from author and historian Jim Ignasher
Charlestown, Rhode Island – October 2, 1944
U.S. Navy F6F Hellcat
U.S. Navy photo
On the night of October 2, 1944, an F6f-5 Hellcat, (Bu. No. 70998), was coming in to land at the Charlestown Navy Auxiliary Air Field after a training flight when the pilot got vertigo and misjudged the altitude and distance to the runway. The aircraft crashed a half-mile short of the runway and was damaged beyond all repair. The pilot survived.
Source:
U. S. Navy accident report dated October 2, 1944.
Charlestown, Rhode Island – October 15, 1943
TBF-1 Avenger
U. S. Navy Photo
On October 15, 1943, a lone pilot flying a TBF-1 Avenger, (Bu. No. 47438), was practicing take offs and landings at Charlestown Navy Auxiliary Air Field when he crashed due to insufficient air speed. The aircraft was a total loss but the pilot was not injured.
The aircraft was assigned to VT-14
Source:
U. S. Navy accident report #44-5161
Block Island Sound – October 11, 1945
U.S. Navy F6F Hellcat
U.S. Navy photo
On the night of October 11, 1945, Ensign J. A. Guice, (USN), took off from Charlestown Naval Auxiliary Air Field piloting an F6F-5N Hellcat, (Bu. No. 79664), for a gunnery training flight approximately 17 miles south of Block Island. The night was particularly dark and the horizon wasn’t visible, necessitating instrument flight. At the designated area, Ensign Guice and other aircraft took turns firing rockets at a target-spar that was being towed by boat and illuminated by flares. While making a run at the target from an altitude of 3,000 feet, Ensign Guice’s aircraft was observed to clear the target and enter a barrel roll to the left and strike the water. He didn’t get out of the aircraft before it sank.
Unfortunately, Ensign Guice was only identified by his first two initials in the navy accident report, and therefor his first and middle name are unknown.
Source: U.S. Navy Accident Report dated October 11, 1945.
Return to Top ▲