Wickford, Rhode Island – December 8, 1943
On December 8, 1943, a U.S. Navy SB2C-1C Helldiver, (#18272) crashed in the woods behind the Wickford Barracks of the Rhode Island State Police. According to one witness, the aircraft had a broken wing as it fell. The pilot was killed.
The pilot was Ross Allen Bennett, 22, of Amarillo, Texas. He’s buried in Llano Cemetery in Amarillo.
Source: Larry Webster, Aviation Archeologist and Historian.