Lenox, Massachusetts – May 27, 1957
On the afternoon of May 27, 1957, two Air Force F-86 Sabre jet fighters were partaking in a mock dog-fight over Lenox, Massachusetts, when one of the aircraft, (#51-5950), piloted by 1st Lt. Francis Lee Revere, (25), stalled, and then went into a dive, crashing nose first into the ground. The jet crashed and exploded on the Robertson Farm on New Lenox Road leaving a wide 12-foot deep crater and scattering debris.
Lt. Revere perished in the accident.
There had been no contact between the two aircraft.
The other F-86 returned to Westover Air Force Base
The incident was witnessed by hundreds of people on the ground who’d been watching the to aircraft for about thirty minutes prior to the crash.
Lieutenant Revere was assigned to the 33rd Fighter Interceptor Squadron at Westover Air Force Base in Massachusetts.
Sources:
The Berkshire Eagle, “Jet Pilot Plunges To Death; Hundreds See Lenox Tragedy”, May 28, 1957, pg. 1.
The Berkshire Eagle, “Eyewitness Tells Story Of Fatal Jet Plane Crash”, May 28, 1957, pg. 27.
The Berkshire Eagle, “Sabrejet Pilot in ‘Dogfight’ Air Force Ace In Korean War”, May 28, 1957, pg. 27.
Aviation Safety Network