FlightFinder
Check my flight
No fatalities

Engine Explosion Forces Crew to Abandon Aircraft Near Yokosuka (45-21822)

Yokosuka, JapanFlight

On January 29, 1952, a Boeing B-29 Superfortress (registration 45-21822) operated by United States Air Force - USAF (since 1947) was involved in an aviation accident near Yokosuka, Japan in flight. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: Engine explosion in flight. This summary draws on records from the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A); 8 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

Sourcesthe Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A)Primary reportUpdated 2026-06-12Data APIEditorial standards

An aircraft's engine caught fire and exploded en route, prompting all 13 crew members to bail out. The aircraft crashed in a mountainous area 7 km west of Yokosuka and was destroyed, but all crew survived.

Accident

En route, an engine caught fire and exploded. All 13 crew members decided to bail out and abandoned the aircraft. The aircraft dove into the ground and crashed in a mountainous area located 7 km west of Yokosuka. The airplane was destroyed.

Crew

All 13 crew members were found alive. The crew consisted of: Cpt Norman T. Abercrombie, 1st Lt Cecile C. Choato, Sgt Bruce H. Gilbert, 2nd Lt James Guinane, Cpt Raymond M. Lajeunesse, Cpt Julian C. Meadows, Sgt Jerry M. Murry, M/Sgt Clarence C. Price, Cpl Loyal Robinson, Sgt Franklin E. Rynot, Pfc Donald H. Thomas, and Col Delmore P. Wood.

Probable Cause

The official investigation determined the probable cause to be an engine explosion in flight.

In-flight fire & smoke

Related events

Same operator

More accident analyses