Date:	Thursday 13 July 1950
Time:
Type:	Boeing B-29A Superfortress
Owner/operator:	92nd BGp /325th BSqn USAF
Registration:	44-61923
MSN:	11399
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 7 / Occupants: 12
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Sea of Japan, near Dogo Island, Okinoshima, Shimane Prefecture -   Japan
Phase:	Combat
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	Yokota AB, Fussa, Tama Area, Western Tokyo, Japan (RJTY)
Destination airport:	Yokota AB, Fussa, Tama Area, Western Tokyo, Japan (RJTY)
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
Boeing B-29A-55-BN Superfortress 44-61923: Delivered to the USAAF 2 July 1945. Assigned to 98th Bomb Group, Spokane AFB, Washington. Assigned to 325th Bomb Squadron, 92nd Bomb Group, Spokane AFB, Washington. Deployed to Yokota AB, Tokyo for Korean War operations

Destroyed July 13, 1950: named "Hoxie's Hoax" and attached to 92nd Bomb Group. 325th Bomb Squadron. Six crew members of this aircraft were fatalities as the result of an explosion on board at Oki-Gunto and crashed into the Sea of Japan, near Dogo Island, (Dogo-Jima) Okinoshima, in Shimane Prefecture, Japan. The aircraft was lead aircraft in the attacking squadron. At some point over the Japan Sea (on the way to the bombing run) the aircraft lost an engine, dropped out of the formation and began a return to its base.

In order to maintain altitude, the bomb load was salvoed over the sea. One 500 lb bomb hung up in the racks. While attempting to release the bomb, it detonated either within the bomb bay or immediately beneath the belly of the plane. The five who survived salvaged a raft (no one knows how it got out of the plane, since it required a human effort to do so) and spent 36-48 hours at sea before a Japanese fishing vessel picked them up near Dojo Island.

According to Lance Hoxie, the son of Capt. Thomas Hoxie:

"While official records may not comment on this, I recall that Dad indicated that they were never sure whether the bomb explosion was a result of a defect or that it had been sabotaged prior to the mission," adding, "The last plane on the mission, allegedly saw the explosion, broke radio silence and notified the authorities. When the message was received in the radio shack, a Reuters reporter was there and immediately sent the report out. It was received by the Grand Rapids, MI newspaper (my Dad’s home town) and published before my Dad’s parents (our grandparents) were officially notified. The title of the article in the newspaper was something to the effect of “Hometown Hero Missing in Action.”

Crew later named as:

S/Sgt Gilbert Bear,
1st Lt Neil A. Chapman, KIA
S/Sgt Claude M. Engler Jr., KIA
Cpt Thomas Hoxie,
S/Sgt Jesse M. Hughes, KIA
Cpt Leo F. McGeough, KIA (remains recovered)
1st Lt Donald D. Miller,
S/Sgt Robert R. O'Daniel Jr., KIA
Cpt Allan Thomas,
Cpl Jerry Ursini, KIA
Sgt Harrison Utz,
S/Sgt Kenneth P. Wallan. KIA (remains not recovered)

1. [LINK NOT WORKING ANYMORE:http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1944_4.h]tml
2. http://www.koreanwar-educator.org/topics/b29s/p_b29s_losses_personnel.htm
3. [LINK NOT WORKING ANYMORE:http://www.baaa-acro.com/1950/archives/crash-of-a-boeing-b-29a-55-bn-superfortress-off-dogo-island-7-killed/]
4. http://www.koreanwar-educator.org/topics/b29s/p_b29s_losses_damage.htm
5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%C5%8Dgojima
6. http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/dbasn.asp?offset=3450
7. http://www.dpaa.mil/portals/85/Documents/KoreaAccounting/korwald_all.pdf
8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/92d_Operations_Group

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
21-Aug-2013 18:06	Dr.John Smith	Updated [Cn, Operator, Location, Country, Phase, Source, Narrative]
21-Aug-2013 18:08	Dr.John Smith	Updated [Narrative]
21-Jun-2017 19:10	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Operator, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]
26-May-2020 09:08	AlLach	Updated [Operator, Operator]