Date:	Thursday 3 December 1953
Time:	afternoon
Type:	Boeing B-47E Stratojet
Owner/operator:	303rd BWg USAF
Registration:	51-2440
MSN:	450493
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 4 / Occupants: 4
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Spud Rock, 25 miles east of Tucson, Cochise County, Arizona, -   United States of America
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Training
Departure airport:	Davis-Monthan AFB (KDMA),Tucson , Arizona, USA
Destination airport:	Davis-Monthan AFB (KDMA),Tucson , Arizona, USA
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
The aircraft had taken off from Davis-Monthan Air Force base at 13:00 hrs. on a 5½ hr. routine refuelling 'transition' training mission, rendezvousing with a KC-97 tanker at 10,000ft. over Spud Rock to the East of Tucson.
During the refuelling coupling the tanker's boom operator observed that two of the B-47's engines were on fire, the two aircraft immediately separated before refuelling was carried out, the B-47 then exploded into two sections and fell in flames and crashed in the Redington Pass Area of the Rincon Mountains, 25miles east of Tucson. The KC-97 tanker stayed in station over the blazing crash site blinking it landing lights until 21:00 hrs, guiding the emergency services to the site
An automatic radio distress signal was received at Davis-Monthan Air Force base from the aircraft just prior to the aircraft exploding.
The four aircrew, Pilot, Lt. Col. Douglas H. Bratcher; Pilot, Maj. Heyward W. McEver; Pilot, Capt. Jesse G. Williams and Crew Chief, A1C William L Child were killed in the crash.
.

https://www.nps.gov/sagu/learn/historyculture/upload/Airplane-Crashes-Brief-2.pdf
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_accidents_and_incidents_involving_military_aircraft_(1950%E2%80%931954)
http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/.html
www.forgottenjets.warbirdsresourcegroup.org
B.47.com, Newspapers.com
Tucson Daily Citizen, AZ - 4th December 1953
Arizona Daily Star, AZ - 5th December 1953
The Arizona Republic, AZ - 5th December 1953
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA - 4 December 1953
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA - 4th December 1953

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
02-Nov-2017 20:30	TB	Added
16-Jul-2020 23:59	Peter Clarke	Updated [Operator, Location, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]
22-Jul-2020 08:18	Yarbi	Updated [Operator, Departure airport, Destination airport, Operator]