October 16, 1984, USAF, Boeing B-52G (57-6479) Monument Valley, AZ

THE AIRCRAFT

The Boeing B-52G (57-6479) Call sign SWOON 52 departed Fairchild AFB at 3:46 PM for a night T-3 mission that would include air refueling, low level segments with two re-entries, and a high altitude navigation leg.

home

All B-52s are equipped with an electro-optical viewing system that uses platinum silicide forward-looking infrared and high resolution low-light-level television sensors to augment the targeting, battle assessment, flight safety and terrain-avoidance system, thus further improving its combat ability and low-level flight capability. (U.S. Air Force photo)

205925652019920917

SWOON 52 began its refueling segment with the KC-135 high above Idaho and Western Wyoming.

After a high altitude refueling exercise, SWOON 52 began it's decent to enter the low level training route of IR-276. This route would take them through Monument Valley at night and at altitudes as low as 500 feet above the surface. Terrain avoidance was accomplished using radar altimeters and night vision equipment.

Snow storms and heavy freezing precipitation obscured Hunts Mesa from their equipment and they struck the right wing on the north rim of the mesa. The impact and extensive wing damage caused the aircraft to roll to the right in a descending spiral to the ground.

The pilots compartment as seen from the observer seat. Both pilot and co-pilot eject upward in an emergency situation. The observer seat has no ejection capability.

The EW Officer (Electronic Weapons) in the left seat and the Gunner in the right seat are situated in a room a short distance behind the pilots on the upper level. Their seats eject upwards.

I would assume that the aircraft was rolling and in an inverted decent when Sgt. Felix ejected thus causing the reported fatal head injuries.

This photo is of an early B-52 navigation position and is used to illustrate how the EW/Gunner crew was situated. Photos of the EW/Gunner position are currently classified by the U.S. Government.

buffstations

The Navigator and Radar Navigator occupy the lower deck of a B-52G. In an emergency these crew members eject downward through two escape hatches directly below their seats. (U.S. Air Force photo)

lowerdeck

VISITING THE CRASH SITE

Sunrise, September 19, 2008. I arrived at the base of Hunts Mesa in total darkness around 2 AM after a long drive from Grand Canyon. I navigated to this location using a GPS coupled with mapping software and route waypoints.

Today's technology has made aviation archaeology much easier. This Panasonic CF-28 Toughbook features a touchscreen and a back-lit keyboard. Navigating to this remote area at night would have been near impossible without this setup or similar.

I brought along the ATV not only in case the roads got really bad, but also to provide extra weight and traction for the rear truck tires in the deep sand.

I decided to use the ATV for the remaining four miles to save wear and tear on the truck. It was a good decision to bring it along since the trail up to Hunts Mesa turned out to be very rough.

1003487

Getting all my equipment together took some time. I ended up packing two digital cameras, air band radio, first aid kit, SPOT personal tracking device, food, and lots of water. The temperature was forecast to be in the high 80s.

1003488

The versatility of the ATV in aviation archaeology is unmatched. With a short narrow wheel base and four wheel drive capabilities, I can maneuver 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 independent 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 over-sized traction tires. It can climb 50 degree slopes. Top speed on level ground is 55 mph.

1003504

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.

1003503

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 aligned the buttes and mesas seen in this photo to match the ones in the report. I then searched the area.

1003491

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.

1003499

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 preceded by a gentle sandstone slope that will slide you to that 800 foot cliff.

1003492

INITIAL IMPACT - HUNTS MESA

It took only about five minutes of walking the area before I found one of several separated turbine blades. The bladed provided evidence that a major portion of wing and engine pylon sheared from the aircraft.

This bent engine 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.

1003494

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.

1003495

Not quite sure what this is from. It is heavy cast metal painted white. My first thought is that it could be a strut casing fragment from the wing outrigger gear.

1003496

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.

1003497

Not a fragment of aircraft wreckage but a piece of the area's ancient pre-history. This Anasazi pottery dates around 700-1200 AD.

1003498

TRACKING "SWOON 52"

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?

1003502

I traveled 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. The plane traveled nearly 3/4 of a mile before it's final impact.

1003592

THE MAIN IMPACT SITE

Hiking to the site, it was not long before I started finding small fragments indicating the disintegration of the B-52 across the bluff.

1003507

Fragments of burned juniper trees, shrubs, and wreckage told me I was hiking in the right direction.

1003557

An earlier visitor to the crash site made a small pile of wreckage.

1003509

This aerial photo taken of Hunts Mesa at an altitude of 7,000 feet 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)

Another aerial photo illustrates the final impact location on the lower bluff after the B-52 made it's initial contact with Hunts Mesa at an elevation of 6,300 feet.

The large yellow outlined area represents an area of wreckage scatter and the first point of ground contact. The two small yellow circles represent concentrated burn areas. (Photo taken 9/29/08)

Across a gully on the bluff, I noticed a large concentrated burn area surrounded by small pieces of wreckage.

1003508

This photo shows the location of the two concentrated burn areas on the lower bluff. The gully and the rock outcroppings in the background helped reduce and contain an even larger scatter of aircraft wreckage.

1003577

This would turn out to be the first of two concentrated burn areas. The other being further across the bluff.

1003575

Examination of the first concentrated burn area.

1003513

This wreckage was wedged under a large sandstone boulder. The boulder probably rolled down onto the wreckage after impact.

1003568

Unlike the previous photo, this fragment was wedged into the rock by the sheer force of impact.

1003569

A further examination of the first concentrated burn area.

1003564

With temperatures approaching the high 80s, I was starting to bake in the heat of the day.

1003566

A long strand of electrical wiring. The B-52 had miles of it.

1003510

More wiring and electrical connectors.

1003514

Various part tags and stamps.

1003515

Not sure what this was, but it looks to be part of an antenna assembly.

1003516

One of many airfoil vortex generators found at the site. These small fins are mounted to the wings and tail surfaces of the aircraft to help slow the flow of air that could reach supersonic speed and make the plane unstable at high speeds.

1003521

This fragment looked like part of a doorway frame.

1003522

Another component fragment with part and serial numbers.

1003523

A flight crew helmet communications earphone. Possibly from the lone observer (Col. Ivy) who perished in the crash.

1003524

A red interior light lens used for either night operations or the "Bail Out" light rests amid burned circuit boards and electrical components.

1003525

Examining the second concentrated burn area on the bluff.

1003527