Atlantic Ocean – July 16, 1943
U.S. Navy Grumman Avenger
U.S. Navy Photo
On the afternoon of July 16, 1943, a U. S. Navy TBM Avenger with three men aboard took off from the Quonset Point Naval Air Station in Rhode Island for a training flight over the Atlantic Ocean. At about 2:30 p.m., the aircraft crashed into the sea about sixteen miles southeast of Montauk Point, Long Island, and sank immediately, taking the crew with it. The cause of the accident was not specified in the press.
The crew were identified as:
Pilot: Lieutenant Robert Yarnell Bair of Evanston, Illinois. He received his pilots wings at Pensacola Florida on October 21, 1939. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/63157283/robert-yarnell-bair
Radio Operator: AR3C Thomas Francis McConnan of Brooklyn, New York. He enlisted on December 14, 1941.
Bombardier: AO1C Wade A. Harris of Albermarle, North Carolina. He enlisted on September 23, 1942. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/34258324/wade-a-harris
Sources:
Newport Daily News, “Navy Plane Crashes Off Montauk Point”, July 20, 1943.
Providence Journal, “3 Quonset Airmen Killed In Crackup”, July 21, 1943.
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