1948 – Aug 20, USAF B-29 engine fire on takeoff attempt crash, Rapid City AFB ~Rapid City, SD-17

Compiled by Wayne Blanchard Sep 22, 2023 for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/

–17  AP. “Takeoff Tragedy. B-29 Cracks Up…17 Die in Fiery Debris.” Salt Lake Tribune, UT. 8-21-1948, p1.

–17  Aviation Safety Network. USAF B-29 out-of-control ascent Ellsworth AFB, SD, 8-19-1948.

–17  NFPA. “Large Loss Fires of 1948.” Quarterly of the [NFPA], 42/3, Jan 1949, p. 197.

Narrative Information

Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation, Database, 1948:

“Date:                          Thursday 19 August 1948 [AP of Aug 20 notes crash “afternoon” of 20th.]

“Time:                         night

“Type:                         Boeing B-29 Superfortress

“Owner/operator:        United States Air Force (USAF)

“Registration:              42-63442

….

“Fatalities:                   Fatalities: 17 / Occupants: 17

….

“Location:                   5 mi N of Rapid City AFB, SD – USA

“Phase:                        Take off

“Nature:                       Military

“Departure airport:      Rapid City AFB, South Dakota [renamed Ellsworth AFB in 1953]

“Destination airport:    [Not noted.]

“Narrative:

“Shortly after takeoff from Ellsworth AFB, while in initial climb, the aircraft went out of control, and crashed in a huge explosion in a field located 5 miles north of the airfield. All 17 occupants (crew of 4 plus 13 passengers) were killed. Crash took place at night, on the night of August 19-20, hence some sources give the date of the accident as “August 20, 1948”

National Fire Protection Association. “Large Loss Fires of 1948.”

“Aug 20…near Rapid City, S.D.  U.S. Air Force B-29…Fire in the engine at a crucial moment during take-off…17 killed.”

Newspaper

Aug 20, AP: “Rapid City, S.D., Aug 20 (AP) – Seventeen men were instantly killed when a B-29 crashed and burned at the end of a runway at the Rapid City Air Force base Friday afternoon [20th], Capt. Thomas Segler, public information officer, said. The heavy bomber, attached to the 28th bomb wing, was taking off on a routine training flight.

“The wreckage was still burning shortly before 5 p.m. (MST), about an hour after the crash. All aboard were killed, Segler said.

“Segler said the plane was about to take off when one port (left) engine caught fire. The pilot was forced to feather his propellers and the plane lost speed. It did not get off the ground. Just as it passed the edge of the runway, it banked to the left, the left wing hit the ground and the plane turned over and burst into flames. The plane burned for more than an hour. Some bodies that rescuers were able to get out were burned almost beyond recognition….

“George Nichols, Ogden, Utah, who witnessed the crash, said it appeared to him the pilot had attempted to turn to the left and then changed his mind just before the ship’s nose struck the ground. The winds crumpled, Nichols said, and the back end of the fuselage flipped over on top of the front portion.

“Four fire trucks from the air base tried to halt the flames and two from Rapid Citty arrived to aid.

“The air base, one of those used by the 15th air force, is about 10 miles east of Rapid City on a plateau. Smoke from the fire was visible at Rapid City….” (Associated Press. “Takeoff Tragedy. B-29 Cracks Up, Burns; 17 Die in Fiery Debris.” Salt Lake Tribune, Salt Lake City, UT. 8-21-1948, p. 1.)

Sources

Associated Press. “Takeoff Tragedy. B-29 Cracks Up, Burns; 17 Die in Fiery Debris.” Salt Lake Tribune, Salt Lake City, UT. 8-21-1948, p. 1. Accessed 9-22-2023 at:

https://newspaperarchive.com/salt-lake-tribune-aug-21-1948-p-1/

Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation, Database, 1948. USAF B-29 out-of-control ascent Ellsworth AFB, SD, 8-19-1948. Accessed 9-22-2023 at:

https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/66400

National Fire Protection Association. “Large Loss Fires of 1948.” Quarterly of the National Fire Protection Association, Vol. 42, No. 3, January 1949, pp. 137-183.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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