Block Island Sound – May 19, 1967
Grumman S-2 Tracker
U. S. Navy Photo
At 2:36 p.m. on the afternoon of May 19, 1967, a Navy S-2E Tracker aircraft, (Bu. No. 152353), took off from the Quonset Point Naval Air Station for a routine training flight. At about 3:00 p.m. the aircraft was seen to crash into the sea about 3 mils south of Point Judith, Rhode Island. Some witnesses reported seeing smoke, but no distress call had been received from the air crew.
Both men aboard the aircraft perished in the accident. They were identified as:
Lieutenant William H. Mason, 27, of Johnson, Vermont.
Lieutenant Robert P. Jackson, 27, of East Greenwich, Rhode Island.
The aircraft was located in 54 feet of water. Recovery efforts were hampered, but the aircraft and the two airmen were recovered on May 23rd.
Sources:
Providence Journal, “Two Quonset Pilots Die In Crash”, May 20, 1967.
Evening Bulletin, “Search Continues For Crashed Plane”, May 20, 1967.
Providence Journal, “Hunt For Victims Of Plane Crash Due To Resume”, May 22, 1967.
Evening Bulletin, “Bodies Of Two Quonset Pilots Recovered”, May 23, 1967.
