Sub-Depot Hanger (Hanger #1)

Sub-Depot Hanger (Hanger #1). . , The Sub-Depot Hanger (Hanger #1), located just south-west of this sign, is one of the original five hangers built at the air base, and is one of the few original PAAF buildings still standing. It is currently being leased to a local machine shop by the City of Pratt. The Sub-Depot Hanger was large enough to house two B-29's at once, nose to tail. It was used for modification and major repair. The other four hangers on the field could hold only a single B-29. The larger USO Shows were often held in this Sub-Depot Hanger. On June 13, 1944, a B-29 from the 497th Bomb Group was flying a night landing mission and veered off the runway and slid up against this hanger. The B-29 was loaded with fuel and 50 caliber ammunition. After leaving the North-South runway, the B-29 clipped the right wing of another B-29 on the parking ramp, struck a B-26 and carried it down the ramp a ways, hit a B-17 and lost a wing, exploded, and the fuselage, tail, and left wing slid up burning against the hanger. Four other planes had minor damage. Major Bernard J. Gaffney of Watertown, New York and Lt Herman E. Grubb of Pomeroy, Pennsylvania lost their lives in the accident. Lt Grubb lived with his wife Fay at 719 Main Street in Pratt. The Pratt Fire Department assisted with the fire and the hanger could not have been saved without their help. This hanger was the first set up to modify B-29's coming off the assembly line at Boeing-Wichita in the "Battle of Kansas". It was an extremely important part of the B-29 Program. The loss of this hanger would have delayed delivery of operational B-29's for the war effort overseas. , Many Pratt based airplanes and crewmen were lost during World War II in training accidents such as this one, before seeing any combat action overseas. There were eleven major air crashes involving aircraft from the Pratt Army Air Field, while on training flights. Five B-29's, four B-26's, one B-25, and one B-17 crashed during this period. These crashes resulted in the total loss of fifty-eight (58) Pratt Airmen. We are obligated to remember these men that made the supreme sacrifice in the performance of their duties while in the service of their country. , [photo captions] , . B-29 Fuselage on fire, against the Hanger. , . B-17 Empennage on fire, on the Parking Ramp. , . Skid-marks from Runway, to wreckage by Hanger. , . Damage to the Hanger, morning after the fire. , Copyright © 2015 B-29 Museum Inc. - Funded in part by the Recreational Trails Program administered by the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism - Sign by Lowen Sign, Hutchinson, KS.