No fatalities

Aircraft belly landing results in hull loss (44-61517)

Castle AFB, United States of AmericaLanding (descent or approach)

On August 3, 1950, a Boeing B-29 Superfortress (registration 44-61517) operated by United States Air Force - USAF (since 1947) was involved in an aviation accident near Castle AFB, United States of America during landing or approach. No fatalities were reported. 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 experienced a belly landing and slid for several hundred meters, resulting in the total loss of the airframe with no injuries reported.

What happened

During the flight, the aircraft underwent an emergency belly landing. Following the initial impact, the plane continued to slide across the ground for a distance of several hundred meters before eventually coming to a complete stop.

Despite the severity of the landing, there were no casualties reported among the 20 crew members on board. However, the structural damage sustained during the incident was significant enough that the aircraft was declared a total loss.

Findings

No specific technical reasons for the landing gear failure or the emergency procedure were provided in the initial report.