What happened
During a refueling operation departing from Davis-Monthan, a KB-29M carrying 10 crew members was cruising at an altitude of 9,000 feet when it struck another aircraft. The second aircraft, a USAF Boeing B-50 with 13 personnel on board, was finishing a training mission from the same base.
The impact caused both planes to enter a steep dive, leading to a crash in a desert region near Comobabi, situated approximately 50 miles west of Tucson. The accident resulted in a total of 13 fatalities and 10 injuries across both airframes.
Specifically, the B-50 sustained seven deaths and six injuries among its crew. The KB-29M experienced six deaths and four survivors with injuries.
Findings
The precise environmental or operational factors that led to the mid-air collision remain undetermined.