Remembering general's crash

  • Published
  • By Mark Wilderman
  • 60th Air Mobility Wing History Office
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  On August 5, 1950, the worst disaster in the history of Travis occurred. Brig. Gen. Robert Travis, commander of the 5th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing and the 9th Bombardment Wing at Fairfield-Suisun Air Force Base died at age 46 in the crash of the Boeing B-29 "Superfortress" in which he was traveling. The aircraft crashed five minutes after a nighttime takeoff at Fairfield-Suisun AFB as part of a 15-ship deployment to the Pacific just after the beginning of the Korean Conflict.

The crash killed 11 other crewmembers and passengers aboard the B-29 and seven people on the ground, including base firefighters and volunteers attempting to rescue the crew. In addition, 49 injured people were admitted to the hospital and 124 others received minor injuries. Eight of the B-29's crew and passengers (including both pilots) survived the crash.

According to the Air Force accident report, the cause of the crash was a number two engine propeller malfunction at liftoff, combined with the failure of the landing gear to retract, causing the aircraft to be unable to climb from an altitude of 200 feet. The aircraft's left wing struck the ground at 120 mph as the pilots attempted to make a 180-degree turn to the right back towards the base for a landing. Approximately 20 minutes after the crash and fuel fire, the highly-explosive filler in the aircraft's bomb casing ignited, resulting in a blast that severely damaged a base trailer park near the main gate and was clearly heard 30 miles away in Vallejo.

The bomb explosion killed five base firefighters, Pvt. Emile Bender, Jr., Pvt. Edward Goins, Cpl. Doyle Hanstead, Staff Sgt. John McCollum, and Pfc. William Vetter. Two volunteers also lost their lives, Sergeant Paul Ramoneda of food services, who died heroically while attempting to rescue twelve passengers and crew trapped aboard the burning B-29, and Private John Boyles. Sergeant Ramoneda, a decorated World War II Marine Corps veteran, was posthumously awarded the Soldier's Medal, the Purple Heart and the Cheney Medal, (awarded annually since 1927 for an act of valor, extreme fortitude or self-sacrifice in a humanitarian interest performed in connection with aircraft. The Travis Airman Leadership School was later named in his honor.

General Travis saw combat action in World War II as commander of the 41st Combat Wing in England, personally leading 35 combat missions over Nazi-occupied Europe.
On Oct. 2, 1950, an Air Force special order officially renamed Fairfield-Suisun AFB in honor of the fallen commander. The formal Travis AFB dedication ceremony was held on April 20, 1951, presided over by the governor of California, Earl G. Warrem, many prominent dignitaries and the Travis family. The dedication ceremony included a parade and a flyover of the massive Convair B-36 "Peacemaker" heavy bomber.

An example of the rare Boeing B-29 "Superfortress" is preserved and on display at the Travis Heritage Center.