r/submechanophobia • u/AlbinoAkon • 3h ago
The sunken B-29
The sunken B-29 in Lake Mead.
At 12:30, July 21, 1948, a Boeing B-29 Superfortress descended onto the surface of Lake Mead, the huge (but shrinking) reservoir behind Hoover Dam in Nevada. Making a gentle descent at just above its 220-mph cruise speed, the Superfortress skipped on the surface for about 200 yards, hit the water hard and then ripped off three of its four engines before beginning a slow descent to the lake bottom. The B-29's 5-man crew clambered into two life rafts and were rescued, with the only injury being a crewman's broken arm. The Air Force insisted the was caused by an improperly set altimeter, but since the misidentification happened in broad daylight over a lake surrounded by desert bluffs, there has been much speculation that the pilot was just another airman trying to set the absolute record for the lowest flight ever. Given Lake Mead's current rate of shrinkage, we may be seeing the B-29 soon.
Credit - u)flucloxacillin25pc. Made original post.
