ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 102031
This information is added by users of ASN. Neither ASN nor the Flight Safety Foundation are responsible for the completeness or correctness of this information.
If you feel this information is incomplete or incorrect, you can submit corrected information.
| Date: | Friday 8 December 1939 |
| Time: | |
| Type: | Curtiss A-12 Shrike |
| Owner/operator: | 26th Attack Sqn 18th PGp USAAC |
| Registration: | 33-213 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | beside Wheeler Field, Oahu, HI -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Demo/Airshow/Display |
| Departure airport: | Bellows Field |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
8 December 1939 was the last day of the 26th Attack Squadron, part of the 18th Pursuit Group, USAAC, in Hawaii. Its aircraft would then be retired of service and its men dispatched in several other units.
On the morning of the 8th, the squadron took off at 1045 hrs from Bellows Field far a final aerial review lead by Capt Acheson. The unit flew in perfect formation, then "buzzed" the field on the deck and then pulled up to drop M-9 flares in finale.
It was just then that the last plane in the Lufbery formation, the A-12 serial 33-213, was seen to catch fire. The gunner baled out, followed by the pilot after the latter set the stabilizer. As both parachutes opened, the deserted A-12 gradually lowered its head and sped faster and faster until it crashed on the side of Waikele Gulch, at the edge of Wheeler Field. When the fire trucks arrived, an all consuming fire was found, which left nothing but the gun barrels.
The parachutes of both crew, Lt Rolle E Stone, Jr, (pilot, from Otowah, Tennessee) and Pte John Woronuk (air gunner, from Baltimore, Maryland), opened at an altitude of approximately 1,000 feet and they landed safely about 100 yards south of old Wheeler Field.
Investigations revealed that the accident occurred when the gunner, after loading the flare, grasped the projector in both hand preparatory ro firing the flare. The butt of the projector came in contact with the gun-cradle, causing the flare to be discharged into the rear fuselage of the ship, starting a fire immediately.
Sources:
https://archive.org/stream/AirCorpsNewsLetter19400101-nsia/AirCorpsNewsLetter19400101#page/n51/mode/2up
http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/1940sB4/1939.htm
Oakland Tribune from Oakland, California, 10 December 19393 (available online at http://www.newspapers.com/newspage/136088743/)/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheeler_Army_Airfield
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=en&lat=21.402500&lon=-158.005556&z=13&m=w
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 13-Dec-2017 15:46 | Laurent Rizzotti | Updated [Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Location, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 15-Dec-2018 17:38 | Nepa | Updated [Operator, Operator] |
| 11-Jun-2023 04:13 | Ron Averes | Updated [[Operator, Operator]] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
Quick Links:
| ASN Home | Send Correction / Feedback |
| FSF Home | Disclaimer | Copyright |
| Contact Us | Privacy Policy |
| Press / Media |
CONNECT WITH US:
©2024 Flight Safety Foundation