Military
On September 26, 1942, a B-26B bomber aircraft, A.C. No. 41-17767, carrying seven crew members, departed Baer Field, Fort Wayne, Indiana, for Presque Isle, Maine, and then an active theatre of operations. In overcast skies and light rain, the plane was next seen near Fort Jennings, Ohio, coming out of the overcast. Eyewitnesses saw it pull out of a spin, after which an object later identified as the right rear elevator fell from the plane. The nose then went down and the engines went to full power. Seventeen minutes after takeoff, the airplane struck the ground in this field heading northwesterly. The impact and subsequent explosion disintegrated the airplane and scattered parts over 250 yards from the point of impact. All seven crew members were killed, and their bodies were not recovered: Second Lt. Eugene Nelson of Kansas City, Missouri; Second Lt. Fred Bice of Tuscaloosa, Alabama; Technical Sgt. Alexander Lamison Jr. of Three Springs, Pennsylvania; Sgt. Patrick Nelligan of Santa Rosa, California; Private Robert Risetter of Des Moines, Iowa; Private Orley Colestock of Hecla, South Dakota; and Private Arnold Wildt of Broadmead, Oregon.
Hear stories like this as you drive
ExploreHere reads historical markers out loud as you pass them: over 325,000 stories across the US. No account needed.
4.7 · 800+ ratings · Free
FIND IT
Ohio · United States
