Attn to the facts.....Erv is right, it was 0045, and the pilot's name is
Jack Broughton who later gained fame as a Thud pilot in Nam, was courtmartialed
and later had the verdict set aside-only the 2nd AF officer to do so.....The
first was Billy Mitchell- they were both courts martial for basically the same
crime(????) Read "Thunder Ridge" and "Going DownTown" .....I remember
Girard and 039, don't remember the cause of the crash, but do remember it was
only about 10 hours out of PE when it happened......How was the reunion
Erv?????? The Old Sarge
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Wednesday, May 07, 2008 4:44
PM
Subject: re: 59-0045
Hi Jim - Thanks for your e-mail. Sorry for the
late reply but I've been out of state for a few days. Sounds like the aircraft
you are talking about must be 59-0045 as it seems to be the only aircraft that
fits the time frame you mention. I've info'd Jim Gier as he may have been
there at that time and may remember the incident.
----- Original Message -----
Sent: 5/3/2008 3:34:57 PM
Subject: re: 59-0045
I got to Loring AFB in Jan. 1963 as a Hughes tech rep. I remember
hearing a story being told about an F-106A catching fire on the runway on
takeoff just a few months earlier. I thought the tail # was in the
59-003(4)X series and the time frame would have been late 1962. I
heard that the aircraft was a total loss. I don't see any reference to
any of that anywhere. As the story went, when the pilot
went to A/B both fire loop lights came on. The pilot chopped the
throttle, deployed the drag chute and hit the brakes. As the aircraft
slowed the pilot blew the canopy. Before the aircraft came to a
complete halt, the pilot released the harness (safety hesitation cutter),
stood up and ran back down the dorsal and onto the wing out to the wingtip
and jumped to the runway. As the story goes, he was well away
from the aircraft, smoking a cigarette, when the crash crew arrived.
Is this just an old man's faulty memory?
I was there in Oct. 63 when Ray Girard crash landed 039. It was
amusing after he returned to Loring, watching Ray being assisted into the
backseat of a T-33 with a cast on his leg and his jaw wired shut in
order to get his flight pay.
You've got a great site, keep it up.
Jim Muirhead