Accident Details
A six-engine aircraft engaged in a routine training flight crashed during takeoff from runway 23 at the Yakima Firing Center in Yakima County. The aircraft was scheduled to conduct seven practice bomb runs. During the takeoff roll, it encountered difficulties rotating, overran the runway, and rotated only after traveling 520 feet past the runway end. The airplane climbed to an altitude of approximately 50 feet before nosing down and crashing in a large explosion in a field 3,314 feet past the runway end and 75 feet to the right of the extended centerline. The aircraft was totally destroyed.
Crew and Casualties
Two crew members were seriously injured, and 15 others were killed. The crew consisted of: Captain Cecil F. Alldredge (pilot), Captain John Q. Boyd, T/Sgt Francis J. Brozowski, S/Sgt Martin Gordon Cohn, Captain John E. Daly, S/Sgt Earl K. Davis, 1st Lt Melvin H. Emley, S/Sgt John C. Gafford, Captain Arthur L. Hulshizer, 2nd Lt John J. Knaub, A2c Wilbur W. Knox Jr., 1st Lt Herbert D. Merman, Captain Albert E. Nelson, Captain Earl G. Soderbeck, A1c Charles E. Sykora Jr., A2c James Breedlove, and M/Sgt Walter L. Campbell. The pilot, Captain Alldredge, had previously been in command of another B-36, registered 44-92080, which crashed at Fairchild AFB on January 29 of the same year.
Probable Cause
The Air Force Board of Inquiry determined that the crash was caused by pilot error. During the maximum-weight takeoff, the pilots discovered that the elevator trim was set incorrectly, keeping the aircraft's nose down. Rather than aborting the takeoff, the aircraft commander, Captain Cecil F. Alldredge, decided to continue, confident that the trim could be corrected during the takeoff roll. The corrective action came too late, and the pilots lost control. The aircraft continued on the ground 520 feet past the end of runway 23 before becoming briefly airborne. After reaching approximately 50 feet, it struck the ground 75 feet to the right and 3,314 feet past the runway end, tore through the airfield perimeter fence, and came to rest 450 feet off the base. The debris field extended an additional 1,000 feet.