Charlestown, Rhode Island – February 19, 1945
U.S. Navy F6F Hellcat
U.S. Navy photo
On the night of February 10, 1945, Ensign Marion Joseph Keenan left Charlestown Auxiliary Naval Air Station for a night bombing training flight. He was piloting an F6F-5 Hellcat, (Bu. No. 71005). After the flight, he returned to Charlestown NAS. As he touched down on Runway 12, his landing gear struck a snowdrift that had formed across the runway causing the plane to nose over and skid along the tarmac until it came to rest. The aircraft suffered significant damage, but Ensign Keenan was not injured.
Source: U.S. Navy Accident Report dated February 10, 1945
