Quonset Point NAS – May 2, 1944
Updated March 5, 2019
On May 2, 1944, a TBM Avenger was taking off from Quonset Point Naval Air Station when a wing folded and the plane crashed into Narragansett Bay off the end of Runway 19.
The Avenger generally carried three men, and there was at least one casualty. Lieut. (Jg. )William Hinson Gallagher, 22, of Charlotte, North Carolina, was killed. He’s buried in Elmwood Cemetery in Charlotte, in plot DX-121.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/93301867/william-hinson-gallagher
It is unknown at the time of this posting if there were other fatalities or injuries involved with this accident.
Sources:
Rhode Island Department Of health Death Records.
Find A Grave website www.findagrave.com
The Wilmington Morning Star, (Del.), “Charlotte Flier Dies In Rhode Island Crash”, May 13, 1944.