Comments on: Seattle Now & Then: A Secret Crash

By: joel HARMON espedal

joel HARMON espedal — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 03:07:44 +0000

i am 34 years old and i am harmon burnisons grandson, i am proud of my grandpa! I have two boys leif and erik. i gave his name to them. i have visited the site. he was a dobro player and a great father. i wish i knew him. a salute to those men! and god bless u all! peace.

By: Dale Burnison

Dale Burnison — Mon, 10 May 2010 16:59:51 +0000

My father Harmon was killed in the fry packing plant crash. at noon he would run up stairs to lunch, my mother saw the B-29 burning as it flew north up lake washington. we lived in rainier valley so she had a good view of the plane. thank you all for the stories of an event that changed many lives, sincerely dale b.

By: John

John — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 07:55:53 +0000

I goofed with a number. My dad logged in XB-29 #1 as number AF 41-002 in his hand written log not AF 42-002 as I previously posted. He appears to have made 51 flights in this plane but it is late and the print is small.

Some of the tiny boxes in the log book refer to the plane as XB-29 # 1, others as XB-29 #002, and a few as XB-29 #1002.

My thinking is that they are all the Flying Guinea Pig.

By: John

John — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 05:58:04 +0000

According to various books I have read, all published before the advent of the internet, the XB-29 airplane that crashed into the Frye plant was not on its first flight, nor was it the first XB-29 to fly. The first flight of an XB-29 reportedly took place on Sept.20, 1942 when Eddie Allen took the XB-29 #1 aircraft into the air for a successful maiden flight of this new type.

That particular aircraft became a test airplane for the Boeing Airplane Company, performing a variety test duties,the nature of which I was told bits and pieces about by our Dad, the late Ben J. Werner, who flew primarily as Flight Test Engineer when he was aboard this aircraft. His hand written logbook designates this aircraft both as XB-29 #1 and AF-42-002, and he logged numerous flights aboard this plane, both during and after the war.

Along the way, XB-29 #1 acquired a name, “The Flying Guinea Pig”, which was painted on the nose, complete with a stylized winged guinea pig wearing a wristwatch, the hands of which pointed to maybe 4:30. A photograph, captioned May, 1948, shows the plane in a Boeing scrapyard, bereft of engines, wing, and more, lying flat on her belly and looking forlorn.

The test bomber which crashed, XB-29 #2, was the second XB-29 to take to the air and it first did so on Dec 30, 1942. Near as I can tell with only rudimentary “research”, XB-29 #2 did indeed have a serious engine fire on its first flight, but the crew, again with Eddie Allen at the controls, was able to land successfully, whereupon a standby firetruck extinguished the flaming engine.

Other information suggests that the doomed XB-29 #2 made more than one “successful” flight prior to the disaster, but I can’t say for sure. There were apparently significantly more than two dozen total XB-29 flight hours prior to the crash and mention is made that many of the flights were of short duration. I suppose researching actual Boeing records would be the grail, and boy, would that be incredible to have access to !!

Another tidbit: the third B-29 to fly nearly crashed on it’s initial takeoff. The control cables were routed incorrectly, causing the controls to be “bass-ackwards” Miraculously, the pilot got the plane back on the ground from just a few very shaky feet of altitude. I’ve seen a grainy film record of this scary event.

We are lucky to have “Seattle Now & Then to remind us of Seattle’s heritage. It’s my favorite piece in the Seattle Sunday Times. When I read what I thought was a small factual error, I thought I’d chime in, hoping to shed a tiny bit of light.

By: paul

paul — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 09:10:38 +0000

Yes the bridge was in place. I suspect in the extreme stress of wanting to save the test, the bomber and their lives they kept hope that somehow they could make it back to the field. The last 30 seconds must have been hell especially. Perhaps they did not change direction then because on change they got some power to lift the plane that wanted to stay on target for Boeing Field rather than commit to a crash and death in the green belt along the side of Beacon Hill.

By: Jack Seeley

Jack Seeley — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 23:37:09 +0000

Paul,

My view from McGilvra School was looking south. The plane had come north and was going west toward downtown in a slow arc to Port. It was over either Madrona or Washington Park.

If they knew they couldn’t make it I think they could have ditched it in Lake Washington. I believe the old floating bridge was in place at this time.

Jack

By: paul

paul — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 22:29:15 +0000

Jack
In review they might have landed in the lake – or crashed. In which direction – by the compass – was your “left”?
Paul

By: Jack Seeley

Jack Seeley — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 23:43:36 +0000

I, too, saw the B-29 on that fateful day. I was 13 and in the 7th grade at McGilvra school. It was lunch time and I was out on the playground. The plane was making a slow turn to the left and one engine was trailing smoke. We read about the crash the next day in the paper. I heard later that one of the men killed in the plane had stolen a ride on it.

Just last week the Wall Street Journal reviewed a new book, WHIRLWIND, about the B-29 use in the Pacific theater during WWII.

By: Karl Kern

Karl Kern — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 03:58:01 +0000

I am interested in pictures of the meat packing plant as my Father, Frank Kern was killed at the plant when the airplane crashed into it. I have never seen pictures of the plant before and saw the article in Sundays paper.

By: paul

paul — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 01:03:30 +0000

Was the smell from that exposure at the Frye? If so it was more likely the smell of burning pigs. But then perhaps one burning flesh may smell much like another.