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Boeing B-29A-45-BN Superfortress 44-61797: Departed Herington AAF, Kansas for PTO (Pacific Theater of Operations) 25 July 1945. Assigned to 5th Bomb Squadron, 9th Bomb Group. Named '20th Century Limited'. Returned to CONUS (CONtinental US) 10 April 1947 after 6 combat missions. Assigned to 500th Bomb Group. Assigned to 3417th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, 3415th Aircraft Maintenance Group, Lowry AFB, Colorado.
Written off (destroyed) December 3, 1951: The crew was performing a liaison flight when an engine failed en route. The captain decided to divert to Lowry AFB in Denver for a safe landing. Unfortunately, on final approach, the heavy bomber stalled and smashed in flames in a residential area, near Eudora and Bayaud streets, located few hundred yards short of runway threshold. The aircraft disintegrated on impact and was destroyed by a post crash fire. Five houses were damaged and four others were destroyed. On the ground, six people (all military personnel) and one civilian, were injured as well as six crew members. Eight others were killed in the crash.
The air crash fatalities were: TSGT Robert F. Jarvis, TSGT Herbert L. Oeser Jr., CPL William J. Ablondi, CPL John R. Serbic, CPL Ronald W. Wiersma, CPL Richard P. Yukob, PFC James E. Snyder, PFC Baxter Surber.
Injured were:
Captain JAMES W. SHANKS, 33, pilot of plane, 2929 Glencoe St., Denver, condition,
fair.
First Lt. ROBERT H. SNURE, 27, Spokane, Wash., temporary residence 1733 Paris Street,
Aurora, Colo., condition, critical.
S/Sgt. WILLIAM A. ZIPPEL, 29, of Baudette, Minn., condition, good.
Corporal RAY E. WIDNER, 19, of R.R. 3, Westby, Wis., condition, good.
Pfc. TEDDY D. ALLEN, 18, South Gate, Cal., condition, fair.
Pfc. JOE D. WIGGINS, 20, R.F.D. 6, Williamsburg, Va., condition, good.
The civilian who received major injuries was a housekeeper named Mrs. Murphy Tinsley