Pittsfield, Vermont – December 9, 1960
B-52 Stratofortress
U.S. Air Force Photo
On the evening of December 9, 1960, a B-52D Stratofortress, (Ser. No. 55-0114), with eight men aboard, took off from Westover Air Force Base in Massachusetts for a training flight. Once airborne, the plane headed northwest out over New York’s Adirondack Mountain region. When it reached the vicinity of Messina, New York, a town along the St. Lawrence River, it turned around for the return trip to Westover. When the aircraft was in the vicinity of Schroon Lake, N.Y., it began to roll over in the air, leading one crewman to believe it was going to crash, and activated his ejection seat. The rest of the crew quickly followed, and the now crewless aircraft continued to fly on until it crashed on a farm in Pittsfield, Vermont.
The crew landed in the mountains surrounding Schroon Lake and a rescue operation was put into effect. One by one seven crewmen were accounted for over the next 24 to 48 hours. The only man not found was Staff Sergeant Pierre Maheux, 27, of Auburn, Maine. His body would later be found by a fisherman several months later on July 4, 1961.
For more info and a photo of S/Sgt. Maheux, click on the link below.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/121568372/pierre-jude_robert-maheux
The rest of the crew were identified as:
Pilot: Captain William T. Combs, 42, of Bristol, Va.
Co-pilot: Lieutenant James Saravo, 25, of Newport, R.I.
Navigator: Captain Ronald D. Little, 29, of Altoona, Pa.
Radar Observer: Major Karl E. Keyes, 43, of Hyattsville, Md.
Electronics Warfare Officer: 1st Lieutenant George M. Davis, of Pawtucket, R.I.
Tail Gunner: Staff Sergeant Pierre J. Maheux, of Auburn, Maine.
Instructor Pilot: Major Henry Luscomb, 41, of Simsbury, Ct.
Airman 1C Charles E. Morris, 32, of Clearwater, Fl.
The aircraft was part of the 348th Bomber Squadron, 99th Bombardment Group, based at Westover AFB.
Some of the crew were injured, and each faced dealing with below freezing temperatures before being rescued, yet all would later recover.
Sources:
Springfield Union, “B52 From Westover Crashes In Vermont”, December 10, 1960, page 1.
Springfield Union, “6 Westover Fliers Found; Search Is On For 2 Others”, December 12, 1960
Springfield Union, “Seventh Man Rescued In AF Plane Crash”,
www.findagrave.com memorial #121568372
Evening Star, (Wash. D.C.), “5 Sought By AF After Jet Burns”, December 10, 1960.
Evening Star, (Wash. D. C. ), “Six Safe, Two Missing After Crash Of Bomber”, December 11, 1960.
None Nuggett, (Alaska), “Forest Rangers Search For Last Airman In Zero Temperatures”, December 12, 1960.
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