ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 153803
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| Date: | Tuesday 24 June 1952 |
| Time: | day |
| Type: |  Boeing B-50D-110-BO Superfortress |
| Owner/operator: | 830th BSqn /509th BWg USAF |
| Registration: | 49-0271 |
| MSN: | 16047 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 11 / Occupants: 11 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | 2.5miles from RAF Lakenheath, Suffolk, England -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAF Lakenheath, Suffolk |
| RAF Lakenheath, Suffolk | |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
Boeing B-50D-110-BO Superfortress 49-0271, 830th Bomb Squadron/509th Bomb Wing, USAF: Written off (destroyed) 24/6/1952. The crew was performing a combined exercise out from RAF Lakenheath with ten other USAF B-50's. During the approach, the airplane went out of control, dove into the ground and crashed in a huge explosion few miles from the airfield, killing all 11 crew members.
Probable cause: The aircraft lost airspeed when the pilot attempted to avoid a collision with other bombers that were assembling into formation for a training mission. The 11 air crew were from Walker Air Force Base near Roswell, New Mexico. All the crew fatalities were repatriated back to the USA for burial
The 11 airmen who perished were:
*Capt. Fillmore T Avdevich (aged 32) - killed in action 24/6/1952, buried at Saint Joseph Cemetery, Norwich, New London County, Connecticut, USA
*Capt. Albin F Venskus, (Pilot, aged 28) - killed in action 24/6/1952, buried at Lithuanian National Cemetery, Justice, Cook County, Illinois, USA
*Capt. Harold R Rau, Jr (aged 30) - killed in action 24/6/1952, buried at Roselawn Memorial Park, Monona, Dane County, Wisconsin, USA
*Capt. Constantine Wolski (aged 31) - killed in action 24/6/1952, buried at [unknown loction] Seminole County, Florida
*Major Gail M Young (Observer,aged 36) - killed in action 24/6/1952, buried 11/7/1952, Shamrock Cemetery, Shamrock, Wheeler County, Texas, USA
*M/Sgt. Willis Moody Gray (aged 32) - killed in action 24/6/1952, buried at Long Island National Cemetery, East Farmingdale, Suffolk County, New York, USA
*S/Sgt. Henry T Kemp, Jr (aged 29) - killed in action 24/6/1952, buried at Crest Lawn Cemetery Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia, USA
*A1C William E Barnes (aged 22) - killed in action 24/6/1952, buried at Zachary Taylor National Cemetery, Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky, USA
*A1C Robert E Bayles (aged 22) - killed in action 24/6/1952, buried at Crown Hill Cemetery, Wheat Ridge, Jefferson County, Colorado, USA
*A1C Patrick L Birdsell (aged 20) - killed in action 24/6/1952, buried at Linton Cemetery Linton, Emmons County, North Dakota, USA
*A1C James S Frazier (aged 20) - killed in action 24/6/1952, buried at Mount Carmel Cemetery, Plattsburgh, Clinton County, New York, USA
Sources:
1. http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1949.html
2. https://www.baaa-acro.com/crash/crash-boeing-b-50d-110-bo-superfortress-raf-lakenheath-11-killed
3. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/167927928/fillmore-t-avdevich
4. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/167909848/albin-f-venskus
5. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/164997071/harold-r-rau
6. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/167930120/constantine-wolski
7. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/10617125/gail-young
8. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/2690137/willis-moody-gray
9. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/167908344/henry-thomas-kemp
10. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/3295674/william-e-barnes
11. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/83804397/robert-e-bayles
12. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/71512207/patrick-l-birdsell
13. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/167929616/james-s-frazier
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 06-Mar-2013 08:42 | Tetrapack | Added |
| 07-Apr-2020 10:20 | Reno Raines | Updated [Operator, Location, Operator] |
| 12-Mar-2021 20:32 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Source, Narrative] |
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