Incident Overview
On March 21, 1951, a C-124 aircraft (registration 49-0244) departed Walker Air Force Base, New Mexico, carrying aircrews and equipment of the 509th Bomber Group bound for RAF Lakenheath, England. The aircraft, commanded by Major Robert J. Bell of the 2nd Strategic Support Squadron, made an intermediate stop at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, where it remained overnight. The following day, Brigadier General Paul T. Cullen and his staff joined the passengers. The flight continued to Loring Air Force Base, Maine, arriving at 1230 Zulu on March 22 after an uneventful eight-hour flight.
Final Leg and Distress
After refueling and receiving a weather briefing, the crew filed a flight plan for the final leg: from Limestone, Maine, direct to Gander, then a great circle route to RAF Lakenheath. The route passed over weather ships linking North America to the British Isles. At 0100 Zulu on March 23, the aircraft reported its position to British weather ship 4YJ at 52°N, 20°W, approximately 800 miles southwest of Ireland. Shortly thereafter, the radio operator issued a Mayday call reporting a fire in cargo crates. The crew began jettisoning the crates and announced they were ditching.
Ditching and Search Efforts
The aircraft ditched at approximately 50°45'N, 24°03'W. It remained intact upon water contact, and all occupants exited wearing life preservers, boarding five-man life rafts equipped with cold weather gear, food, water, flares, and Gibson Girl hand-crank emergency radios. A B-29 from the 509th element in England, piloted by Captain Muller, located the survivors after they fired flares. However, the B-29 carried no rescue equipment and eventually departed due to fuel constraints. When the first rescue craft arrived 19 hours later, only a burned briefcase and a partially deflated life raft were found. Subsequent searches over several days yielded no bodies or further wreckage.
Occupants and Context
The flight carried 53 occupants, including Brigadier General Paul Thomas Cullen, commander of the newly established 7th Air Group and former head of photography for the Crossroads atomic bomb tests. The crew and passengers included personnel from the 509th Wing and 2nd Strategic Squadron.