ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 156251
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| Date: | Tuesday 2 May 1961 |
| Time: | 02:45 |
| Type: |  Boeing B-47E Stratojet |
| Owner/operator: | 40th BWg USAF |
| Registration: | 53-2331 |
| MSN: | 4501144 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 4 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | 8 mi SW of Hurley, WI -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | Forbes AFB (KFOE) (now Topeka Regional Airport), Shawnee County, |
| Forbes AFB (KFOE) (now Topeka Regional Airport), Shawnee County | |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
The aircraft took off at 23.08 hrs; 1st May from Forbes Air Force Base, Kansas, for the 600 mile flight to Ironwood, Michigan on a routine radar bombing training mission. The aircraft was carrying out a radar simulated low level bombing run on the Ironwood 'Radar Bomb Scoring' Station on top of Norrie Hill, when it crashed and exploded into the Gile Flowage Lake swamp area, 8 miles southwest of Hurley, Wisconsin. Radar contact being lost at Ironwood Radar Site at 02.45 hrs. on the 2nd. May.
Two aircrew, Aircraft Commander, Capt. Frank Mead III and Navigator, Capt. John Hill bailed out at low level and parachuted to safety, sustaining injuries. Two aircrew, Instructor Pilot, Capt. Dale B. Rasmussen and Co-pilot, 1st Lt. Demosthesis D. Hariton were killed in the crash.
This was the second crash into the same swamp area within 10 weeks. B-47, 53-2347, with the same Wing, out of Forbes Air Force Base, crashed on the 24th February when carrying out the same exercise, with the loss of all four aircrew.
I was the radio operator the night of this crash. Normal IP call from aircraft at 2:35 made a call back to aircraft for some more information, no answer! Made many repeated calls as did other planes in the area no answer!
Sources:
B.47.com
The Daily Telegram, WI - 2nd May 1961
Wausau Daily Herald, WI - 3rd May 1961
https://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC59MBR_b-47-crash-site-memorial?guid=4b0b244c-df43-41ed-9622-1bfb429b3695
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 05-Jun-2013 11:22 | Uli Elch | Added |
| 05-Jun-2013 11:39 | Uli Elch | Updated [Date, Registration, Cn, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Location, Country, Phase, Narrative] |
| 25-Jun-2020 16:19 | Peter Clarke | Updated [Time, Operator, Other fatalities, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 05-Jul-2020 20:39 | Digger | Updated [Operator, Departure airport, Destination airport, Operator] |
| 21-Apr-2021 17:00 | TB | Updated [Location, Source] |
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