April 23, 1944 he joined the 343rd Fighter Squadron, 55th Fighter Group in Wormingford England.
2 LT Victor McConnell was a member of the 55th Fighter Group
He was based at Wormingford (Suffolk). He died on a non-combat sortie. The village of Great Maplestead is just over the border from the county of Suffolk.
His aircraft crashed behind the Post Office at Great Maplestead, Essex at 1140hrs. His aircraft was on a routine training flight from its base at Wormingford. He attempted to bale out at approximately 600 feet when his aircraft was in a 35 degree dive doing about 400mph. It appears from witnesses that the pilot’s parachute went over the tail boom and he went under. The Accident Committee commented “that this is another of the many Allison engine failures’.
From ‘Losses of the US 8th and 9th Air Forces, Volume 3, ETO Area - April1944-June 1944’:
P-38J-10-LO 42-67879 CY: 55FG 343BS
April 23, 1944 he joined the 343rd Fighter Squadron, 55th Fighter Group in Wormingford England.
2 LT Victor McConnell was a member of the 55th Fighter Group
He was based at Wormingford (Suffolk). He died on a non-combat sortie. The village of Great Maplestead is just over the border from the county of Suffolk.
His aircraft crashed behind the Post Office at Great Maplestead, Essex at 1140hrs. His aircraft was on a routine training flight from its base at Wormingford. He attempted to bale out at approximately 600 feet when his aircraft was in a 35 degree dive doing about 400mph. It appears from witnesses that the pilot’s parachute went over the tail boom and he went under. The Accident Committee commented “that this is another of the many Allison engine failures’.
From ‘Losses of the US 8th and 9th Air Forces, Volume 3, ETO Area - April1944-June 1944’:
P-38J-10-LO 42-67879 CY: 55FG 343BS
Inscription
Victor T McConnell
2Lt 343 FTR SQ 55 FTR GP
Minnesota May 2 1944
Gravesite Details
Entered the service from Minnesota.
Family Members
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