Date:	Saturday 12 February 1955
Time:	night
Type:	Boeing B-47E Stratojet
Owner/operator:	22nd BWg USAF
Registration:	51-7033
MSN:	450576
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 4
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Big Sandy Lake, Saskatchewan Province, -   Canada
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	March AFB (KRIV), Riverside, California,
Destination airport:	March AFB (KRIV), California
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
Engine exploded over Saskatchewan, 90 mi W of Manitoba state border.

Following a training mission over the Arctic Polar Region, when at 35000 ft. and accompanied by another B-47, on the return leg to base, after being airborne for 11 hours, two engines on the starboard wing caught fire, the fire was extinguished but an explosion followed, blowing the wing off, the aircraft snap-rolled and Lt. Col. Kenneth G. McGrew, Aircraft Commander and Capt. Lester E. Epton, Co-Pilot were ejected from the aircraft unconscious, recovering and both parachuting to safety.
The aircraft crashed in the Saskatchewan wilderness close to the Southeast shore of Big Sandy Lake, 324 miles North of Saskatoon and Southwest of Deschambault, Saskatchewan Province and 120 mile Northwest of Pas Town, Manitoba Province, killing Major Robert D. Dowdy, Navigator and Capt. Thomas L. Pittman, a non-crew member (on board to test special survival equipment), who were still on board the aircraft.

San Bernardino Sun 18 March 1955, p15

B.47.com, https://www.joebaugher.com, Newspapers.com
The Leader-Post, SK - 14/15th February 1955
The Windsor Star , ON - 14th February 1955
Regina, SK - 14th February 1955
The Star, SK - 15th February 1955
The Ottawa Citizen, ON - 15th February 1955

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
06-Jun-2013 08:25	Uli Elch	Added
06-Jun-2013 08:54	Uli Elch	Updated [Date, Registration, Cn, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Location, Country, Narrative]
31-Oct-2017 17:25	TB	Updated [Operator, Other fatalities, Location, Phase, Source, Narrative]
21-Mar-2020 07:56	Peter Clake	Updated [Time, Operator, Total fatalities, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]
25-Mar-2020 13:41	Xindel XL	Updated [Operator, Departure airport, Destination airport, Operator]