ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 48334
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| Date: | Thursday 7 January 1971 |
| Time: | |
| Type: |  Boeing B-52C-45-BO Stratofortress |
| Owner/operator: | 99th BWg /364th BSqn USAF |
| Registration: | 54-2666 |
| MSN: | 17161 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 9 / Occupants: 9 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Big Rock Point, near Charlevoix, Little Traverse Bay, Lake Michigan -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | Westover AFB, Chicopee, MA |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
Crashed and destroyed January 7 1971, whilst flying a low-level route at night that passed over Lake Michigan. During the simulated bomb run a ground station reported that the radar image of the plane blossomed & then disappeared. The B-52 crashed into Lake Michigan, just off Big Rock Point, near Charlevoix, Little Traverse Bay, MI.
Only a small amount of wreckage, two life vests, and some spilled fuel was found in Little Traverse Bay. The B-52 went down six nautical miles from the Bay Shore Air Force Radar Site
The aircraft was never recovered from the waters of Lake Michigan. The accident report, the board determined, that cause of the the accident was "undetermined,". The accident investigation speculated that the accident was due to wing failure and/or an on board explosion. The airplane was on a low level bomb run on the Iron Man Oil Burner route making a night RBS bomb run. The RBS site reported that communications with the crew and the aircraft route appeared normal until the point at which the crew would execute a "pop-up" maneuver. At that point radar contact was lost.
All 9 Crew were killed:
Pilot:Maj Gerald W. Black 32 USAF killed.
Co-pilot:1st/Lt Dennis Ferguson 25 USAF killed.
Nav/Inst:Lt/Col John M. Somonfy Jr. 39 USAF killed.
Nav:Lt/Col William Lemmon 38 USAF killed.
Nav:Capt John E. Weaver 27 USAF killed.
Nav:Capt Joel G. Hirsh 26 USAF killed.
EWO:Maj Donald F. Rosseau 37 USAF killed.
EWO:1st/Lt Douglas Bachman 25 USAF killed.
AG:Tech/Sgt Jerry M. Achey 33 USAF killed.
Sources:
http://www.westoveryesterday.com/InMemoriam.html
Redlands, California: Redlands Daily Facts, United Press International, "Unarmed B-52 crashes into Lake Michigan", Friday, 8 January 1971, page one
http://articles.petoskeynews.com/2009-10-05/lake-michigan_24016911
http://web.archive.org/web/20171101061754/http://www.ejection-history.org.uk:80/aircraft_by_type/b52_stratofortress.htm
http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1954.html
www.baaa-acro.com/Pays/Etats-Unis/Michigan.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_accidents_and_incidents_involving_military_aircraft_(1960%E2%80%931974)#1971
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 07-Nov-2008 10:15 | ASN archive | Added |
| 25-Oct-2009 23:35 | JINX | Updated |
| 18-Feb-2013 15:49 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Operator, Location, Phase, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 06-Apr-2020 14:53 | Reno Raines | Updated [Operator, Operator] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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