ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 225747
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| Date: | Thursday 9 May 1957 |
| Time: | day |
| Type: |  Lockheed T-33A |
| Owner/operator: | 364th PTW United States Air Force (USAF) |
| Registration: | 52-9232 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Aircraft missing |
| Location: | Kings Canyon National Park, CA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Ferry/positioning |
| Departure airport: | Hamilton AFB, CA |
| Craig AFB, AL | |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
Lt David A. Steeves (23) parachuted from his plane when it caught fire and exploded on a delivery flight to Craig Air Force Base. He injured both ankles on landing and survived 54 days in the wilderness of the Sierra Mountains.
The T-33 could not be found in the rugged mountainous terrain.
There was speculation in the press that the pilot had staged the incident in order to obtain publicity. There were even suggestions that he had sold the plane in Mexico, or handed it over to Soviet Russia.
Lt Steeves voluntarily left the US Air Force as the result of these claims and took up a civil flying career. He was killed in an air accident in 1965.
In 1978 an identifiable piece of the aircraft, the cockpit canopy, was found in the Kings Canyon National Park not far from where Lt Steeves had landed.
Sources:
Youngstown Vindicator 2 July 1957, p1+10
http://www.forgottenjets.warbirdsresourcegroup.org/T-33.html
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 02-Jun-2019 18:28 | TB | Added |
| 30-Apr-2021 18:48 | harro | Updated [Registration, Location, Source] |
| 24-Sep-2022 22:42 | angels one five | Updated [Time, Operator, Nature, Narrative] |
| 28-Sep-2022 15:25 | angels one five | Updated [Narrative] |
| 28-Sep-2022 18:01 | angels one five | Updated [Damage, Narrative] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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