Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts – May 8, 1945
Updated January 12, 2018
U.S. Navy F6F Hellcat
U.S. Navy photo
On the morning of May 8, 1945, Lieutenant Joseph F. Koll, Jr., 29, of Boise, Idaho, was taking off from Martha’s Vineyard Naval Auxiliary Air Field in an F6F-5N Hellcat, (Ser. No. 70448), for a scheduled training flight. When the aircraft had reached an altitude of about 50 feet it suddenly rolled over and dove into the ground and exploded, killing Lt. Koll. The cause of the accident was undetermined.
Lieutenant Koll’s body was brought to the Quonset Point Naval Air Station in North Kingstown, Rhode Island, before being transported to Idaho for burial. He’s buried in Morris Hill Cemetery in Boise, Section N 68-2. To see a photo of Lt. Koll, see findagrave.com Memorial #53030333.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/53030333/joseph-f-koll
Sources:
U.S. Navy crash investigation report
North Kingstown, Rhode Island, death records.
