CRASH SITE: B29 Over Exposed Superfortress Crash Site | Brief Story & Guide | Peak District

Wreckage of the B29 “OverExposed” crash that killed all crew onboard in 1948 can still be seen near Higher Shelf Stones, Peak District. The wreckage is now a memorial site and can be visited, but what happened on the day of the 3rd November 1948?

Brief Story:

On the morning of the 3rd November 1948 at RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire, the 16th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron of the US Air Force were preparing their routine flight of their B29 Superfortress “Over Exposed” to land at American AFB Burtonwood in Cheshire.

On the morning of the 3rd of November 1948 at 1015, Over Exposed took off with a crew of 13 men, who were due to return home to the US in the next few days. They carried with them the wages of the United States Air Force. It would only be a short flight of 25 minutes to Burtonwood, however, the weather conditions on the day were awful. With low clouds lower than 2000ft, the flight plan to the American base in Cheshire would go over the moors of the Peak District and the area of Bleaklow. The pilot would have relied on his altimeter to get through the low cloud over the Peak District and been briefed on the conditions too. The crew would have been looking forward to returning home to their friends and family…30 minutes after takeoff, Over Exposed did not make it…Over Exposed crashed near Higher Shelf Stones (621 metres) killing all 13 crew on board.

Captain Tanner, the pilot of Over Exposed, would have only been 7 minutes away from Burtonwood and would have started the descend. It is not known exactly what happened and why the aircraft was flying too low. There could have been a problem with the altimeter or another fault. The conditions up Bleaklow can change very quickly, even if you are hiking, great care must be taken and maps accompanied with a compass are essential.

RIP

Pilot, Captain Landon P. Tanner
Co-pilot, Captain Harry Stroud
Engineer, Technical Sergeant Ralph Fields
Navigator, Sergeant Charles Wilbanks
Radio Operator, Staff Sergeant Gene A. Gartner
Radar Operator, Staff Sergeant David D. Moore
Technical Sergeant Saul R. Banks
Sergeant Donald R. Abrogast
Sergeant Robert I. Doyle
Private First Class William M. Burrows.
Corporal M. Franssen
Corporal George Ingram
Captain Howard Keel


Getting to the Crash site:

If you plan to visit the Over Exposed crash site, please do so with great care. Wear suitable clothing as the terrain even in the summer can be very boggy. Please take at least a compass and a map, or a mobile phone with OS Maps or a physical OS MAP of the location to get you there and back to the parking safely. Or if you are like me that has a GPS watch, then put it to good use. My Garmin Instict Tactical is excellent and track back my journey automatically.

There is a lay-bay on the A57 at the foot of the Snake Pass summit with enough parking spaces for several cars. A rough post code for the lay-by which you can use is post code is S33 0AB. I visited the site on the 9th January 2022 and the Mountain Rescue team were at the foot of the walk to make sure everyone was accounted for. I was amazed to see people trying to make their way to the crash site way after sunset and even more alarming, with no map, compass or any idea on how to get there. It takes about 35-40 minutes to get there.

Refer to my map in the video as one of few routes to get to the crash site. Coordinates are to be used a guide and I cannot be held responsible if they are slightly out. From the start of the walk on the Pennine Way, take the left at SK 08971 93327. Then take a right when you get to SK 08790 93457. Remember, it is extremely boggy and care must always be taken. As you start to skim the edge of Crooked Clough, you will soon see a nice waterfall in the distance which you will go around. At around SK 09402 94120, you’ll need to start crossing over the streams which mean it is very steep down and back up. This is where you need to start heading for the trig point at Higher Shelf Stones at SK08895 94793. Once there, you need to head for the crash site at SK 09040 94896.

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References / Credits

https://aircrashsites.co.uk/superfort...

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/b...

   • The TRAGIC Story Of B-29 Superfortres...  

*please do not remove or tamper with the wreckage.

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