Point Judith, Rhode Island – June 30, 1959
U.S. Navy F2H-3 Banshee,
On the evening of June 30, 1959, a navy pilot was flying an F2H Banshee fighter jet over Narragansett Bay when the aircraft cockpit suddenly caught fire. The pilot ejected while the aircraft was 1,500 feet in the air and landed safely in the water about 400 yards off shore from the Point Judith Coast Guard Station, and was quickly rescued. The plane went down and sank in the water.
Source:
Providence Journal, “Pilot Leaps From Flaming Jet, Saved Off Point Judith”, July 1, 1959
