Evening star., 1949-10-13
Z Die as B-50
With hLiveBombs
Falls in England
Plane Dives Into Field
In Practice Mission
To HeIgoIond
By the Associated Pres.

1SLEHAM, England, October 13.
An American Air Force B-50
bomber with a load of live bombs
dived into a wheat field today
and exploded with roar heard
II miles away. All IL crew men,
bers were killed.
The plane, designed as the atom
bomb carrying version of the B-29,
was on l80-mile practice mis-
sion to the North Sea island Of
Helgoland with twelve 500-pound
bombs.
Villagers said the plane ap-
peared to burst into flames just
before it dropped through light
ground fog and struck the field.
Flaming bits of the four r-engined
craft were blown hundreds Of
yards in all directions from the
huge central crater dug by the
blast.
Burning gasoline set fire to a
ring of farm buildings and to 60
tons of stacked wheat. Windows
were shattered and plaster CELL
ings fell in Isleham houses. Fire
equipment was summoned from
nearby Newmarket, so miles
northeast of London, and from
Cambridge, Mildenhall and OK
fordham.
First B-50 Crash in England.
The United States Sd Air Divi-
sion in London said the plane
crashed at 9:25 am, local time,
only a few minutes after it left
Lakenheath airfield. 7 miles away
in adjoining Norfolk County, for
its Helgoland mission. Both Brit
ish and American aircraft regu-
larly use Helgoland for live bomb
ing practice. Helgoland was a
Nazi submarine and anti-aircraft
base during the war.
The Third Air Division said
this was the first accident in
volving B-50 since the 43d
Group arrived August 1S from its
Tucson (Ariz) base. The group
is stationed at Scolthorpe, Nor
folk County. for 80 days of opera
tional training. A B-5o bomber
crashed near Fairbanks, Alaska.
last December %, killing all 10
men aboard.
The Sd Air Division withheld
the names of today's dead until
next of kin are notified. 1t also
refused to furnish the nickname
OF the plane, since this would
serve to identify the crew to
persons familiar with the 43d
Group when it was in Tucson.
The B-50's usually bear nick
names, the most famous of which
lis Lucky Lady" which flew non
stop around the world earlier
this year.
IL Bodies Recovered.
A Royal Air Force rescue
squadron recovered the IL bodies
from the smoking, twisted wreck
age within two hours after the
crash. The RAF threw a guard
around the wreckage to protect
secret equipment.
The tremendous explosion which
accompanied the crash was heard
In Newmarket, 10 miles away, and
in Mildenhall, two miles further
distant in Suffolk County.
| There was no immediate indi-
cation of the cause of the crash.
Air Force headquarters said
visibility in the area was about
an eighth of a mile.
Miss Dorothy Brown, who works
in nursing home near the scene
OF the crash, said she saw the
plane burst into flames before it
dived into the ground. Several
other villagers gave the same &C
count.
Dr.. E. L. Sergeant said the force
OF the blast shook down some CELL
ings and smashed windows in Isle
ham houses.
"One of my patients, cycling
near the scene. was blown off her
bicycle by the explosion" he told
reporters.
5000 Men in Britain.
The United States Air Force has
approximately 5000 men in Britain,
at bases established after the Rus
slams began their blockade Of
Berlin. Some of the men formerly
were used to service planes on the
Berlin airlift, before the Russians
lifted the blockade last summer.
A group Of 30 B-50s arrived in
England in August to relieve a
group of B-29 Super Fortresses
which were part of the heavy
(See BOMBER, Page A-5D