Springfield, Vermont – August 19, 1964
T-33 Shooting Star – U. S. Air Force Photo
On August 19, 1964, a Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star trainer-jet took off from Hanscom Field in Bedford, Massachusetts, for a training flight to Pease Air Force Base in Newington, New Hampshire.
During the flight, the aircraft crashed and exploded into a hill known as Mount Ararat near Springfield, Vermont, about 75 miles northwest of Bedford, Mass. Wreckage was scattered over a half-mile.
Both crewmen aboard were killed instantly. They were identified as:
Captain Robert L. Wessell, age unknown, of Watertown, Mass. and Bakersfield, Calif.
Major William C. Smith, age 38, of Lexington, Mass., and Oak Park, Ill. He’s buried in Arlington National Cemetery. major Smith was survived by a wife and daughter.
Source:
Providence Evening Bulletin, “Two Air Officers Die In Vt. Plane Crash”, August 20, 1964
www.findagrave.com, memorial #49318775
