Williston, VT – March 4, 1965

Williston, Vermont – March 4, 1965

    

F-89 Scorpion U. S. Air Force Photo

F-89 Scorpion
U. S. Air Force Photo

     On March 4, 1965, a Vermont National Guard F-89J Scorpion jet was approaching Burlington Airport when an onboard fire broke out.  The aircraft went down about three miles form the airport in the town of Williston, in an area known as Taft Corners, barely missing some trailer homes.

    

 

    

      Nether the pilot or the radar observer survived.  They were identified as: 

     (Pilot) Colonel Robert P. Goyette, 45, of Burlington, Vermont.

     (Radar Observer) Lieutenant Jeffrey B. Pollack, 28, of Burlington, Vermont.

     Today there is a memorial on Rt 2 in the town of Williston honoring these two men, located at GPS coordinates 18T E 65336  N 4922338. (This is not the site of the crash.)

     Sources:

     Lewiston Daily Sun, “Two Vermont Air Guard Officers Die In Jet Crash”, March 5, 1965

     Schenectady Gazette, “2 In Vermont Air Guard Die In Jet Trainer Crash”, March 5, 1965  

       

    

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