HERO
STATEMENT OF 2ND. LT. DANIEL M. WILSON, 051807/7331, USMCR,
CONCERNING THE CRASH OF 1ST LT. THOMAS B. COLLINS, 046817/7331 USMC
On 20 May 1952, at about 1812, I was flying the fifth position on Mission No. 1238 from K-6 field. Immediately following takeoff, I observed a puff of smoke from the plane of 1stLT. COLLINS who was flying the third position. Almost simultaneously, 1stLT. COLLINS turned left in a sharp nose down turn and struck the west bank of the Ansong-Chon River at an angle of about thirty degrees, left wing down, cartwheeling about an arc of about ninety degrees into the water. The impact was violent and the plane sank instantly into the shallow water with nothing but what appeared to be the tip of the rudder and an oil slick remaining. The turn was apparently made to reach the water. No ordnance was observed to drop before the impact.
Daniel M. Wilson
2LT. USMCR
Problems with mechanical difficulties continued "to a considerable degree and the finest engineering talent the Marine Corps has in the area as well as the Wright Aeronautical (Corp.) Service Representative...have been unable to remedy the situation."
Corporal Salt Morton advised the author that the Wright Tech Reps advised the line mechanics that all spark plugs had to be changed in every aircraft after it had completed its mission(s) for the day.
1stLT. Francis Rozinski, a pilot with the squadron from March to July 1952, told the author that all new pilots were briefed about the problems that the squadron had in the early months. He said that the power settings were wrong for the combat operations met in Korea.
- Excerpt from an unpublished manuscript, property of Mr. Sandy Donell.
