Accident
A B-52 aircraft assigned to the 28th Bomb Wing at Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota, crashed and was destroyed following a landing accident. The aircraft caught fire and skidded into a brick storage building containing six 25,000-gallon tanks of jet fuel, totaling 150,000 gallons. The structure and its contents were involved in the subsequent fire.
Rescue Operations
Firefighters responded to the scene and performed a rescue of a crew member who was trapped inside the nose section of the aircraft, which had broken off. The navigator, identified as Captain Curtis L. Christy, was freed after nearly an hour. In a separate operation, a fire truck rammed the gun turret, breaking it off and freeing the tail gunner, Staff Sergeant Charles E. Adkins.
Crew
The following personnel were aboard the aircraft:
- Captain Wesley G. Swann, pilot
- Captain Gary C. Christensen, copilot
- Major Ralph P. Smiley, radar navigator
- Captain Curtis L. Christy, navigator
- First Lieutenant James L. Welch, electronic warfare officer
- Staff Sergeant Charles E. Adkins, gunner
- Major Harry D. Meehan, instructor navigator
- Lieutenant Colonel Paul R. Houser, 28th Bomb Wing Chief of Operations
- Airman First Class Randall Hart, avionics maintenance