Otis Air Force Base – November 3, 1949
At 2:45 p.m., on November 3, 1949, a flight of four F-84 Thunderjets were returning to Otis AFB after a training flight when one of the aircraft crashed approximately a half-mile northwest of the runway. The pilot, 2nd Lt. Herbert E. Killian, 22, of Enid, Montana, was killed instantly.
Killian completed his flight training on January 17, 1947, and received his officer’s commission October 8, 1948 at Williams AFB in Chandler, Arizona. He was survived by his wife and two-month-old son.
The aircraft were assigned to the 33rd Fighter Wing.
Source:
New York Times, “Otis Lieutenant Waquoit Resident, Killed In Crash”, November 4, 1949
The Evening Star, (Washington, D. C.), “Massachusetts Crash Kills Air Force Officer”, November 4, 1949