Falmouth, Massachusetts – May 31, 1949
On May 31, 1949, a group of U.S. Navy F-8F Bearcats left Quonset Point Naval Air Station in Rhode Island, bound for Otis Air Force Base in Falmouth, to take part in a rocket firing training exercise. As the planes approached Otis, one of them suddenly dropped out of formation and crashed in a rotary traffic circle near the 33rd Fighter Wing Headquarters.
The pilot was identified as Lieut. (j.g.) Ronald J. Whitting of Bergenfield, New Jersey.
Sources:
New York Times, “Crash Kills Navy Pilot”, June 1, 1949
Falmouth Enterprise, “Navy Pilot Dies In Crash At Otis”, June 3, 1949
