Narragansett Bay – August 12, 1948
On August 12, 1948, a pilot was to take part in a practice take-offs and landings training exercise at the Quonset Point Naval Air Station. The pilot took of in a TBM-3E Avenger, (Bu. No. 53502), and went out over Narragansett Bay. At an altitude of 600 feet he began a slow right turn and as he was doing so lost visibility and went to instruments. Before corrections could be made the aircraft crashed into the bay. The pilot was rescued, but the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.
The aircraft was assigned to VA-75.
Source: U. S. Navy accident report dated August 12, 1948.