Groton, Connecticut – October 9, 1945
Updated July 2, 2019
F4U Corsair
US Navy Photo
On the afternoon October 9, 1945, navy Lieutenant John Seymour Tyler, 24, was piloting an Vought F4U-4 Corsair, (Bu. No. 81424), 5,000 feet over the Groton area on a familiarization flight. At about 3:30 p.m. he began practicing a series of aerial loops. After completing the first loop successfully, he immediately began a second, but as he reached the top of the second loop the aircraft stalled and went into an inverted spin. As the plane fell it appeared to partially recover before it went back into a spin. Lieutenant Tyler was killed when the aircraft crashed.
Lieutenant Tyler’s body was brought to the Quonset Naval Air Station in North Kingstown, Rhode Island, before being transported to New York for burial. According to a Rhode Island death certificate, he was born in San Francisco, California, and listed an address of Hudson Parkway, New York, N.Y.
Lieutenant Tyler was attached to VBF-4.
Sources:
North Kingstown, Rhode Island, death certificate #45-97
U. S. Navy accident report dated October 9, 1945
Info provided by Mr. Philip O. Richart who contacted New England Aviation History. Prior to his contact, the details of this accident and type of aircraft were not known. Thank you Mr. Richart.
