ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 96890
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| Date: | Saturday 22 January 1944 |
| Time: | 16:40 |
| Type: |  Bell P-39Q Airacobra |
| Owner/operator: | 72nd FSqn /318th FGp USAAF |
| Registration: | 42-19518 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | 1.25 miles NW of Tarawa Atoll -
 Kiribati
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | Tarawa |
| Tarawa |
On 22 January 1944, two pilots of 72nd FS, 318th FG, 1st Lt George S Farina and 2nd Lt John Thames, were flying a combat air patrol near Taraw. At 1640 hrs they were fluing the northeast leg of a NE-SW patrol along the northern tip of Tarawa Atoll at 2000 feet.
Farina, the leader, was on the right. He banked up in a steep turn to the right, which was the tactical signal to do a 180° turn. Immediately Lt Thames banked left. Farina saw him pass about 50 feet below him and then lost sight of him. Farina rolled out of his turn and then searched his wingman but saw a large spash below. He looked down in time to see a large column of water and pieces of the plane (the P-39 42-19518) falling into the water from the splash. The crash was 1.25 miles northwest of northern point of the atoll.
He called control and reported the accident and then circled the spot until relieved 15 minutes later. There was no trace of the pilot, all he could see was an oil slick. Thames was never found and is commemorated on Honolulu memorial. He was believed to have spun in due to a stall caused by an excessive rate of turn.
Sources:
MACR 1787 (available online at https://www.fold3.com/image/28719255)
http://www.americanairmuseum.com/aircraft/19593
https://www.abmc.gov/node/527265#.WbyAA8ldv8M
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarawa
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=en&lat=1.254401&lon=172.890472&z=10&m=w
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 16-Sep-2017 06:55 | Laurent Rizzotti | Updated [Date, Time, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Location, Country, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 14-Feb-2020 13:54 | Iwosh | Updated [Operator, Operator] |
| 30-Jan-2021 10:32 | Anon. | Updated [Operator, Operator] |
| 10-Jul-2022 05:17 | Ron Averes | Updated [Location] |
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