What happened
A mid-air collision occurred involving two Boeing KB-29P Superfortress aircraft while traveling through poor weather conditions. The first aircraft was conducting a training flight from RAF Sculthorpe toward southern France. While cruising at an altitude of 15,000 feet in low visibility, the plane experienced a loss of airspeed.
During this period, the aircraft was struck by another Boeing KB-29P Superfortress, registered 44-83906, which was operating with a crew of nine. Following the impact, both planes lost control and descended into a field in Morigny, situated approximately 25 km south of Saint-Lô.
The wreckage involved two different casualty counts across the crews. On the first aircraft, only one survivor was identified among the ten crew members. On the second aircraft, four fatalities occurred, while five crew members survived the crash. Evidence suggests that some individuals from the second aircraft managed to bail out of the plane before it struck the ground.
Findings
The investigation concluded that the accident was an in-flight collision triggered by the loss of speed in the lead aircraft.