On October 16, 1984 at 3:46 PM, a Boeing B-52G (SWOON 52) operated by the 92nd BMW of the Strategic Air Command departed Fairchild Air Force Base, WA for a scheduled night T-3 Training Mission.
At 8:55 PM, while flying in and out of snow showers, the B-52's right wing and #4 engine pylon struck the north crest of Hunts Mesa on the Navajo Indian Reservation. The aircraft continued to travel on a 155 degree magnetic heading another 3,465 feet before it crashed onto a lower southern bluff of Hunts Mesa. On board the aircraft were:
Capt. Robert L. Keeney......Pilot
1st.Lt. Douglas J. Schwartz...Co-Pilot
Maj. Eugene J. Daspit......Radar Navigator
1st.Lt. Kenneth O. Portis.....Navigator
Capt. Sean M. Yeronick......Electronic Warfare Officer
Sgt. David W. Felix........Gunner
Col. William L. Ivy........Pilot/Safety Observer
After striking the mesa, the crew managed to eject from the aircraft with serious injuries. The exception being Sgt. David Felix whose parachute failed to deploy before ground contact and Col. William Ivy who was seated in the observers seat without the capability to eject or escape before the plane crashed. Both were killed in the accident.
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I have known of this accident since 1992 and have flown over the area many times but had never been able to locate the crash site from the air. I knew from talking with the local Navajos that the area had been "cleaned" by the Air Force a year or so after the accident.
On September 19, 2008, I traveled to Hunts Mesa on the Navajo Indian Reservation to see for myself if anything remains at the site.
Thanks again to Brad Gray for the accident report and the information he provided. Through his assistance, he saved me many hours of searching.
At 8:55 PM, while flying in and out of snow showers, the B-52's right wing and #4 engine pylon struck the north crest of Hunts Mesa on the Navajo Indian Reservation. The aircraft continued to travel on a 155 degree magnetic heading another 3,465 feet before it crashed onto a lower southern bluff of Hunts Mesa. On board the aircraft were:
Capt. Robert L. Keeney......Pilot
1st.Lt. Douglas J. Schwartz...Co-Pilot
Maj. Eugene J. Daspit......Radar Navigator
1st.Lt. Kenneth O. Portis.....Navigator
Capt. Sean M. Yeronick......Electronic Warfare Officer
Sgt. David W. Felix........Gunner
Col. William L. Ivy........Pilot/Safety Observer
After striking the mesa, the crew managed to eject from the aircraft with serious injuries. The exception being Sgt. David Felix whose parachute failed to deploy before ground contact and Col. William Ivy who was seated in the observers seat without the capability to eject or escape before the plane crashed. Both were killed in the accident.
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I have known of this accident since 1992 and have flown over the area many times but had never been able to locate the crash site from the air. I knew from talking with the local Navajos that the area had been "cleaned" by the Air Force a year or so after the accident.
On September 19, 2008, I traveled to Hunts Mesa on the Navajo Indian Reservation to see for myself if anything remains at the site.
Thanks again to Brad Gray for the accident report and the information he provided. Through his assistance, he saved me many hours of searching.
The versatility of the ATV in aviation archaeology is unmatched. With a short narrow wheel base and four wheel drive capabilities, I can manuever over and around obstacles that a truck or jeep could never do.
The ATV I use is a modified 2005 Honda Rincon 650 4x4 with independant suspension. It is equipped with two GPS receivers, 2 meter/440 mhz communications, 2.0 Warn winch, 2" lift, full protective under armor, front and rear heavy duty bumpers, front and rear cargo lockers, on-board air compressor, ITP wheels and oversized traction tires. It can climb 50 degree slopes. Top speed on level ground is 55 mph.
The ATV I use is a modified 2005 Honda Rincon 650 4x4 with independant suspension. It is equipped with two GPS receivers, 2 meter/440 mhz communications, 2.0 Warn winch, 2" lift, full protective under armor, front and rear heavy duty bumpers, front and rear cargo lockers, on-board air compressor, ITP wheels and oversized traction tires. It can climb 50 degree slopes. Top speed on level ground is 55 mph.
Pictured here is actually a good stretch of the four mile trail up to the summit of Hunts Mesa. ATVs are allowed on the Navajo Indian Reservation as long as you stay on designated roads and trails.
Once on the 6,300' summit of Hunts Mesa, I used the photos in the official USAF accident report to determine the B-52's initial impact point.
I alligned the buttes and mesas seen in this photo to match the ones in the report. I then searched the area.
I alligned the buttes and mesas seen in this photo to match the ones in the report. I then searched the area.
I fly tours over this landscape 2-3 times a week and it never gets old. One of the best vistas I have seen for a crash site.
The danger of hiking this terrain is that unlike many places I have been, you walk to a ledge and there is the cliff. Very easy to see danger.
At Monument Valley it's a little different. The cliffs here are preceeded by a gentle sandstone slope that will slide you to that 800 foot cliff.
At Monument Valley it's a little different. The cliffs here are preceeded by a gentle sandstone slope that will slide you to that 800 foot cliff.
It took only about five minutes of walking the area before I found one of several separated turbine blades.
This bent nacelle latch marked "Boeing" confirmed the initial impact point of the B-52G.
I scrambled down to the bottom of this gulley to inspect this wing panel fragment. Years of heavy rains and floods washed many fragments into the gulley.
The area was scattered with turbine blades. It was rumoured by many that the tail section hit the edge of the mesa first. However, the on-site evidence during my visit indicates a wing and engine pylon made the first contact.
Not quite sure what this is from. It is heavy cast metal painted white. My first thought is that it could be a strut fragment from the wing outrigger gear.
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