JET CRASHES IN VILLAGE

Plane Explodes,
Pilot Bails Out Slightly Injured

Two Bay Avenue Estates Damaged as Craft Hits Sea Wall

(June 17, 1954) A flaming jet plane, which exploded over Yonkers losing a part of its tailpiece, crashed last Thursday morning into the sea wall at the estate of Frederick M. E. Schaefer of 1 Bay Avenue, Larchmont, overlooking Larchmont Harbor.

Rocks and plane parts thrown by the crash, and a second explosion, damaged the esstate and the residence of Leonard C. Yaseen, directly opposite at 2 Bay Avenue.

Dr. Hoffman treats First Lieutenant O'Connell in his Larchmont Avenue office.

The pilot, first lieutenant Donald R. O'Connell, 26, of Whitehall, Michigan, was treated by Dr. Herman Hofmann of 214 Larchmont avenue, Larchmont, for burns of the arms, neck, and right leg and a lacerated forehead. He had bailed out of the plane seconds before it crashed, and was rescued from mid-harbor waters by Thomas Thompson, launch operator for the Larchmont Yacht Club.

Lieutenant O'Connell was later taken to the Mitchell, L.I. Air Base Hospital from where he has since been released to his home unit, the 1737th Ferry Squadron at Newcastle Air Force Base, Delaware. He had taken off from Dover Delaware, at 9:29 AM Thursday and abandoned the F-84 fighter at 9:50 AM.

An official Air Force investigation photograph

The damaged tail section was later found and restored to the air force investigation officers after it had fallen into the backyard of the home of Philip Ballard of 52 Alida Street of the Dunwoodie section of Yonkers, roughly 7 miles from the crash scene.

Air Force safety and salvage officers and men moved up quickly from Mitchell Field to investigate the crash scene.

Two Crews

Led by Major Roy Anderson of the Mitchell Field Accident Investigation Office and Major Rothfey McKeegan, flying safety officer, two crews of investigators questioned witnesses to the accident, Thursday and Friday. Monday, a witness statement of the crash was signed by Frank Sergiovanni of New Rochelle, gardner at the R. T. Schaefer estate at 25 Ocean Avenue, adjacent to the Yaseen residence, reportedly the only witness less than 100 yards away from the exploding jet when the crash occurred.

The plane, out of control after Lieutenant O’Connell had raced against time and destruction to reach the open waters of the Sound, rather than crash in the heavily populated Westchester area between Yonkers and Larchmont, veered in an arc back into the retaining seawall of the Shaefer estate at 1 Bay Avenue. Mr. Sergiovanni was running a power mower at the R. T. Schaefer estate when the plane smashed into the wall.

Commendation

Larchmont firemen and police who arrived immediately after the crash, were commended for their work by major McKeegan, who said it might have been worse had it not been for their effective firefighting and rescue work.

Major Anderson also disclosed Monday that an air force investigation board would be convened to study all aspects of the crash before any cause could be assigned. He had said earlier that the pilot would have to be questioned, Dover Air Base mechanics interviewed, and the plane parts investigated by a competent team before a report could be written for review by the board.

Damages to the two estates, the F. M. E. Schaefer and the Yaseen, would be settled through the Air Force Claims Office. Oddly enough, because of the angle of the crash to the shoreline, heavier property damages were sustained at the Yaseen residence some 100 yards away from the scene.

Mrs. Schaefer reported immediately after the accident she believed the jet was going to crash into her home. She had heard it go over and then return and explode. Mrs. Schaefer's daughter, Winifred, called firemen immediately. Both women reported to authorities they saw the pilot bail out.

At Dr. Hoffman’s office, Thursday noon, Lieutenant O’Connell said he had only six months of a four-year tour to complete before release from duty. A University of Michigan graduate, he is married and is the father of one child.

Larchmont officials including Police Chief William Keresey, Village Engineer Frances Griffin and Village Clerk Margaret Lord had high praise for his actions in keeping the plane headed towards open water before he jumped from the flaming wreckage.

A seven-man salvage crew cleared the Larchmont Harbor shore area of the hundreds of pieces of wreckage Friday. Their biggest job, that of raising from mud and water the turbo engine and transporting it to shore was accomplished with the aid of a barge derrick operated by R.B. Savage of 749 Soundview Avenue, Mamaroneck, owner of the Savage Mooring Service there.