Hill walking - B29 bits

[Richard Woods]

Hi all...

I decide to visit some of the wrecks on the hillsides near me this remembrance sunday.

A friend of mine was kind enough to host the pictures.


This is the mortal remains of a B-29 and a Lancaster.

http://www.pyrom.co.uk/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=1788



Regards
Richard

[APG85]

Are these wrecks on the same site? What happened here (can't read the historical markers). Thanks.

[retroaviation]

Yowzee! That was one hard hit to the ground and one hot fire afterwards. Sad to see.

Gary

[Richard Woods]

The B-29 was 44-61999 "Over Exposed" of the 509th composite group, she was on her way home to the states, with I think 16 personnel on board.

She hit the hillside near Glossop, Derbyshire, UK at a place called Higher Shelf Stones, on the 3rd November 1948. She was 30ft low of the highest point in the area and 100ft in distance from the summit. So near yet so far.....


The little pile of aluminium overlooking the valley is the Lancaster, which is KB993 of 408 sqn, 27 days later the squadron returned to Canada.


There is a C47 undercarraige wings and engines in a gully nearby, all three wrecks lie within 100yards of each other.

I managed to get up there for 12 pm so I missed 11 pm, but I still got my poppies down.

Regards
Richard

[retroaviation]

Why the frequent mishaps in that particular location? Is it an area right after an airfield, where the aircraft, if heavy, couldn't get the appropriate altitude to clear that hill?

Gary

[Richard Woods]

It's on an area of hills that pretty much go up the middle of the UK. Manchester airport is on one side, and most airbases are on the other.

In bad weather the hills get covered by the cloud. If a plane was unsure of its location and trying to get down through the cloud to find where it was, it would hit the hill before it came out of cloud.

On my way down visibility was less than 100ft.

Richard

[retroaviation]

Thanks.