Atlantic Ocean – March 2, 1944
TBF-1 Avenger
U. S. Navy Photo
On March 2, 1944, navy pilot John William Sebeck, (24), (rank unknown), was piloting a TBM-1C Avenger, (Bu. No. 16874), over the ocean about forty miles south of Block Island, Rhode Island, when he crashed into the water and was killed. The aircraft and his body were not recovered.
No details of the accident are known.
The Avenger usually held a crew of three, and it’s unknown if any other crewmen were aboard at the time of the accident.
Sebeck was assigned to Torpedo Squadron 44, (VT-44), which was a new squadron established in February, 1944. He was born in Rosebud Falls, Texas, April 2, 1919.
Sources:
Email sent to New England Aviation History from John Sebeck’s nephew.
Info supplied by Larry Webster, Aviation Historian, Charlestown, R. I.
