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| A USAF Convair T-29A Flying Classroom |
USAF Convair T-29A "Flying Classroom" #49-1931, San Juan Mountains, Durango, Colorado, February 25, 1962
Summary: The aircraft was cleared from Shaw AFB in South Carolina to transport 37 aircraft main gear side brace assemblies to Hill AFB in Utah on the morning of February 25, 1962. After stopping at Amarillo AFB the pilot requested a full service of gas and oil, and had a full weather briefing before continuing to Hill AFB at 5:06 pm. The last position report from the crew was over Farmington, New Mexico at 7:33 pm, and the pilot reported that they were at 12,000 feet. Despite repeated calls from Albuquerque Center and Grand Junction Radio, no further transmission was heard from the crew of 49-1931. An exhaustive search for the plane ensued but the whereabouts of the plane and crew remained lost. It wasn't until three months later that some prospectors exploring high up in the San Juan Mountains came upon the lost wreckage and reported it to the authorities who identified it as the missing plane. The crew was: Pilot, Captain Richard Bellamy; Co-pilot, Major James Lunsford; Flight Engineer SSgt Edward Fairey and passenger Lance Corporal Arthur Pugh. This is a tough hike that is above the treeline and at the 12,000 foot level on a very steep and rocky slope. |
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| Starting the hike 2,600 feet below the crash site. | Beautiful scenery. Its August and there is still some snow at the 11,000 foot level. | Making my way above the tree line. | Hiking among the talus rock. |
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| Among the 13 thousand foot high peaks in the San Juan Mountains. | The first piece of debris. |
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| The debris field is on a very steep and loose rock slope. | A thunderstorm quickly rolled in and it rained for 15 minutes. It was a bit nerve-racking with the loud thunder and being so exposed above the tree line. | Debris |
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| Debrison the slope. | Part of a landing gear- perhaps one of the side brackets the plane was transporting. | Rocks painted with a yellow "X" to let aircraft flying above know this was a known crash. |
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| A prop hub assembly. | The prop feathering gears. | A look up the steep slope. The aircraft hit just to the right of the crevice in the rock face |
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| The second prop assembly. | Where a prop blade would mount. | Another shot looking up the very steep slope. | The '240' confirms this airplane model as a Convair T-29A. |