Below: The monument dedicated to the memory of those US personnel who died in this tragic air accident while returning home to the USA. This view looks toward Beinn Tharsuinn, where the aircraft struck the summit before crashing at the site marked by the monument.

Photo: © 2008 J. Towill

Below: The inscription on this personal memorial reads:

Placed here by
John A Knight
Paul's youngest Brother
Sept. 2005

Photo: © 2008 J. Towill

Further photos of the above memorial and enlargements of the monument plaque can be found further down this page.

 

Acknowledgments
Photos on page 1 were kindly provided by:
Dougie Martindale, James Towill, Stephen Hayton,
 Keith Beckett and David Pickering.
Videos and some photos of the memorial area
 were kindly provided by Steve White.
Photos and data on pages 2-4 were kindly provided by:
 James Towill

Appeal for Return of Parts

An appeal is being made to anyone in possession of wreckage parts—large or small—from this crash site to make them available for return to their original location. If you can provide a photo of a part or parts from this aircraft, together with an address for collection of any parts, please contact Keith Beckett at the following address: beckett.keith@googlemail.com

Further details here

Below: An actual photo of B-29 / 44-62276.

 This photo was taken on 14 April 1948 at Goose Bay, Labrador.

The above photo was kindly provided by
Keith Beckett
and is used here by permission. 

Registration or Serial: 44-62276

Operator: USAF (formerly, USAAF) 15th US Air Force, 301st Bombardment Group.

Operating Base: Smoky Hill AFB, USA (en route from RAF Scampton). (Smoky Hill later renamed Schilling Air Force Base, but closed in 1965.)

Base Location: Salina, Kansas, USA.

Current Airport Status: Operational Civil Airport

Current Airport Name: Salina Municipal Airport (KSLN)

Aircraft Type & Background

The Boeing B-29 was developed as a long-range heavy bomber. It was equipped with guns that could be fired by remote control. They were used primarily in the Pacific arena, although some operated over the Atlantic. The B-29 had a top speed of 365 mph and a cruising speed of 220 mph. Its range was 5,830 miles, and it carried a crew of 10. The B-29 first flew on 21 September 1942.

During the war in the Pacific, B-29s were used over Japan. In August 1945, the B-29 Enola Gay dropped the first atomic bomb used in warfare. This was followed three days later by the B-29 Bockscar dropping a second nuclear bomb.

Wartime versions of this aircraft were powered by four 2,200 hp Wright Double Cyclone R3350 18 cylinder radial engines. However, because of problems with this power plant, re-engined and post-war B-29s were equipped with the superior Pratt & Whitney R-4360 Wasp Major engines.

Following the war, the B-29 became the main bomber aircraft used by the newly formed USAF Strategic Air Command. It was used extensively in the Korean conflict.

The Soviet Union built a series of very similar aircraft, known as the Tu-4. The design of the Tu-4s had been copied largely from B-29s that had made forced landings in Soviet territory during WWII.

Aircraft Accident Details

This particular B-29A was attached to the 301st Bombardment Group of the USAF (United States Air Forces). The aircraft had been involved in the post-war Berlin airlift. Together with another B-29, the crew were flying the aircraft back to their home base at Smoky Hill, Salina (via RAF Scampton), with a refuelling and re-supply stopover at Keflavik, Iceland. However, while over Scotland, the aircraft began to experience icing on the wings, making control of the B-29 very difficult.

The pilot of one of the two B-29s, Captain Donald E. Riggs, requested permission to return to RAF Scampton. The pilot of the B-29 featured here, 1/Lt. Sheldon Craigmyle, requested permission to climb from 10,500 to 14,500 feet. This, however, may have proved extremely difficult, if not impossible, in view of the icing on the wings. Ultimately, the aircraft lost height, clipped the summit of Beinn Tharsuinn (692m) in Argyll, and crashed in flames in Succoth Glen below.

The exact cause of this accident is unknown, but the accident report suggests that the prevailing weather conditions and heavy icing may have been a contributory factor, if not the sole cause.

Twenty people perished in this accident (crew and military personnel returning from the Berlin airlift). These were:

There is some speculation, however, that there were 21 people on board the aircraft, but this has never been confirmed.

A stone memorial cairn can now be found at the wreck site.

For more photos, see David W. Earl's website at Aircraft Wrecks in the UK & Ireland.

Accident Date

17 January 1949

Accident Site

Succoth Glen
(100 metres N of Stob na Boine Druim-fhinn / Beinn Tharsuinn)

NOTE: Succoth Glen is not the same as Succoth at the head of Loch Long.

Region: Argyll

Nearest town or village: Corrow near Lochgoilhead

OS Grid Ref: 63 / NN 161022

(Site location and grid reference provided courtesy, D. Martindale.)

Present Condition

Some large identifiable wreckage parts, including landing gear, engines, etc. together with substantial fragmented wreckage, remains onsite.

Related Links

Accident Specific Links

• Aircraft Wrecks in the UK & Ireland  (David W. Earl; Author: `Hell on High Ground' - Vols 1 & 2)

• B-29 Superfortress at Succoth Glen

• In Search of a Superfortress

• Strachur / Lochgoilhead Aircrash 1949 (updated link)

Other Links

• 301st Bombardment Group Heavy

• B-29 Superfortress at Aviation History

• B29 Superfortress at Secret Scotland

• Loch Goil During the War Years

• Salina, Kansas at Wikipedia

• Salina Municipal Airport (formerly, Smoky Hill) at Wikepedia

Below: An early colour photo of a B-29 Superfortress.

Photo : [no date] US Federal Government photo released to the public domain.

Below: B-29 in flight.

Photo : [no date] US Federal Government photo released to the public domain.

Above: B-29 Superfortress from AAF Training Command.

Photo : [no date] US Federal Government photo released to the public domain.

The photos in this section were kindly provided by
David Pickering
and are used here by permission. 

ABOVE: The remainder of one of the landing gear assemblies from the B-29.

Photo: © 2010 David Pickering

BELOW: An overview of the crash site as it appeared at January 2010. The debris field is in the foreground, partly camouflaged by snow, while the memorial cairn stands near the tree line.

Photo: © 2010 David Pickering

The photos in this section were kindly provided by
Stephen Hayton
and are used here by permission. 

Below: The Boeing B-29A Superfortress debris field. The monument nearby commemorates the US airmen who died in this incident.

Photo: 2008 © S. Hayton

Below: Possibly, part of the B-29A aileron or elevator wreckage.

Photo: 2008 © S. Hayton

Above: Part of the B-29's main landing gear.

Photo: 2008 © S. Hayton

Below: A wing section. Actuator rods, landing gear and other parts lie nearby.

Interestingly, this aircraft did not employ geodetic strengthening in its wings. This lattice construction was employed to great effect by Wellington bombers, etc.

Photo: 2008 © S. Hayton

Below: One of the four Wright Double Cyclone R3350 radial engines used in WWII B-29's.

Right: Part of the remaining fuselage—possibly, a turret section.

Photos: 2008 © S. Hayton

Photos in this section were kindly provided by
Dougie Martindale
and are used here by permission.

Below: Some of the wreckage from the B-29A bomber lying amidst the bleak, snow-covered hills at Succoth Glen in Argyll, Scotland. The monument can be seen in the middle distance.

Photo: © 2007 D. Martindale

Above: The monument commemorating the names of the 20 US airmen and other personnel who died in this accident.

Photo: © 2007 D. Martindale

Below: Close-up of memorial plaque attached to cairn. (See text panel above or enlargements below for full list of names.)

Photo: © 2007 D. Martindale

Photos in this section were kindly provided by
James Towill
and are used here by permission.

Below: B-29 personnel monument with plaque.

Photo: © 2008 J. Towill

Below: The names of those who lost their lives in this accident.

The caption below the list of names reads:

Erected by 2296 Sqdn (......) ?
Dumfries and Galloway Aviation Museum

Photo: © 2008 J. Towill

Below: Enlarged view of the memorial plaque's left column.

Photo: © 2008 J. Towill

Below: Enlarged view of the memorial plaque's right column.

Photo: © 2008 J. Towill

Forward to B-29 pages 2, 3, 4, 5

To view other aircraft, please go to the Crash Index page.