Lagrange, Me. – August 3, 1951

Lagrange, Maine – August 3, 1951

 

F4U Corsair
US Navy Photo

     On August 3, 1951, a pilot took off from the Quonset Point Naval Air Station in Rhode Island in a F4U-4 Corsair, (Bu. No. 82020), bound for the Squantum Naval Air Station in Massachusetts, and then on to Dow Air Force Base in Bangor, Maine.  While over Mane he radioed the control tower at Dow and advised he was having difficulty orienting himself.  Twenty-three minutes later his aircraft developed engine trouble and clipped some tree tops on a large hill which tore away section of the left wing.  The pilot managed gain altitude and bailed out at an altitude of only 400 feet and survived.  The aircraft went down and exploded in a thickly wooded are in the town of Lagrange, about one mile east of the town of Bradford.   

     Source: U. S. Navy accident report dated August 3, 1951.

Quonset Point, R. I. – September 13, 1951

Quonset Point Naval Air Station – September 13, 1951

 

F4U Corsair
US Navy Photo

     On September 13, 1951, an F4U-4 Corsair, (Bu. No. 81479), was taking off from runway 19 at the Quonset Point Naval Air Station.  Immediately after becoming airborne, but while still over the runway, the pilot retracted the landing gear, and as he did so the plane settled back to the runway and briefly scraped the ground before bouncing back up and remaining airborne.  The pilot managed to circle the field and make a successful emergency landing.  The aircraft suffered damage to the propeller, the engine, the auxiliary fuel tank, and the landing gear doors.  The pilot was not injured.      

     Source: U. S. Navy accident report dated September 13, 1951.

Quonset Point, R. I. – September 20, 1951

Quonset Point Naval Air Station – September 20, 1951

 

F4U Corsair
US Navy Photo

     At 11:30 p.m. on the night of  September 20, 1951, a flight of four F4U Corsairs were returning to the Quonset Point Naval Air Station after a night navigational training flight, and were instructed to land on runway 19.  The first two aircraft landed without incident. The third plane to land was Bu. No. 96936, which made a normal landing and was continuing its rollout towards the taxi area when the pilot noticed another F4U rushing up on him from behind.  The other aircraft coming up from behind was the fourth plane in the flight, (Bu. No. 51416), the pilot of which had landed too fast and was in the process of overtaking the plane ahead of it. 

     The pilot of 96936 applied full throttle and attempted to get out of the way of 51416, but was unable to do so in time, and the rear plane collided with the one ahead of it causing substantial damage to both aircraft.  Fortunately neither pilot was reported to be injured.     

     Source: U. S. Navy accident report dated September 20, 1951

Quonset Point, R. I. – December 27, 1951

Quonset Point Naval Air Station – December 27, 1951

 

F4U Corsair
US Navy Photo

     On December 27, 1951, an aircraft mechanic was working on an F4U-4 Corsair, (Bu. No. 81882), which was parked outside.  To the right of it, a short distance away, was another F4U-4 Corsair, (Bu. No. 96931).  At one point the mechanic sat at the controls of 81882 and started the engine in order to check the instrument gauges.  Just after doing so, the aircraft “jumped” the wheel chocks and lurched forward into an arc and crashed into the other Corsair causing damage to both aircraft.  The mechanic was not injured. 

     Source: U. S. Navy accident report dated December 27, 1951    

Quonset Point, R. I. – March 20, 1952

Quonset Point Naval Air Station – March 20, 1952

 

F4U Corsair
US Navy Photo

     On March 20, 1952, an F4U-4 Corsair, (Bu. No. 61479), was taking off from the Quonset Point Naval Air Station when a sudden drop in power led the pilot to attempt to abort the take off. The aircraft ran off the end of the runway and onto soft ground where it nosed over, and then fell back on its wheels.  The aircraft was damaged, but the pilot was not hurt. 

     Source: U. S. Navy accident report dated March 20, 1952. 

Quonset Point, R. I. – June 9, 1952

Quonset Point Naval Air Station – June 9, 1952 

 

F4U Corsair
US Navy Photo

     On June 9, 1952, an F4U-4 Corsair, (Bu. No. 81260), was taking off from the Quonset Point Naval Air Station for a training flight.  As it was leaving the ground, but while still over the runway, the engine failed and the aircraft crash-landed back onto the runway.  The aircraft was severely damaged, but the pilot was not injured.  

     Source: U. S. Navy accident report dated June 9, 1952

Quonset Point, R. I. – February 6, 1951

Quonset Point, Rhode Island – February 6, 1951

 

F4U Corsair
US Navy Photo

     On February 6, 1951, a navy F4U-4 Corsair was landing at the Quonset Point Naval Air Station in strong cross-winds when one wing struck a snowbank causing the plane to ground loop.  There was damage to the aircraft but the pilot was not injured.

     Source:  U. S. Navy accident report dated February 6, 1951.   

Quonset Point, R. I. – February 2, 1951

Quonset Point, R. I. – February 2, 1951

 

F4U Corsair
US Navy Photo

     On February 2, 1951, a navy  F4U-4 Corsair, (Bu. No. 97163), took off from the Quonset Point Naval Air Station for a test flight after having received a major overhaul.  Fifty-four minutes into the flight, while at 4,000 feet over Newport, R.I., the engine began to run erratically, and the pilot radioed that he had and emergency and requested clearance back to Quonset.  The aircraft then began losing altitude.  The pilot had hoped to make an emergency landing on Runway 34, but was forced down into the waters of Narragansett Bay 300 yards short of the runway.  The pilot escaped without injury and was rescued a short time later.  The aircraft was recovered, but was not put back into service.

     Source: U. S. Navy accident report dated February 2, 1951  

Quonset Point, R. I. – July 27, 1945

Quonset Point, Rhode Island – July 27, 1945

 

TBF-1 Avenger
U. S. Navy Photo

     On July 27, 1945, a TBF-1 Avenger, (Bu. No. 06381), had just landed at the Quonset Point Naval Air Station, and as the aircraft was taxiing the landing gear suddenly retracted causing the aircraft the be damaged beyond repair.  None of the crew aboard was injured.

     Source:

     U. S. Navy accident report dated July 27, 1945.  

Quonset Point, R. I. – March 17, 1949

Quonset Point, R. I. – March 17, 1949 

 

Douglas Skyraider
U. S. Navy Photo

     On March 17, 1949, an AD-1 Skyraider, (Bu. No. 09349), took off from the Quonset Point Naval Air Station for a familiarization flight.  About an hour later the aircraft returned, and as the pilot was making his final approach, the landing gear wheels struck the top of the seawall at the end of the runway tearing loose the right side landing gear.  The impact caused the aircraft to bounce upwards, and the pilot applied full throttle and remained airborne.  The pilot then circled the area for an hour trying to raise the landing gear so as to make an emergency belly landing, but was unable to do so.   With fuel running low, he made a one-wheel landing.  The aircraft suffered significant damage, but the pilot was not injured.

     Source:

     U. S. Navy accident report dated March 17, 1949   

Quonset Point, R. I. – January 11, 1944

Quonset Point, Rhode Island – January 11, 1944

 

U.S. Navy Wildcat
U.S. Navy Photo

     On January 11, 1944, an F4F Wildcat, (Bu. No. 11863), with a target tow sleeve attached, was in the process of taking off from the Quonset Point Naval Air Station.  At the time, the aircraft had been cleared by the tower for takeoff. When the Wildcat was about two-thirds of the way down the runway, a Grumman J2E Duck suddenly landed ahead of, and in the path of the Wildcat.  To avoid a collision, the pilot of the Wildcat skidded to the left and went off the runway and plowed into a snowbank.  The pilot was not injured, but the Wildcat was in need of a major overhaul.  

     Nobody aboard the other aircraft was injured.  

 

Grumman Duck
U. S. Navy Photo

Source: U. S. Navy accident report dated January 11, 1944   

 

Quonset Point, R. I. – July 20, 1942

Quonset Point, Rhode Island – July 20, 1942

 

TBF-1 Avenger
U. S. Navy Photo

     At 1:15 p.m. on July 20, 1942, a TBF-1 Avenger, (Bu. No. 00524), was returning to Quonset Point Naval Air Station after a training flight when the engine lost all power and crashed into a pile of rocks at the end of the runway while attempting an emergency landing.  Two men were aboard the aircraft at the time, and both suffered broken bones.

     The aircraft was a total loss.

     The aircraft was assigned to VF-4.   

     Source:

     U. S. Navy accident report #43-4516

Quonset Point, R. I. – June 22, 1944

Quonset Point, Rhode Island – June 22, 1944

 

TBF-1 Avenger
U. S. Navy Photo

     On June 22, 1944, a TBF-1 Avenger, (Bu. No. 06152), was taking off from Quonset Point Naval Air Station when the engine suddenly lost power.  The aircraft came down at the end of the runway with it wheels retracted.  It went off the end of the runway skidding through soft dirt and then over a seawall.  The aircraft required a major overhaul but the three-man crew was not hurt.  The accident was blamed on mechanical failure.

     The aircraft was assigned to VT-48. 

     As a point of fact, this same TBF Avenger, (Bu. No. 06152), had been involved in a previous accident.  On January 13, 1944, while landing at Martha’s Vineyard Naval Air Station during strong wind gusts, the aircraft went off the runway and was damaged, but the crew was not injured.  At that time the aircraft was assigned to VT-7. 

     Sources: 

     U. S. Navy accident report #44-15764 dated June 22, 1944

     U. S. Navy accident report #44-10853 dated January 13, 1944

Quonset Point NAS – September 24, 1943

Quonset Point Naval Air Station – September 24, 1943    

 

 

Douglas SBD Dauntless
U.S. Navy Photo

     Due to low lighting conditions, on the night of September 24, 1943, an SBD-5 Dauntless, (Bu. No. 28340), taxied off the end of the runway and dropped off a seawall where it sank in 3o feet of water.  The pilot and the gunner escaped without injury.   The aircraft was recovered.     

     Source: U. S. Navy Accident Report dated September 24, 1943.

Narragansett Bay, R. I. – October 4, 1945

Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island – October 4, 1945

 

F4U Corsair
US Navy Photo

     On October 4, 1945, Ensign Clinton S. Winter, Jr., took off from Quonset Point Naval Air Station in an F4U-4 Corsair, (Bu. No. 81380), for a routine training flight.  Just after takeoff, while at an altitude of 200 feet, the engine suddenly lost all power and the plane crash-landed into Narragansett Bay about two miles off the end of the runway.  The plane sank, but Ensign Winter escaped and was rescued a short time later.

     At the time of the accident, Ensign Winter was assigned to VBF-81.

     Source: National Archives, AAR 7-45, TD451004RI, via Larry Webster, Aviation Historian, Charlestown, R.I.

 

Quonset Point, R.I. – November 5, 1943

Quonset Point, R. I. – November 5, 1943

 

 

F6F Hellcat
U.S. Navy Photo

     On November 5, 1943, Lt. (jg.) George E. Orenge was piloting an F6F-3 Hellcat, (#65895) on a test flight from Quonset Point Naval Air Station.  At about 10:00 a.m. he came back to land at Quonset Point.  After touching down on the runway, the left tire on the landing gear blew out causing the plane to swerve into an ordinance truck parked on the extreme edge of the tarmac.  There were no injuries, but the aircraft required a major overhaul. 

     Source:

     U.S. Navy Accident Report # 44-9523

 

Quonset Point, R.I. – March 28, 1944

Quonset Point, R.I. – March 28, 1944

 

U.S. Navy F6F Hellcat
U.S. Navy photo

     At 7:45 p.m., on the night of March 28, 1944, members of the U.S. Navy’s VF-7 squadron were at Quonset Point Naval Air Station in North Kingstown, Rhode Island, preparing for a night tactics training flight.   All aircraft involved in the operation were F6F-3 Hellcat fighter planes.

     The first six aircraft left the ground without incident.  The next aircraft in line, (Bu. No. 41964), was piloted by Ensign Claude Earl Schilling.  When Ensign Schilling was granted clearance, he proceeded down the runway.  After traveling approximately 2,000 feet down the tarmac, his aircraft inexplicably veered to the right and went off the runway and onto the grass where it ground-looped back onto the runway and came to rest.   Meanwhile, the eighth aircraft, (Bu. No. #41938), piloted by Ensign Charles Francis Sullivan, had also been granted permission to take off on the same runway used by Schilling.  Due to the dark conditions, nobody realized that Schilling hadn’t made it into the air,  and Sullivan’s Hellcat struck Schilling’s plane just aft of  the cockpit severing the fuselage and igniting the fully loaded fuel tanks. 

     Sullivan managed to escape the burning wreckage, but Schilling was killed.

     According to the navy investigation report, what caused Ensign Schilling’s aircraft to leave the runway could not be determined.   

     Ensign Schilling is buried at Rio Vista Fellows Masonic Cemetery, in Rio Vista, California.  See www.findagrave.com, Memorial #135531762. 

     Source:

     U.S. Navy Investigation Report #44-12718    

 

    

 

Off Block Island – January 31,1944

Off Block Island – January 31, 1944

Rhode Island

 

U.S. Navy PB4Y-1
With Gray Over White Paint Scheme
U.S. Navy Photo – 1943

    On the night of January 31, 1944, a U.S. Navy PB4Y-1 (Bu. No. 32181) left Quonset Point Naval Air Station for an anti-submarine patrol – searchlight training flight over the Atlantic Ocean.  The airplane was equipped with a powerful searchlight mounted under one of the wings to be used in spotting surface vessels at night.  Therefore, the plane would be flying fairly low over the water during its searches.

     The weather that night was snowy with strong gusty winds.  At some point the aircraft crashed into the ocean and disappeared taking all ten crewmen aboard with it.  A search was organized, however nothing was found, and Naval investigators could only guess as to what might have happened. 

     The navy’s official investigation report (#44-11364) listed some possibilities, among them:

     1) The pilot experienced vertigo and crashed.

     2) Instrument failure, specifically the radio altimeter or artificial horizon.

     3) Engine failure.

     About two months later, on April 6, 1944, the Nathaniel B. Palmer, a fishing boat dragging its nets in the vicinity of Block Island snared an unexploded bomb which blew up when it was brought to the surface killing all but one man aboard.  

     More bombs were later recovered by other boats dragging their nets in the same area, and warnings were posted to stay clear. 

     If the bombs had come from the missing aircraft, it didn’t necessarily indicate that the plane rested in that area, for they could have been jettisoned due to an emergency.  

     Nearly 50 years later, in April of 1992, another fishing boat, the Nancy & Gary, brought up a three-blade aluminum aircraft propeller in its nets while dragging about thirteen miles off Block island.  The condition of the prop indicated it had been in the water for a long time. The artifact made its way into the possession of Lawrence Webster, a well known aviation historian and archeologist affiliated with Rhode Island’s Quonset Air Museum.  Through his research, Webster determined the propeller had come from a PB4Y-1, and records indicated that only one such aircraft had been lost in the area where the propeller had been found. 

     Webster contacted two New England companies that had sonar equipment capable of scanning the ocean floor hoping to find the wreck site of the long lost aircraft.  The search was successful, and the mystery of the missing navy plane was solved.  Unfortunately, no human remains could be recovered.    

     The aircraft lies in 150 feet of water at approximately 41 degrees 9′ N and 71 degrees, 16.55 W.  

    The crew included:

     (Pilot)  Lieut. Harold Leroy Neff, 29, of Centralia, Missouri. Lieut. Neff was killed just one day after his birthday.  To see a monument to his memory and learn more about him, see www.findagrave.com, Memorial #47219916.

     Lieut. Hubert C. McClellan, 25, of Plymouth, Michigan. To see a monument  to his memory, see www.findagrave.com, memorial # 129372432.

     Ens. Niles D. Kinney, of Woodlake, Minnisota.

     AMM1C Arthur Joel Lien, 24, of Hixton, Wisconsin.  To see a photograph of Arthur Lien and a memorial to him, see www.findagrave.com, memorial # 60612769.

     AMM1C Nathaniel Hornstein, of Bridgeport, Connecticut.

     ARM3C Wilton Hardin, of Elizabethtown, North Carolina.

     ARM3C Willard Joseph Hinger, 20, of Newark, Ohio.  To see a photograph of Willard Hinger, as well as a monument to his memory, and to read a newspaper article about him, see www.findagrave.com, Memorial #130964218. 

      AMM2C Peter Yezersky, Hermine, Pennsylvania.

     ARM3C William J. Kline, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

     AOM3C John H. Linnehan, Jr., of Albany, New York. 

     The crew had been assigned to bomber group VB-114. 

     Sources:

     U.S. Navy investigation report #44-11364, dated January 31, 1944

     Book, “Come Aboard The Draggers – Sea Sketches”, by Cap’n Ellery Thompson, 1958, page 60.

     Providence Journal Bulletin, “48-Year Mystery Solved?”, May 19, 1992

     Westerly Sun, (RI), “Liberator Wreckage Found”, May 27, 1992, page 5

     Narragansett Times, (RI),”Scientists To View Plane Crash Site”, May 29, 1992, page 2.  

     Advocate Tribune, (Minnesota), “Final Chapter Written In Serviceman’s Death”, May 27, 1993, page 1 

     Cape Cod Times, (Mass.), “Deep Sea Search Finds Bomber – Navy Plane Went Down In 1944 Off R.I.”, May 20, 1992

     Banner Journal, (Wisconsin), “Looking Back Jackson County – History Comes Closer To Home”, October 21, 1992

    Other information supplied by Lawrence Webster, Aviation Historian and Archeologist – Quonset Air Museum.    

     www.findagrave.com

     Unknown newspaper, “Hinger Now Listed Dead”, February 16, 1945.

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