Denmark, Maine – July 7, 1956
T-33 Trainer Jet
U.S. Air Force Photo
On July 7, 1956, a U. S. Air Force Lockheed T-33 trainer jet left Youngstown, Ohio, bound for Dow Air Force Base in Bangor, Maine. While passing over eastern Maine, the lone pilot, Captain Gordon L. Draheim, (35), noted that the aircraft was getting low on fuel, and radioed for directions to the Brunswick Naval Air Station. After receiving directions, the pilot acknowledged and was not heard from again. While en route to Brunswick the aircraft crashed half way up the southern slope of Pleasant Mountain in the town of Denmark. There was a thunderstorm in progress at the time of the crash. Searchers discovered the wreckage strewn over a large area.
Captain Draheim is buried in Lakeview Cemetery in Marion, North Dakota. His grave can be seen at www.findagrave.com, Memorial #103458674. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/103458674/gordon-l-draheim
Source: The Bridgton News, (Me.), “Jet Plane Crashes On Pleasant Mt. killing Pilot”, July 12, 1956, page 1
