OFFICIAL KEE BIRD REPORT

Note: This information was extracted from the official report submitted by the 46th Photo Recon Squadron concerning the Kee Bird crash in northern Greenland in February 1947. This information was obtained by Gary Brewer from official Air Force records.

MISCELLANEOUS SECTION

On 20 February 1947, Lt. Vern H. Arnett took off on a routine Project 5 mission with a crew of 11 men in B-29 aircraft #45-21768. His mission was expected to last from 12 to 20 hours, making his ETA at Ladd Field approximately 1000 Alaska Standard Time, 21 February 1947. No further report was received on this flight until 0756 AT, 21 February 1947, when Point Barrow CAA Radio Station picked up a radio message from 768 stating that they had no means of steering as the sun was too low. Two minutes later he reported "over land but do not know where". From this information, it was obvious that an emergency existed and plans were immediately made for starting a search and rescue mission of the need developed. Other reports were received between 0950 and 0958 AT from 768 stating that 4 minutes of fuel remained, and a crash landing would be made on land or ice. Since no position was given, it was believed that they were lost, and search areas were drawn to aid in locating the crew. From all the information available, it was reasonable to assume that the airplane, named the Kee Bird, had landed somewhere along the northern coast of Alaska.

All available aircraft of the squadron were given a last minute maintenance check, and a total of four planes were ready for participation in the search. There were two B-29's (#45-21871 and #45-21762), one B-17 and one OA-10. The B-17 and OA-10 are ERS aircraft assigned to this squadron. Also available was the Globemaster C-74, which is assigned to the Cold Weather Detachment at Ladd Field. All other long range aircraft in Alaska were alerted for the search, and 9 B-29's of the 28th Bomb Group at Anchorage responded to the call to aid in the search, and arrived at Ladd Field on 22 February 1947. However, since these aircraft were not equipped with bomb bay fuel tanks, they did not have sufficient range to fly to Greenland, so these planes returned to their proper station on 23 February 1947. The OA-10 was called out of commission as a result of an overload of fuel, and was not used. The C-74 was also not needed in the search.

Brig. General J.A. Atkinson was notified of the emergency, and he and Lt. Col. Huntington, of the 10th Rescue Squadron flew to Ladd Field that afternoon. Later, General Craig and Col. Akra arrived.

The first plane to take-off on the search was the B-17, flown by personnel of the 5th ERS. This plane went directly to Point Barrow and originally was to have participated in the coastline search, but due to later developments returned to Ladd Field and was not active in the search mission.

The first B-29 to take-off was #45-21871, piloted by Capt. Richmond McIntyre, Flight "B" Commander. This aircraft left the ground at 1340 AT, 21 February 1947, with 10 crew members, and a maximum fuel load. Resulting in a take-off weight of approximately 133,000 pounds. This crew was to search an area from MacKenzie Bay westward for about 50 miles inland. When the flight arrived in its search area, a report was received from Barrow Airways stating that they were in contact with a crashed airplane, and a position report would follow shortly. Radio contact was very poor because of the other stations using the same frequencies so Capt. McIntyre ordered his radio operator to transmit to Ladd Field, requesting that all stations in Alaska maintain radio silence on these frequencies in order to obtain better communication with the downed aircraft. On authority of Gen. Atkinson, all stations north of 60 degrees and west of 50 degrees in longitude were alerted. The AAC DF station at Anchorage reported a Class "C" bearing on the Kee Bird, of 221 degrees True at 1630 AT. This position report was received about ten minutes later, and when plotted, indicated that the missing airplane was down on Borden Island, some 600 miles to the northwest of Captain McIntyre's position. The navigators on this flight were very fortunate inasmuch as they were carrying an emergency map kit which contained a complete set of maps covering the entire Canadian Archipelago. This map kit is equipment of the Flight "B" navigators, and is not used by personnel of any other flight. A course was set to Borden Island, and that island was reached about 6 1/2 hours after take-off. However, at this time, another position report was received from Barrow Airways on the position of the Kee Bird, placing that plane on the west coast of Greenland at latitude of 80 degrees north. The radio operator with Capt. McIntyre reported that he was in direct contact with the downed airplane and he forwarded information as to the status of the crew. It was learned they had successfully crash landed on a frozen lake and all crew members had survived the crash with no injuries. They attempted to further establish their position by giving their last known position, courses flown from that point, and described their surroundings as rolling hills and a large glacier nearby.

Course was set for the last position received, after consulting the flight engineer about the fuel situation. The coast of Greenland was reached about 2345 AT and a systematic search was started. The navigators on the Kee Bird had been taking celestial shots to more accurately establish their position, but they were handicapped by the fact that their maps did not cover the area in which they were located and as a result, Capt. McIntyre and crew started their search by flying north along the Greenland coast for about 75 miles and then made a turn eastward, flying parallel on the reciprocal heading 10 miles inland. Three such flight lines were flown, during which time flares were fired, and landing lights were flashed off and on. The crew of the Kee Bird were alerted to watch for any sign of the aircraft as it was believed that it would be easier for the downed crew to spot a plane in the air the an for the air crew to spot a plane on the ground. The twilight period was just beginning when Capt. McIntyre reached the search area, which added to the difficulty of sighting activity from the aircraft to the ground. The Kee Bird's crew was also constantly working their Gibson Girl in the hopes that Capt. McIntyre could home in on its signals, but this proved worthless. At the completion of the last flight line, at 0130 AT, 22 February 1947, a message was received from the Barrow Airways with instructions for Capt. McIntyre to discontinue his search and start his return flight to Ladd Field, at 0130 AT. The return trip was uneventful with the exception that the twilight period lasted for approximately 7 1/2 hours, making celestial navigation impossible. The primary method of navigation was therefore limited to radar pilotage coupled with the DR. Landing was made at Ladd Field at 1020 AT, 22 February 1947, resulting in a total flight time of 20:40 hours.

Under normal conditions, the aircraft flown on this mission would have been grounded, but due to the urgency of the mission, the plane was released for the flight. Two of the engines on 871 had over 200 hours. The plane was also due for a 50 hour inspection, lacking only 1 hour flight time before the 50 hour time limit would be reached. After careful preflight inspections and engine run-up were completed, the aircraft seemed to operate satisfactorily and was flown. The engineering officer released the airplane with the belief that the mission would not last more than 10 hours,

The second search flight took off at 2310 AT, 21 February 1947, in B-29 #45-21762, piloted by Capt. Donald R. Allenby. This aircraft was completely equipped with guns and turrets, and carried a crew of 12 men. 9,300 gallons of fuel, plus 1,500 ponds of emergency equipment to be dropped to the downed crew in the event they were located. The take-off weight was 141,400 pounds, the heaviest B-29 of this squadron to take-off from Ladd Field. This flight was much easier since more information was received as to the lost airplanes approximate position, and more time was available in which to plan the mission, so a direct course was set to Greenland. On reaching the area at 0745 AT, a search was started and with information from the lost crew the first actual sighting was made at 0830 AT. Location was made by narrowing the search area by the fact that the crew reported that they had a high thin overcast at about 15,000". At that time, the only clouds in sight covered an area of about 40 miles in radius. Eight runs were made over the downed plane, dropping the supplies carried for that purpose. Photographs were taken on the last run and course set for return to Ladd Field at 0915 AST. Because of the long twilight period at this latitude, severe difficulties were encountered on this return trip to the base. Capt. Allenby and crew became lost for a period of approximately 5 hours and it may be interesting to note that the sun, although below the horizon at the start of the return leg, became visible above the horizon 3 times, but at no time was it high enough to take celestial observations. As a result the radio operator called Ladd Field fir DF assistance. Although the aircraft was several hundred miles from the field, DF bearings were taken and given to the navigators which proved very helpful in establishing their position. It was not until the Brooks Range of mountains was reached on the return leg that Capt. Allenby was able to definitely establish his position, and Ladd Field was finally reached at 1850 AT and landing made. Total flight time for this mission was 18:40 hours.

Both Capts McIntyre and Allenby's crews were interrogated after the completion of their flights by Brig. General J.A> Atkinson. Commanding General of the Alaskan Air Command, who had arrived at Ladd Field on 22 February 1947, to supervise the rescue operations. As a result of these interrogations, the following information was gathered.

Lt. Arnett and crew had survived the crash landing without sustaining any injuries. T hey had landed on a small frozen lake which was covered with 2 - 10 inches of hard packed snow. The crew had sufficient food and clothing to last them about two weeks. Lt. Arnett recommended that a C-47 on skis be used for their evacuation, but a successful landing could probably be made with any type aircraft equipped with a tricycle type landing gear. This recommendation was based on the theory that a plane with the conventional gear may nose over on landing if it struck any deep soft snow. The Kee Birds navigators were constantly making celestial observations in order to aid the search planes in locating them. They continually operated their Gibson Girl without any aerial, which probably accounts for the fact that none of the search planes could pick up any signals for homing. They reported they had sufficient fuel for their "put-put", but there was doubt as to whether they had sufficient oil. They requested that some coal be dropped to them in order that they could build a fire for warmth and cooking.

At 46th Rcn operations, Brig. General Atkinson was set up to carry out the complete evacuation of the crew. Plans were made to have a glider-towing C-54 and a C-47 equipped with skiis depart Ladd Field on 23 February 1947, and fly to Thule via Watson Lake, Ft. Simpson, Churchill, Crystal 2. A B-29 was to be scheduled for a daily flight to the scene of the crashed airplane as a liaison and supply ship.

The first of these supply flights took off at 2210 AT, 23 February 1947 in B-29 #45-21762, piloted by Capt. Jack Setterich. This crew was briefed to instruct the crew of the Kee Bird to destroy the Radar, Loran, and the IF sets, and to bring back, when they were evacuated, all exposed film, airplane files and all maps. Capt. Setterich's' plane also carried 1,500 pounds of equipment to be dropped to the crew, and the take-off weight of his plane was 139,115 pounds. Considerable weather was encountered on the flight to Greenland, but resulted in no difficulty for t he navigators. At 0425 AT, 24 February 1947 contact was made by radio with a C-54 which reported that it was proceeding to the position of the Kee Bird and contemplated landing and evacuating the crew. Both airplanes were in contact with the Kee Bird at that time, and both estimated the same time of arrival. The Kee Birds' crew had built a smudge fire to aid the C-54 crew in locating them. The C-54 arrived at the Kee Bird minutes before Capt. Setterich and was taxiing back and forth over the snow to make sure that it was packed hard for the coming take-off. Capt. Setterich circled the two planes taking pictures and making general observations. Instructions were relayed to Lt. Arnett concerning the destruction of the equipment in the plane, and he acknowledged and complied. The crew of the Kee Bird boarded the C-54 and took off at 0630 AT. JATO, jet assisted take-off was used by the C-54 and this caused the observers considerable anguish until they realized what was taking place, as the smoke given off by the JATO gave the appearance that the C-54 might have been on fire. The crew of the C-54 had to jettison all of their emergency equipment in order to reduce the weight of their plane as much as possible for the take-off. With this fact in mind, the C-54 pilot, Lt. Bobby Cavnar, requested that Capt. Setterich escort him to Thule as a precaution in case of any mechanical trouble or fuel shortage which could cause a forced landing. This was done, and at 0810 AT, course was set from Thule to Ladd Field. No difficulty was encountered by the navigators on the return flight and a normal landing was made at 1820. Total flight time for this mission was 20:20 hours.

Back at the 46th Rcn Operations, word of the rescue was received by means of a teletype circuit, which was installed for the emergency. It was learned that the crew of the ill-fated Kee Bird paid their highest respects to the APU "put-put" which provided the electrical current for the use of their radio. The crew was later flown from Thule to Westover Field, Massachusetts where they were given a medical checkup and rested before starting on the return trip to Ladd Field.

From the information available, it appears that the success of the search was largely du to the fact that Lt. Arnett made a very good crash landing, resulting in no crew injuries and no damage to the radio transmitter. The speed with which the lost aircraft was found was due to two factors: the alertness of the Barrow Radio Station, which picked up the first distress message two hours before the actual crash landing was made, and the efficiency of the flying personnel in using their own methods of locating the downed crew.

Following are the crew rosters of the Kee Bird and the three aircraft that participated in the search.


Kee Bird '768' (#45-21768)
Arnett, Vern H. 1st Lt. Pilot
Jordan, Russell S. 1st Lt. Co-pilot
Luedke, Robert L. 2nd Lt. Engineer
Adams, Howard R. 1st Lt. Radar Observer
Lesman, J.G. 1st Lt. Navigator
Cowan, Burl 1st Lt. Navigator
Yarbrough, Lawrence L. M/Sgt. Electrical Specialist
McNamara, Paul R. S/Sgt. Photographer
Gates, T.M. 1st Lt. Engineer
Leader, Robert S/Sgt. Radio Operator
Stewart, Earnest S/Sgt. Photographer


#45-21871
McIntyre, Richmond Capt. Pilot
Schlecht,Walter J. 1st Lt. Co-pilot
Pfirrman, Clarence R. 2nd Lt. Engineer
Zwicke, Norbert A. Capt. Navigator
Klein, Frank O. 1st Lt. Navigator
Greenberg, Marvin 1st Lt. Navigator
Patterson, David A. 1st Lt. Radar Observer
Weers, C.D. Sgt. Radio Operator
Stewart, E.L. M/Sgt. Electrical Specialist
Pontillo, R.J. Pfc. Photographer


#45-21762
Allenby, Donald R. Capt. Instructor Pilot
Cleland, Enos L. 1st Lt. Pilot
Meyer, Richard J. 1st Lt. Co-pilot
Bennett, Lawrence E. 1st Lt. Engineer
Tipper, Karl E. 1st Lt. Navigator
Perron, Roland J. 2nd Lt. Engineer
Van Liere, William F. 1st Lt. Navigator
Hall, Kenneth H. 1st Lt. Radar Observer
Poff, Harvey L. T/Sgt. Radio Operator
Perry, Victor E. Sgt. Electrical Specialist
Zwiesler, Robert E. S/Sgt. Electrical Specialist
Chamberlain, Lewis D. S/Sgt. Electrical Specialist


#45-21762
Setterich, Jack Capt. Airplane Commander
Holland, Clark G. 1st Lt. Pilot
Lamping, Clarence A. 1st Lt. Co-pilot
Patterson, David A. 1st Lt. Radar Observer
Sturgis, George 1st Lt. Navigator
Shumake, James W. 2nd Lt. Navigator
Shurlow, Arden C. 2nd Lt. Radar Observer
Johnson, H,L. Pfc. Radio Operator
Leggett, C.R. S/Sgt. Radio Operator
Williams, P.F. Pfc. Photographer
Barry, L.K. Sgt. Photographer
Bruce, E.C. M/Sgt. Engineer
Stewart, E.L. M/Sgt. Electrical Specialist
Few, C.M. T/Sgt Electrical Specialist


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