On January 22. 1961, an aircraft was returning to Midway Island, having just completed a Barrier Misson.  In the final stage of touching down at Midway, the aircraft made contact with a small pile of coral on the approach end of the runway.  Making a hard landing and veering to one side of the runway, it hit the crash truck that was routinely parked to the side of the runway in the event of an emergency, and broke apart, and started on fire, killing six crewmen aboard the aircraft and three navy men on the crash truck. The names of these men are:

Robert J Baxter, AT3 
James E Koehn, ACW2 
William R Long, AT3 
LTJG E Mills 
David B Turner, AT3 
Jan J Waddingham, ACW3 

CRASHCREW:Ronald E Blakeman, AM3 
Gordon G Blatchley, AB3 
Robert J Razey, AN

 

The pictures below are pictures that have emerged after 42 years.  Jon Harnden was an ACW with AEWBARRONPAC at the time, and took these pictures shortly after the crash.

 

The black and white pictures were given to me by the family of Joseph V. "Frenchie" LeBrun, who was a flight engineer in AEWBARRONPAC.

 

 

 

The crew of the flight consisted of 22 crewmen, including:

Cdr. J.W. Wood (Pilot)

Ens. R.C. Vie (Co-Pilot)

LCdr R.I. Triplett (Relief Pilot)

Ens. J.W. Arden (Relief Pilot)

Ens. J.D. Kennedy (1st Navigator)

Ens. L.A. Tim (Assistant CIC Officer) [ CIC means Combat Information Officer]

Ltjg. E. Mills (CIC Officer) *

G.W. Trahan, AD1 (1st Engineer)

M.B. Hopper, ADC (2nd Engineer)

L.F. Kalsch, AT2 (1st Radio Operator)

R. Halvorson, ATNAN (3rd Radio Operator)

O.K. Thomas, ACW2 (Leading Petty Officer CIC Crew)

C.W. Shoemaker, ACW2 (CIC Crew)

J.E. Koehn, ACW2 (CIC Crew)*

J.J. Waddingham, ACW3 (CIC Crew)*

D.V. Turner, ATR3 (2nd Radio Operator)*

R.W. Tarpley, ACW3 (CIC Crew)

M.R. Clark, ACT3 (CIC Crew)

D.A. Spencer, ACWAN (CIC Crew)

C.L. Rayburn, ACWAN (CIC Crew)

W.R. Long, ATR3 (Aircraft Tech.)*

R.J. Baxter, ATR3 (Aircraft Tech.)*

The seating (ditching) positions of the Crew

are denoted in this diagram.