Block Island Sound – August 10, 1948
On August 10, 1948, two navy TBM-3E Avengers left the Charlestown Navy Auxiliary Air Field for an instrument training flight out over Block Island Sound. On the return leg of the flight, the pilot of one aircraft, (Bu. No. 53145), noted an odor of smoke in the cockpit. Both aircraft were about fifteen miles east of the airfield at this time. The smoke condition thickened and grew worse. The pilot radioed that he was bailing out and did so while the aircraft was still over open water. The pilot parachuted safely in the water and was rescued a short time later. The aircraft was lost. There was nobody else aboard at the time of the incident.
The aircraft was assigned to VA-95 .
Source: U. S. navy accident report dated August 10, 1948.