Rockland, Massachusetts – October 2, 1956
U.S. Navy
Grumman F9F Panther
U.S. Navy Photo – National Archives
On October 2, 1956, navy Lieutenant (Jg.) Donald R. Good, (27), of Natick, Massachusetts, perished when the Grumman F9F fighter jet he was piloting crashed and burned in a sandpit near Summer Street in Rockland. The aircraft had narrowly missed a row of houses and clipped some trees prior to the crash. Lt. Good did not eject, and instead stayed with the aircraft due to being over a populated area. He’d been stationed at the South Waymouth Naval Air Station.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/204950863/donald-ray-good
Sources:
The Boston Globe, “Natick Pilot Dies At Rockland – Navy Board Opens Probe In Fatal Jet Plane Crash”, October 3, 1956. Article submitted by Eric Wiberg, author and historian.
Aviation Safety Network
