Quonset Point, Rhode Island – February 5, 1943
U.S. Navy Wildcat Fighter
U.S. Navy Photo
At 9:40 p.m. on the night of February 5, 1943, a navy F4F Wildcat, (Bu. No. 12156), was returning to the Quonset Point Naval Air Station after a night familiarization flight. The pilot inadvertently made a wheels-up landing, and as the aircraft skidded to a stop it caught fire. The pilot escaped, but the aircraft was destroyed by the flames.
The pilot was assigned to Fighter Squadron 16, (VF-16).
Source:
U. S. Navy accident report #43-5879, dated February 5, 1943.
