Plymouth, Massachusetts – October 5, 1943
On October 5, 1943, navy Lieutenant John H. Sandor was descending from a high altitude flight over Cape Cod in an F6F-3 Hellcat, (Bu. No. 26127), when he noticed that the oil pressure for his engine had dropped to 50 pounds. Normal oil pressure readings should have been between 80 to 95 pounds. Sandor began preparations for an emergency landing, and steered for an auxiliary air field in Plymouth. As he was making his approach the oil pressure continued to drop even further and then the propeller suddenly froze as the engine seized. The aircraft came down and struck some small trees before flipping over onto its back. Although the aircraft was severely damaged, Lieutenant Sandor escaped with minor injuries.
Source:
U.S. Navy Accident Report #44-8941