Boston, Massachusetts – January 23, 1958
T-33 Trainer Jet
U.S. Air Force Photo
On January 23, 1958, two Air Force jets collided in mid-air 22,000 feet over Boston. One was an F-94 Starfire out of Otis AFB, the other a T-33 out of Stewart AFB in Newburgh, New York. Both were on routine training flights.
The crew of the F-94 consisted of 1st Lt. Joseph G. Izzea, 23, and 1st Lt. John P. Horan, 21. Both were killed either in the collision, or when their flaming jet crashed behind a home in Arlington, Massachusetts. Witnesses felt Izzea may have been aiming for the Arlington Reservoir.
F-94 Starfire
U.S. Air Force Photo
The crew of the T-33, consisted of Captain William D. Bridges, 33, and Lt. Harold Woldmoe, 30. Both got out safely, although Woldmoe said his ejection seat failed, and he got out as the plane was falling end-over-end. Bridges came down in the icy waters of Quincy Bay about 15 miles away and was rescued by a helicopter twenty minutes later. Woldmoe landed in the railroad freight yards near Boston’s South Station. Both were treated at area hospitals.
Sources:
Falmouth Enterprise, “Two Otis Fliers Die As Jets Crash Above City”, January 24, 1958.
(Troy, N.Y.) Times Record, “Two Airmen Killed As Planes Crash”, January 24, 1958
New York Times, “Jets Collide, Two Die”, January 24, 1958
