B-29 at Eglin AFB with "cranked" wing.

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Art Medcalf

Airman
23
49
Jul 11, 2024
In 1960 flying T-2 "Buckeye" trainers in carrier landing field practice, the Navy was using one of the outlying sites at Eglin field (cannot remember the number). We would fly there from Forrest Sherman field shoot 10 or 12 practice traps, land, debrief, take off, shoot some more and return to Forrest Sherman. At one end of the runway was a B-29 with a "crank" in the port wing between the inboard nacelle and the fuselage. It is over 60 years since I saw it but the offset must have been at least 12 inches and have never seen another aircraft which had experienced an inflight structural failure of that magnitude and landed "safely". The story I was told it was the result of thunderstorm wind shear and barely made it in and the crew walked away and the aircraft was towed off the runway and left there for many years. My memory it still had guns in the turrets, which probably places the incident in the late 40s. I was too poor to have a decent camera and the last time I flew into that site it had been removed. Does anyone ever remember seeing a photo of such a B-29? Perhaps there is an accident report? Any help would be appreciated.

ArtieBob

ps I have several B-29 photos to trade taken by a bombardier in Both WW II and Korea.
 
In 1960 flying T-2 "Buckeye" trainers in carrier landing field practice, the Navy was using one of the outlying sites at Eglin field (cannot remember the number). We would fly there from Forrest Sherman field shoot 10 or 12 practice traps, land, debrief, take off, shoot some more and return to Forrest Sherman. At one end of the runway was a B-29 with a "crank" in the port wing between the inboard nacelle and the fuselage. It is over 60 years since I saw it but the offset must have been at least 12 inches and have never seen another aircraft which had experienced an inflight structural failure of that magnitude and landed "safely". The story I was told it was the result of thunderstorm wind shear and barely made it in and the crew walked away and the aircraft was towed off the runway and left there for many years. My memory it still had guns in the turrets, which probably places the incident in the late 40s. I was too poor to have a decent camera and the last time I flew into that site it had been removed. Does anyone ever remember seeing a photo of such a B-29? Perhaps there is an accident report? Any help would be appreciated.

ArtieBob

ps I have several B-29 photos to trade taken by a bombardier in Both WW II and Korea.

So the wing was bent by a foot or so? Vertically or horizontally?
 
The links given on the other forum are quite interesting showing old wrecked planes on various abandoned aux fields around Eglin. Some new to me aircraft and versions of older planes. It brings to mind a story from a fellow employee who used to hunt those areas in the 70s & 80s. He told of coming upon a rusty chain link fenced hangar with rusty U.S. Govt property signs. It appeared long abandoned and through broken windows they recognized SNJ wings standing on ends.
 

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