills of Germany’s Swabian Alps. All aboard died.

“Fog was blamed for the crash.

“First word of the tragedy came from German police. Later, the crash was confirmed by Air Force authorities. The plane involved was an SB-29, a supply ferry version of the famed B-29 that bombed Japan in World War II.

“Officials said it apparently was flying blindly up a valley 900 feet below the summit of surrounding hills when it flew into the side of one peak. ‘Visibility was only 30 feet,’ one official said. ‘The pilot apparently tried at the last minute to pull th plane up clear of the peak that loomed in front of him.’

“At dawn today a detachment of U.S. Air Force rescue workers and German police reached the scene, near Owen, 13 miles southeast of Stuttgart, a town in the Wurttemberg-Baden area.

“Police said 10 bodies were found in the burned-out wreckage. They indicated this was the entire crew.

“The plane appeared to have been flying up a dead-end valley at about 1,300 feet altitude when it struck a 2,200-foot peak.

“It was attached to the 582nd Air Resupply Group at Molesworth, Huntingdonshire, England, and was engaged in a non-stop training mission over Germany.

“The plane burned fiercely after the crash.

“An Air Force spokesman issued the following statement:

On an instrument training flight, the aircraft had just made a low approach to the Stuttgart airfield and was climbing away from the field when radio contact was lost with control authorities.

The plane had taken off from hits home base in Molesworth, England, intending to fly to Munich, perform instrument training at Stuttgart, and return to Molesworth before landing on a round robin flight.

“Air Force officials said driving ran and low visibility hampered rescue work, since neither ground vehicles nor helicopters could reach the scene right away.” (UP. “Ten Dead in Superfort Crash Over Germany.” Evening Journal-Tribune, Marysville, OH. 6-11-1955, p. 1.)

Sources

Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation, Database. USAF Boeing B-29 A Super-fortress crash on slope of Mount Teckberg near Owen Germany, 10 June 1955. Accessed 7-4-2023 at: https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/159950

United Press. “Ten Dead in Superfort Crash Over Germany. Plane, Crew Lost As Craft Runs into Mountain.” Evening Journal-Tribune, Marysville, OH. 6-11-1955, p. 1. Accessed 7-4-2023 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/marysville-evening-journal-tribune-jun-11-1955-p-1/