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.
Boeing B-52G Wing Outrigger Gear. Circled is the strut assembly similiar to the fragment located on Hunts Mesa.
Another wing panel fragment painted grey.
Not a fragment of aircraft wreckage but a piece of the area's ancient pre-history. This Anasazi pottery dates around 700-1200 AD.
How hard can it be to build an outhouse? This exposed toilet on Hunts Mesa even includes a roll of tissue on the branch behind me. Oh well..you can't beat the view!
After locating the B-52's initial impact point, it was time to try and locate where the plane finally came down.
My first thought was how far can a B-52 continue to fly while missing a very big piece of its wing?
My first thought was how far can a B-52 continue to fly while missing a very big piece of its wing?
I travelled a distance across Hunts Mesa until I reached the end of the trail.
Using binoculars and looking southeast across this lower bluff, I could see small reflections of metal. The final impact site of the B-52G is circled in the distance.
Using binoculars and looking southeast across this lower bluff, I could see small reflections of metal. The final impact site of the B-52G is circled in the distance.
Hiking to the site, it was not long before I started finding small fragments indicating the disintegration of the B-52 across the bluff.
Fragments of burned juniper trees, shrubs, and wreckage told me I was hiking in the right direction.
An earliar visitor made a small pile of wreckage.
This aerial photo taken of Hunts Mesa at 7,000 feet looking southeast illustrates the B-52's initial collision with the north edge of the mesa (large red oval) and the final impact point (small red oval) nearly 3,500 feet away. (Photo taken 9/29/08)
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