Evening star., 1950-04-12
13Die in Crash
0fSuper Forton
Sandia Base
Military Secrecy
Hides Details of
Tragic Accident
Nv the Assoeiotsd Press

W VIC N@SSSt0iC0 Fte3s
ALBUQUERQUE, N. Mex, Apri
PA B-29 bomber carried al
13 crewmen aboard to fer,
deaths in a crash last night into
Sandia Secret weapons Base.
The Air Force drew a tigh
secrecy curtain on the tragedy ir
a remote area of the atomic bomt
assembly installation.
Newsmen were barred from en-.
tering the area, a spot 1000 feet
high in the Manzano Mountains
The scene is about five miles east
of Sandia headquarters and II
miles east of downtown Albuquer-
que.
A road block was thrown across
the only trail leading into the
area. just off transcontinentaI
U. S. Highway Sc.
Falls After Take0ff.
The Strategic Air Command
plane from Walker Base at Ros-
well, N. Mex, plunged to the
ground and burned three minutes
after it took off from nearby Kirt-
land Field.
Emphasizing secrecy cloakine
the locale, one officer observed:
Not even the President of the
United States could get into the
place"
Except for describing the bis
crafts fight as one for training
military authorities refused to dis.
close its mission.
Ship and crew were attached
TO the 509th Bomb Wing a
Walker Base.
Kirkland Base is part of the All
Force Special Weapons Project
and new weapons are developed
at adjoining Sandia Base. Mer
are trained at Kirkland for All
Force use of these weapons.
Casualty List Released.
The Air Force announced tn
following casualty list:
Capt. John r. Martin, plan
commander. West Frankfort, III.
Capt. David H. Foust. Detroit
1st 1t. Richard A. Coates. Cleona
Pa; 1st 1t. Ralph e. Farmer, Cen
tralia. ILL.,; 1st 1t. Lewis Ranck
Altoona, Pa: 1st 1t. Thomas j
Stultz. Russell. KY; S/Sergt
Richard E. Cooper. Denver;
S/Sergt Eugene r. Thompson
Kansas City. Kans.; S/Sergt. Wal.
ter c. Boedeker, Danville, ILL.,;
S/Sergt. James B. rarney, New
Franklin. Miss; S/5ergt. Geralc
M. Powell. LIE Raysville. Pa; Sergt
j. r. Chiffon. jr.. Hermon, N. Y.
and Sergt. Virgil r. Tennyson
Whom, Tex.
The Superfortress burned fol
more than two hours. Flame
shooting high in the air wer,
visible from a distance of Is miles
The Air Force said no building
were involved in the crash. ON
cials refused to say, however
whether the plane fell in an are;
about which there have beel
guarded reports in the past hint
ing at underground atomic install
lations.
officials at both Walker Base
the bomber's home field. and All
Force headquarters in Washington
referred all queries to Brig. Ger
Howard G. Bunker, commandin
officer of the Air Force Specia
Weapons Command.
Second Sandia Tragedy.
1t was the second tragedy a
Sandia in slightly less than
month. Fifteen military prisoner
died in a flash fire at the bas
prison March 8.
The bomber was reported on
navigational training flight. 1t wa
en- route from Roswell to Albu
querque to Carswell Base at For
Worth, Tex, thence back to Ros
well.
The plane took off from Kirt
lands east-west runway at 9:3
pm. (MST). Reconstructing tn
crash, Air Force officials said tn
plane did not deviate from it
course. 1t plowed directly int
the mountainside instead of max
ing a turn or gaining altitude II
clear the peak.
Witness Saw Explosion.
Rex Chambers of Albuquerqu,
said he watched the takeoff.
"A few minutes after it got int,
the air" he said, Il heard th'
crash and saw the explosion. TIL,
plane seemed to explode when i
hit the ground. The smoke ant
fire mushroomed straight up ant
the fire then remained very com
pact. 1t didn't spread out at al
when 1t exploded"
Maj. Charles Phillips, Kirtlant
public information officer. salt
the fire must have been yer,
intense" After interviewing mem
bers of rescue teams, he said tn
plane apparently was totall
demolished Searchers reporte,
wreckage scattered over a wild
area.
Maj. Phillips said the plane jus
missed clearing a peak in the 10,
ManZano range.
Col. Hunter Harris, Walker bas
commandant, flew to Albuquerqu
shortly after the crash. He wen
directly to the wreckage.