The big plane was one of 16 flying from Carswell to England on a routine training mission.

The Associated Press reported from London that all 15 men aboard the aircraft escaped. One member of the crew, Capt. Newton Benham Jr., 37, of Dallas, second pilot, suffered a fractured ankle when he hit the ground.

All other crew members were uninjured, the report said.

Officials at the airbase here said 17 men were on the plane. However, it was presumed that two of the crewmen either left the craft here before it took off or at Goose Bay, Laborador (sic), where it landed enroute.

Lt. Col. Herman Gerick, 34, of 700 Coates was airplane commander.

Crewmen from the stricken bomber parachuted into three southern counties - Oxfordshire, Berkshire, and Wiltshire - just West of London.

There were indications that frantic efforts had been made to put out a fire which broke out before the airplane commander ordered the crew to abandon ship.

Wreckage from the plane was spread over several miles of sparsely settled farmland. Nobody was hit.

The crippled B-36 flew for over 30 miles after her crewmen abandoned her before exploding and plowing into farmland near Lacock. The plane ripped through many trees before coming to a halt. The woods caught fire, but firemen quickly brought the blaze under control. Three engines were found about a mile from the main wreckage.

J.P. Hollick, an attorney who lives near the scene, told newspapermen:
"I heard the noise of a big plane obviously in difficulty. Looking out the window, I saw it going down in circles. It was all lit up inside. It might have been the electric lights or it could have been on fire. Bits were dropping off, so the impression I had was that the house was being bombed. I heard an explosion while the plane was in the air."

Air Force headquarters in Washington said that a special board of officers will be appointed to investigate the crash. Pentagon officers said they had no explanation of the crash and would withhold comment to await a complete probe.

The planes that completed the flight will remain in England a week and then return to Carswell. They left Fort Worth at midnight Sunday.