![]() details of the crash at the Aviation Safety Network All eleven men aboard the plane and 18 in the plant were killed instantly. The port wing spar burned through and collapsed sending the huge bomber crashing into the Frye meat packing plant three miles from Boeing Field. Shortly after noon on February 18, 1943, pilot Eddie Allen and crew were flight testing the second XB-29 when an engine fire developed. The second XB-29 (Serial Number 41-0003) first flew on December 30, 1942. This first XB-29 remained at Boeing throughout the war as a test aircraft. ![]() The initial XB-29 (Serial Number 41-0002) was rolled out on the runway at Boeing Field, Seattle, and made its maiden flight on September 21, 1942, in front of almost all the Boeing employees who had contributed over 1,300,000 man hours to the project. The first three aircraft built were identified as the XB-29, with triple-bladed propellers. The B-29 was one of the most advanced bombers of its time, featuring innovations such as a pressurized cabin, a central fire-control system, and remote-controlled machine gun turrets. An initial production order for 14 service test aircraft and 250 production bombers was placed in May 1941. In December 1939, the Army Air Corps issued a formal specification for a so called "superbomber", capable of delivering 20,000 lbs of bombs to a target 2,667 miles distant, at a speed of 400 mph.īids were submitted by Lockheed, Consolidated, Douglas, and Boeing, which ultimately won the competition and subsequent contracts. Boeing B-29 Superfortress Development, Design and Specificationsīoeing began work on a pressurized long-range bomber in 1938.
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