USN pilot losses
 

Hi guys,

Would anyone know the identities of the pilots who were killed in the following accidents:

Curtiss F11C-2 BuNo 9268, crashed into sea 6m off Ja Jolla CA, 12 Dec 1933.

Curtiss BFC2 BuNo 9340, crashed over the side when landing onboard USS Saratoga 4 May 1936.

Curtiss BF2C-1 BuNo 9593, crashed into sea 11 Sept 1935.

Curtiss BF2C-1 BuNo 9594, crashed during night formation training 29 Jan 1935.

Any help appreciated.

Regards,

Alex

Re: USN pilor losses
 

Alex,

Check out this link: http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/NHC/accidents.htm

12/12/33: Lt (jg) William S. Arthur
4/5/36: Ens. Hugh N. Boadwee (off Mexico coincides with USS Saratoga participating in maneuvers Canal Zone 27/4-6/6 1936)
29/1/35: Lt (jg) Robert C. Haven

No match at first sight for 11/9/35.

Cheers,

Leendert

Re: USN pilor losses
 

Hi Leendert,

Thanks for the info. That's a really useful website. I haven't really done much research into American aircraft/pilots before.

Alex

Re: USN pilor losses
 

Hello Alex,

Is the date for the 11th September 1935 set in stone ?

There is the loss given as on the 11th May 1935.
Lt. (jg) Mathis Beally Wyatt died when plane crashed into the sea and sank just after take off from USS Saratoga (CV-3). 11 May 1935.

this date too may be incorrect and it may well be 11th sept 35

Date of death for Wyatt may be easier to confirm first.

All the best
Alex

Re: USN pilor losses
 

LTJG Mathis Beally Wyatt, USN, USNA 1929, graduated 28/240. Born 30 Oct 1907, South Carolina. Killed in plane crash NorPac, 11 May 1935. From USNA Register of Alumni

Re: USN pilot losses
 

Hi guys,

The info I have came from a website that deals with US BuNos. All it states for BF2C-1 BuNo 9293 is simply crashed at sea Sep 11, 1935, pilot killed.

I'm trying to locate and obtain the aircraft history cards for all the BF2C-1s to see what sort of info they contain.

Alex,

please drop me an email at acrawford12@sky.com

Regards,

Alex

Re: USN pilot losses
 

New York Times - May 13, 1935

Lieutenant Matthias Beally Wyatt, attached to the aircraft carrier Saratoga, ... Attached to VF Squadron 6-6, he was flying a single Boeing fighter and had ...

I think this means he was probably flying F4B-4 A8917 which crashed on May 11th 1935 and NOT Curtiss BF2C-1 BuNo 9293

Re: USN pilot losses
 

Hello Paul.
Thank you for the confirmation re the date and loss of Lt. Wyatt.
This leads us back now to the 11th September 1935 and the Curtiss pilot loss, who was he ?

Thanks
Alex

Re: USN pilot losses
 

Reply to request for NAvy plane 9593. This aircraft was flown by Lt. Walter Dennison Leach Jr., who was my father. He was a USNA grad of 1924 and was flying out of North Island on routine gunnery practice. The right upper wing of the plane broke off an he spiraled into 1800 feet of water off what is now Miramar. No recovery of pilot or plane was made. I acquired the formal 100 page review of the accident just several years ago, with the help of Senator Barbara Mikulski of Maryland, through the national archives.
Any questions you may have will be gladly answered. I have one myself. I find it somewhat curious that you could know of the accident and plane type but not have discovered the pilot's name at the sme time.

Re: USN pilot losses
 

Walter

" I find it somewhat curious that you could know of the accident and plane type but not have discovered the pilot's name at the same time. "

This is not curious.. There are numerous books and websites which detail the history and serial of a certain aircraft but do not detail the pilot name at the time of loss. I reckon 50% of queries on this site are .. "Can anyone confirm crew for Aircraft XXXX lost on ????' or can someone tell me how JT John Doe died on date ????

The art is matching the info together... So the full history is made avialable..

I surmise Alex Smart got his info from this website. As you see no pilot mentioned, so he wanted to discover the name...


http://home.att.net/~jbaugher/firstseries2.html


BTW I am surprised I did not post your fathers name as the pilot of NAvy plane 9593. As I found it out from Google News Archive.... See below

Anyway thank you very much for confirming your fathers name and thank you for posting further details


"Warships' flages were at half-mast from 10 to 11 am. here today when a memorial was held at the Naval Air Station for Lieut. Walter D. Leach."

Chicago Tribune - ProQuest Archiver - Sep 12, 1935
Walter Denison Leach, 33, was reported killed today when the navy plane he was piloting plunged into the ocean 19 miles northwest of La Jolla. ...


Los Angeles Times - ProQuest Archiver - Sep 18, 1935
Walter Dennison Leach. Jr.. UVS.. died September 11. 1035, rear La Jol.1 CAL 'nto the ocean nineteen miles northwest of La Jolla, accord- ing to reports. Leach was attached to Squadron VB5B on the U.S.S. Lexington.

Walter D. Leach. 33 years of age. killed Wednesday when his plane plunged into the ocean off La Jolla. Navy planes continued to search for his body today. ...

Re: USN pilot losses
 

I may have some data on the January BFNC-1 plane that crashed, contained in the 108 page board of inquiry report relatede to my father's acciden. If I can find it, I will send it to you. Thanks for your response to my earlier post. Walter D. Leach III

Re: USN pilot losses
 

Hi Walter,

Many thanks for the information. I appreciate you taking the time to post it here.

As Paul mentioned it is quite common to find info on aircraft losses but no mention of the crew names. Or details of crew losses but nothing on the aircraft involved.

Any further info you find would be appreciated.

Regards,

Alex

Re: USN pilot losses
 

I have done a short search of the Board of Inquiry (BOI) that I have, but have not yet found the name of the pilot in the January, 1935 BF2C-1 accident in Norfolk.
My BOI report is voluminous in its indictment of BUNAV and Adm. King for not responding to 6 specific reports of problems with engine vibration at certain RPMs and of fraying of wires for the wing structure that were dictated by changes to install the retactable landing gear. All this resulted in grounding of the entire fleet of BF2C-1 aircraft. It is truly tragic that it takes the life of a young outstanding pilot to wake people up to what was generally known about the aircraft.
If I find the other pilot's name, I will pass it along.

Re: USN pilot losses
 

Hi Walter,

Thanks for the additional info. I understand that the vibration was solved in part by fitting the aircraft with wooden wings. The resulting aircraft was sold to a number of foreign air forces as the Hawk III.

Alex

Re: USN pilot losses
 

The pilot for 29 Jan 1935 has already been posted here

29/1/35: Lt (jg) Robert C. Haven