Ellington, Connecticut – April 30, 1945
P-47 Thunderbolt – U.S. Air Force Photo
On April 30, 1945, two P-47 fighter aircraft took off from Bradley Field in Windsor Locks, Connecticut, for an instrument-navigation training flight. One of the aircraft, (Ser. No. 42-8197), was piloted by 2nd Lt. Edward Dean Hensley, (20-21). Both aircraft climbed to 6,500 feet to get above the overcast and leveled off. At one point the other pilot noticed that Lt. Hensley’s plane had disappeared. Witnesses on the ground later told investigators that Lt. Hensley’s aircraft was falling sideways as it broke out of the clouds. It then rolled onto its back and an unknown object was seen to fall away from the plane. The plane crashed and exploded in the town of Ellington.
Lt. Hensley is buried Mountain View Cemetery in Deming, New Mexico.
Sources:
Book: “Fatal Army Air Forces Aviation Accidents In The Unites States, 1941-1945”, by Anthony J. Mireles, C. 2006
www.findagrave.com
