Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island – June 5, 1942
Windsor Locks, Connecticut – June 5, 1942
On June 5, 1942, 2nd Lt. Martin Taub of Newark, New Jersey, was piloting a P-40E (41-24782) over Rhode Island when his aircraft crashed in Narragansett Bay, killing him.
It was reported that he was the second serviceman from New Jersey to loose his life in an aviation accident over southern New England that day. The other pilot was Lt. Richard M. Stafford, of Summit, N.J. who was killed in a crash at Windsor Locks, Connecticut. Stafford’s plane was a P-40F, (41-13765).
Source: New York Times, “New Jersey Pilot Killed”, June 7, 1942
Updated March 12, 2016
According to the Army Air Corps crash investigation report relating to Lt. Taub’s accident, his airplane crashed on land at Quonset Point Naval Air Station, and not in Narragansett Bay. (Quonset Point NAS was situated on Narragansett Bay.)
On June 5, 1942, Lt. Taub was part of a three aircraft formation flight over Narragansett Bay when he radioed the flight leader that his P-40 was having mechanical difficulties. The Flight leader advised that the formation would return to Quonset Point, and that Lt. Taub would land first. Taub’s aircraft was also having problems with the electrical system, which affected the radio and lowering of the landing gear. (Lt. Taub had to lower the landing gear manually.)
As he came in to land the plane, he overshot the runway, and then turned sharply towards the hangars and flew over them. Witnesses said the engine was running smoothly, but laboring at low RPMs. Suddenly the engine started popping, and without sufficient speed to land on a runway, the aircraft craft fell from the sky and landed upright before catching fire.
At the time of his accident, Lt. Taub was assigned to the 66th Fighter Squadron.
Source: U.S. Army Air Corps Technical Report Of Aircraft Accident, #42-6-3-11