James Woodrow Johnston was lost at sea in the Flying Tiger flight 739 disaster.
March 16, 1962, three years before American combat troops were sent to Vietnam, 107 people lost their lives when a charter flight operated by Flying Tiger Line on behalf of the Military Air Transport Service was lost in the Pacific Ocean while en route to Saigon, Vietnam, on a secret mission. No wreckage or remains were ever found.
Following From Wikipedia
The airliner's disappearance prompted one of the largest air and sea searches in the history of the Pacific. Aircraft and surface ships from four branches of the U.S. military searched more than 200,000 square miles (520,000 km2) during the course of eight days. A civilian tanker observed what appeared to be an in-flight explosion believed to be the missing Super Constellation, though no trace of wreckage or debris was ever recovered. The Civil Aeronautics Board determined that, based on the tanker's observations, Flight 739 probably exploded in-flight, though an exact cause could not be determined without examining the remnants of the aircraft. To date, this remains the worst aviation accident involving the Lockheed Constellation series.
Conspiracy theories
Flight 739 was one of two Flying Tiger Line flights with military connections that were destroyed under similar circumstances on the same day. This led both airline officials and the media to offer suggestions of sabotage and conspiracy.
Both Flight 739 and the other aircraft, an L-1049 Super Constellation, departed from Travis Air Force Base at around 09:45 PST on Wednesday, March 14, 1962, and both encountered difficulties several hours later.[9] The other aircraft was carrying "secret military cargo" when it crashed in the Aleutian Islands and caught fire.[4][9]
Flying Tiger Lines released a statement outlining some possible reasons for the two occurrences, including sabotage of either or both aircraft, and kidnapping of Flight 739 and its passengers. The airline also said that these were merely "wild guesses" and that there was no evidence to support either theory.
March 16, 1962, three years before American combat troops were sent to Vietnam, 107 people lost their lives when a charter flight operated by Flying Tiger Line on behalf of the Military Air Transport Service was lost in the Pacific Ocean while en route to Saigon, Vietnam, on a secret mission. No wreckage or remains were ever found.
Following From Wikipedia
The airliner's disappearance prompted one of the largest air and sea searches in the history of the Pacific. Aircraft and surface ships from four branches of the U.S. military searched more than 200,000 square miles (520,000 km2) during the course of eight days. A civilian tanker observed what appeared to be an in-flight explosion believed to be the missing Super Constellation, though no trace of wreckage or debris was ever recovered. The Civil Aeronautics Board determined that, based on the tanker's observations, Flight 739 probably exploded in-flight, though an exact cause could not be determined without examining the remnants of the aircraft. To date, this remains the worst aviation accident involving the Lockheed Constellation series.
Conspiracy theories
Flight 739 was one of two Flying Tiger Line flights with military connections that were destroyed under similar circumstances on the same day. This led both airline officials and the media to offer suggestions of sabotage and conspiracy.
Both Flight 739 and the other aircraft, an L-1049 Super Constellation, departed from Travis Air Force Base at around 09:45 PST on Wednesday, March 14, 1962, and both encountered difficulties several hours later.[9] The other aircraft was carrying "secret military cargo" when it crashed in the Aleutian Islands and caught fire.[4][9]
Flying Tiger Lines released a statement outlining some possible reasons for the two occurrences, including sabotage of either or both aircraft, and kidnapping of Flight 739 and its passengers. The airline also said that these were merely "wild guesses" and that there was no evidence to support either theory.
James Woodrow Johnston was lost at sea in the Flying Tiger flight 739 disaster.
March 16, 1962, three years before American combat troops were sent to Vietnam, 107 people lost their lives when a charter flight operated by Flying Tiger Line on behalf of the Military Air Transport Service was lost in the Pacific Ocean while en route to Saigon, Vietnam, on a secret mission. No wreckage or remains were ever found.
Following From Wikipedia
The airliner's disappearance prompted one of the largest air and sea searches in the history of the Pacific. Aircraft and surface ships from four branches of the U.S. military searched more than 200,000 square miles (520,000 km2) during the course of eight days. A civilian tanker observed what appeared to be an in-flight explosion believed to be the missing Super Constellation, though no trace of wreckage or debris was ever recovered. The Civil Aeronautics Board determined that, based on the tanker's observations, Flight 739 probably exploded in-flight, though an exact cause could not be determined without examining the remnants of the aircraft. To date, this remains the worst aviation accident involving the Lockheed Constellation series.
Conspiracy theories
Flight 739 was one of two Flying Tiger Line flights with military connections that were destroyed under similar circumstances on the same day. This led both airline officials and the media to offer suggestions of sabotage and conspiracy.
Both Flight 739 and the other aircraft, an L-1049 Super Constellation, departed from Travis Air Force Base at around 09:45 PST on Wednesday, March 14, 1962, and both encountered difficulties several hours later.[9] The other aircraft was carrying "secret military cargo" when it crashed in the Aleutian Islands and caught fire.[4][9]
Flying Tiger Lines released a statement outlining some possible reasons for the two occurrences, including sabotage of either or both aircraft, and kidnapping of Flight 739 and its passengers. The airline also said that these were merely "wild guesses" and that there was no evidence to support either theory.
March 16, 1962, three years before American combat troops were sent to Vietnam, 107 people lost their lives when a charter flight operated by Flying Tiger Line on behalf of the Military Air Transport Service was lost in the Pacific Ocean while en route to Saigon, Vietnam, on a secret mission. No wreckage or remains were ever found.
Following From Wikipedia
The airliner's disappearance prompted one of the largest air and sea searches in the history of the Pacific. Aircraft and surface ships from four branches of the U.S. military searched more than 200,000 square miles (520,000 km2) during the course of eight days. A civilian tanker observed what appeared to be an in-flight explosion believed to be the missing Super Constellation, though no trace of wreckage or debris was ever recovered. The Civil Aeronautics Board determined that, based on the tanker's observations, Flight 739 probably exploded in-flight, though an exact cause could not be determined without examining the remnants of the aircraft. To date, this remains the worst aviation accident involving the Lockheed Constellation series.
Conspiracy theories
Flight 739 was one of two Flying Tiger Line flights with military connections that were destroyed under similar circumstances on the same day. This led both airline officials and the media to offer suggestions of sabotage and conspiracy.
Both Flight 739 and the other aircraft, an L-1049 Super Constellation, departed from Travis Air Force Base at around 09:45 PST on Wednesday, March 14, 1962, and both encountered difficulties several hours later.[9] The other aircraft was carrying "secret military cargo" when it crashed in the Aleutian Islands and caught fire.[4][9]
Flying Tiger Lines released a statement outlining some possible reasons for the two occurrences, including sabotage of either or both aircraft, and kidnapping of Flight 739 and its passengers. The airline also said that these were merely "wild guesses" and that there was no evidence to support either theory.
Gravesite Details
Headstone only - body was nonrecoverable
Family Members
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