Date:	Thursday 1 May 1952
Time:
Type:	Boeing B-29A Superfortress
Owner/operator:	365th BSqn /305th BGp USAF
Registration:	44-61538
MSN:	11015
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 7 / Occupants: 14
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Gulf of Mexico, 27 miles WNW of Tarpon, Florida -   United States of America
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	McDill AFB, Tampa, Florida
Destination airport:
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
Boeing B-29A-35-BN Superfortress 44-61538: Assigned to 24th Bomb Squadron, 6th Bomb Group, USAAF April 1945. Named ‘Kinney Dalle’. Detached to Task Force 1 at Kwajalein, Marshall Islands for "Operation Crossroads" in 1946. Assigned to 367th Bomb Squadron, 306th Bomb Group, MacDill AFB, Florida.

Damaged in an accident 6 November 1949 at MacDill AFB, Florida. Repaired and returned to service, Re-assigned to 365th Bomb Squadron, 305th Bomb Group, MacDill AFB, Florida. A further accident on 23 January 1951 when landing at MacDill AFB, Florida. Repaired and returned to service 23 October 1951

Written off (destroyed) May 1, 1952: The crew was engaged in a low level target exercise when the airplane crashed in unknown circumstances into the Gulf of Mexico, about 27 miles west-northwest of Tarpon Springs, Florida. Seven crew members were killed while seven others were rescued. According to a contemporary newspaper report (see link #2):

"FRIDAY MORNING. MAY 2, 1952
POTTSTOWN MERCURY. POTTSTOWN, PA.
7 FLIERS SAVED, 7 MISSING AFTER PLANE CRASHES

Little Hope Is Given For Those Lost; Bomber Went Down Off Florida TARPON SPRINGS, Fla., May 1

Seven airmen were rescued, but seven are missing after a B-29 bomber crashed in the Gulf of Mexico during low level gunnery practice today. Little hope was held for the missing. The survivors remained in the vicinity of the crash for an hour and a half on a life raft without spotting any of them. A search by planes and surface craft was unsuccessful.

The plane was from MacDill Air Force base at Tampa It went down about 30 miles north-northwest of here. MacDill airbase listed the survivors as

Major Richard D. Sullivan, the pilot, Santa Barbara, California
Capt. James 3L Leonard, Tampa, formerly of Worthington, Minn;
Capt. Cyril H. Kogers, Tampa, FL;
S/Sgt. Kenneth L. Hill, Elmira, N.Y:
Airman 2/c George D. Hill, Amarillo, Tex.;
Capt. Robert J. Tuttle, Tampa, FL: and
Airman 2/c Howard E. Gany, Little Rock, Ark.

The survivors reported that the plane floated nose down about a minute after crashing, then sank quickly. They swam to an emergency raft released by Major Sullivan, and climbed aboard. A Tarpon Springs fishing boat captained by Robert Canfield rescued them. Col. John Proctor, operations officer of the 305th Bomb Group, said the cause of the accident had not been determined. There was no fire or explosion, he said.

After impact the plane's tail broke off. Two men escaped from the forward section and five from the rear. Names of the missing will not be released until later."

1. El Litoral 1 May 1952, p 2 ..
2. Pottstown Mercury from Pottstown, Pennsylvania May 2 1952 Page 8 at https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/15917383/_/
3. [LINK NOT WORKING ANYMORE:http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1944_4.h]tml
4. [LINK NOT WORKING ANYMORE:http://www.baaa-acro.com/1952/archives/crash-of-a-boeing-b-29a-35-bn-superfortress-off-tarpon-springs-7-killed/]
5. http://usafunithistory.com/PDF/0300/365%20BOMB%20SQ.pdf
6. http://www.econseminars.com/6th_Bombardment_Group_Tinian/6th%20BG%20B-29%20Inventory.pdf

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
01-Feb-2015 18:31	TB	Added
13-Jun-2017 22:07	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Cn, Operator, Location, Phase, Departure airport, Source, Narrative]
13-Jun-2017 22:10	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source, Narrative]
08-Feb-2021 20:11	Paco	Updated [Operator, Operator]