Naval Air Station Glenview - Accidents and Incidents

Accidents and Incidents

• On 30 May 1943, two Marine Corps aviators were killed when their planes collided above Pfingsten and Willow Road in Glenview. The Marines were flying in formation, returning to the base on maneuvers from the USS Wolverine on Lake Michigan.
• On 11 June 1947, an aircraft departing NAS Glenview to participate in an air show over downtown Chicago was forced to crash land in a field near Willow and Waukegan Roads in Glenview. The aircraft's landing gear broke off, but the two flyers were uninjured and no one on the ground was injured.
• On 15 January 1951, an Illinois Air National Guard B-26 Invader flying from O'Hare International Airport to NAS Glenview crashed into a farmer's field in Northbrook along Willow Road after it developed a problem with ice forming on the wings. All four crewmen and a passenger were killed, but there were no casualties on the ground.
• On 31 May 1959, a U.S. Marine Corps AD Skyraider flying into NAS Glenview from MCAS Cherry Point crashed in an adjacent cemetery killing the pilot, 1stLt William Byrne, USMC. Byrne's widow, Jane, would eventually become Mayor of Chicago.
• On 8 July 1968, an A-4B Skyhawk piloted by LT William T. Reinders, USNR, crashed after takeoff into a Glenview home, killing a 13 year old girl. The pilot said he could have missed the house if he had dropped external fuel tanks from the plane. He ejected at the last moment and was injured.
• On 20 January 1977, a U.S. Coast Guard Sikorsky HH-52A Seaguard - CG tail number 1448, struck three electrical transmission wires and crashed into the ice-filled Illinois River. The crew had been performing an aerial ice patrol along the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers. The names of the personnel killed in the incident were: LTJG Frederick William Caesar III, USCG; LTJG John Francis Taylor, USCG; AT2 John B. Johnson, USCG, and Mr. Jim Simpson (Civilian). The aircraft and crew were assigned to AIRSTA Chicago.
• On 12 August 1978, a British Royal Air Force Avro Vulcan B2 bomber, serial number XL390 of No. 617 Squadron, Royal Air Force, crashed during an air display. The crash occurred after a possible stall at around 400 ft (120 m), during a wing-over. The plane crashed into a landfill just north of Willow Road to avoid surrounding residential areas. All four crew members aboard perished.
• On 16 August 1986, a U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon piloted by Capt Vince Aamato, USAF, lost power at 15,000 feet and was guided to a safe landing at NAS Glenview by Jeff McCoy, an air traffic controller at O'Hare.
• On 3 March 1991, a U.S. Navy CT-39G Sabreliner crashed into a residential area at Dewes Street during a visual approach to NAS Glenview. All three crew members aboard perished. As the jet approached the street, the pilot turned the plane such that the wings were perpendicular to the street in "knife-blade" fashion. The jet crashed into the center of the street, and the only damage on the ground was fire damage to the front of 2 houses and a few trees were burned. The village established a scholarship fund for the survivors of the crew.

Tom Day former members of MACS 22 and VMF 543 Glenview NAS was Marine of the Year at Glenview 1959 60 and received the Distinguished Service Award 2010 from MOAA 400,000 Officers Active and Reserve former Alderman in Berwyn, Illinois Rec. award at State Fair 2012 from the State Comptroller rec. The General Logan award from Mayor Daley. More at www.buglecall.org and www.buglesacrossamerica.org