In mid February 1942, a group of 25 Kittyhawks left Amberley on their way to Perth to be partially disassembled and placed on ships for Java. Major Pell of the 33rd Pursuit Squadron (Provisional), led the second flight of 15 Kittyhawks.
When they reached Port Pirie, Major Pell and his group of 15 Kittyhawks were diverted to Darwin for convoy escort duty to Timor. They were then to be ferried to Koepang in Java. Only 12 of the Kittyhawks made it to Daly Waters and of these only 10 made it to Darwin on 17 February 1942. After reaching Darwin, they had tried to follow the lead B-17 to Timor on 18 February 1942 but had to turn back due to fog. They stayed the night in Darwin hoping for clearer weather the next day.
On 14 February 1942, a USAAF P-40E Kittyhawk, Serial No. #389?, piloted by 2nd Lieutenant R.E. Pingree of the 33rd Pursuit Squadron (Provisional) crashed on the airfield at Port Pirie in South Australia. It spun out of control into the ground and caught fire. It was a total loss.
Pingree had some problems with his gun system. After a number of test flights to get his guns working he did a slow roll over the airfield but his aircraft dived into the swampy ground near the airfield. He was buried the following day.
https://vwma.org.au/explore/memorials/1525
DESCRIPTION: On Thursday 19th February 1942, a P40E Warhawk of 33 Pursuit Sqn, United States Army Air Force, dived into the ground approximately 4OO metres west of the Port Pirie Cemetery. 2Lt Pingree was at Port Pirie RAAF base as a consequence of a recurring armament failure in his aircraft. His squadron, under the command of Major Floyd Pell were in transit from Queensland to Perth for transport by ship to the Dutch East Indies. This order was changed and the rest of the squadron was diverted to Darwin on the 17th February and were involved in the defence of the first attacks on Darwin by the Japanese on the 19th February 1942.
Crew: WARHAWK
Official: Summary:
Following test trials on his aircraft, 2Lt Pingree was flying over Port Pirie when his aircraft went out of control and dived into the ground, killing him instantly. Cause unknown.
Eyewitness, Ken Madigan:
I was a schoolboy at the time, we were so into the sounds of aircraft we all knew when one was in trouble. On this day we were watching the planes when I saw the aircraft steeply diving, it went straight in. I ran to the site which was a crater, the engine was in about 6 or 7 metres deep. They removed his body and shipped it back to America in a lead lined coffin which they often used to ship back bodies from the Dutch East Indies area.
His body was transported to Hawaii and buried in the Honolulu Memorial (Overseas American Cemeteries). No records were found that he was interred for any length of time in the Port Pirie Cemetery and the Port Pirie Council has no historical records of his being registered for burial or cremation in Port Pirie.
NARA War Department records list this soldiers Home of Record as Wasatch County, Utah...Died Non-Battle...WWII dead returned from Rookwood USAF Cemetery, Australia...Re-interred on 01/26/1949.
When they reached Port Pirie, Major Pell and his group of 15 Kittyhawks were diverted to Darwin for convoy escort duty to Timor. They were then to be ferried to Koepang in Java. Only 12 of the Kittyhawks made it to Daly Waters and of these only 10 made it to Darwin on 17 February 1942. After reaching Darwin, they had tried to follow the lead B-17 to Timor on 18 February 1942 but had to turn back due to fog. They stayed the night in Darwin hoping for clearer weather the next day.
On 14 February 1942, a USAAF P-40E Kittyhawk, Serial No. #389?, piloted by 2nd Lieutenant R.E. Pingree of the 33rd Pursuit Squadron (Provisional) crashed on the airfield at Port Pirie in South Australia. It spun out of control into the ground and caught fire. It was a total loss.
Pingree had some problems with his gun system. After a number of test flights to get his guns working he did a slow roll over the airfield but his aircraft dived into the swampy ground near the airfield. He was buried the following day.
https://vwma.org.au/explore/memorials/1525
DESCRIPTION: On Thursday 19th February 1942, a P40E Warhawk of 33 Pursuit Sqn, United States Army Air Force, dived into the ground approximately 4OO metres west of the Port Pirie Cemetery. 2Lt Pingree was at Port Pirie RAAF base as a consequence of a recurring armament failure in his aircraft. His squadron, under the command of Major Floyd Pell were in transit from Queensland to Perth for transport by ship to the Dutch East Indies. This order was changed and the rest of the squadron was diverted to Darwin on the 17th February and were involved in the defence of the first attacks on Darwin by the Japanese on the 19th February 1942.
Crew: WARHAWK
Official: Summary:
Following test trials on his aircraft, 2Lt Pingree was flying over Port Pirie when his aircraft went out of control and dived into the ground, killing him instantly. Cause unknown.
Eyewitness, Ken Madigan:
I was a schoolboy at the time, we were so into the sounds of aircraft we all knew when one was in trouble. On this day we were watching the planes when I saw the aircraft steeply diving, it went straight in. I ran to the site which was a crater, the engine was in about 6 or 7 metres deep. They removed his body and shipped it back to America in a lead lined coffin which they often used to ship back bodies from the Dutch East Indies area.
His body was transported to Hawaii and buried in the Honolulu Memorial (Overseas American Cemeteries). No records were found that he was interred for any length of time in the Port Pirie Cemetery and the Port Pirie Council has no historical records of his being registered for burial or cremation in Port Pirie.
NARA War Department records list this soldiers Home of Record as Wasatch County, Utah...Died Non-Battle...WWII dead returned from Rookwood USAF Cemetery, Australia...Re-interred on 01/26/1949.
In mid February 1942, a group of 25 Kittyhawks left Amberley on their way to Perth to be partially disassembled and placed on ships for Java. Major Pell of the 33rd Pursuit Squadron (Provisional), led the second flight of 15 Kittyhawks.
When they reached Port Pirie, Major Pell and his group of 15 Kittyhawks were diverted to Darwin for convoy escort duty to Timor. They were then to be ferried to Koepang in Java. Only 12 of the Kittyhawks made it to Daly Waters and of these only 10 made it to Darwin on 17 February 1942. After reaching Darwin, they had tried to follow the lead B-17 to Timor on 18 February 1942 but had to turn back due to fog. They stayed the night in Darwin hoping for clearer weather the next day.
On 14 February 1942, a USAAF P-40E Kittyhawk, Serial No. #389?, piloted by 2nd Lieutenant R.E. Pingree of the 33rd Pursuit Squadron (Provisional) crashed on the airfield at Port Pirie in South Australia. It spun out of control into the ground and caught fire. It was a total loss.
Pingree had some problems with his gun system. After a number of test flights to get his guns working he did a slow roll over the airfield but his aircraft dived into the swampy ground near the airfield. He was buried the following day.
https://vwma.org.au/explore/memorials/1525
DESCRIPTION: On Thursday 19th February 1942, a P40E Warhawk of 33 Pursuit Sqn, United States Army Air Force, dived into the ground approximately 4OO metres west of the Port Pirie Cemetery. 2Lt Pingree was at Port Pirie RAAF base as a consequence of a recurring armament failure in his aircraft. His squadron, under the command of Major Floyd Pell were in transit from Queensland to Perth for transport by ship to the Dutch East Indies. This order was changed and the rest of the squadron was diverted to Darwin on the 17th February and were involved in the defence of the first attacks on Darwin by the Japanese on the 19th February 1942.
Crew: WARHAWK
Official: Summary:
Following test trials on his aircraft, 2Lt Pingree was flying over Port Pirie when his aircraft went out of control and dived into the ground, killing him instantly. Cause unknown.
Eyewitness, Ken Madigan:
I was a schoolboy at the time, we were so into the sounds of aircraft we all knew when one was in trouble. On this day we were watching the planes when I saw the aircraft steeply diving, it went straight in. I ran to the site which was a crater, the engine was in about 6 or 7 metres deep. They removed his body and shipped it back to America in a lead lined coffin which they often used to ship back bodies from the Dutch East Indies area.
His body was transported to Hawaii and buried in the Honolulu Memorial (Overseas American Cemeteries). No records were found that he was interred for any length of time in the Port Pirie Cemetery and the Port Pirie Council has no historical records of his being registered for burial or cremation in Port Pirie.
NARA War Department records list this soldiers Home of Record as Wasatch County, Utah...Died Non-Battle...WWII dead returned from Rookwood USAF Cemetery, Australia...Re-interred on 01/26/1949.
When they reached Port Pirie, Major Pell and his group of 15 Kittyhawks were diverted to Darwin for convoy escort duty to Timor. They were then to be ferried to Koepang in Java. Only 12 of the Kittyhawks made it to Daly Waters and of these only 10 made it to Darwin on 17 February 1942. After reaching Darwin, they had tried to follow the lead B-17 to Timor on 18 February 1942 but had to turn back due to fog. They stayed the night in Darwin hoping for clearer weather the next day.
On 14 February 1942, a USAAF P-40E Kittyhawk, Serial No. #389?, piloted by 2nd Lieutenant R.E. Pingree of the 33rd Pursuit Squadron (Provisional) crashed on the airfield at Port Pirie in South Australia. It spun out of control into the ground and caught fire. It was a total loss.
Pingree had some problems with his gun system. After a number of test flights to get his guns working he did a slow roll over the airfield but his aircraft dived into the swampy ground near the airfield. He was buried the following day.
https://vwma.org.au/explore/memorials/1525
DESCRIPTION: On Thursday 19th February 1942, a P40E Warhawk of 33 Pursuit Sqn, United States Army Air Force, dived into the ground approximately 4OO metres west of the Port Pirie Cemetery. 2Lt Pingree was at Port Pirie RAAF base as a consequence of a recurring armament failure in his aircraft. His squadron, under the command of Major Floyd Pell were in transit from Queensland to Perth for transport by ship to the Dutch East Indies. This order was changed and the rest of the squadron was diverted to Darwin on the 17th February and were involved in the defence of the first attacks on Darwin by the Japanese on the 19th February 1942.
Crew: WARHAWK
Official: Summary:
Following test trials on his aircraft, 2Lt Pingree was flying over Port Pirie when his aircraft went out of control and dived into the ground, killing him instantly. Cause unknown.
Eyewitness, Ken Madigan:
I was a schoolboy at the time, we were so into the sounds of aircraft we all knew when one was in trouble. On this day we were watching the planes when I saw the aircraft steeply diving, it went straight in. I ran to the site which was a crater, the engine was in about 6 or 7 metres deep. They removed his body and shipped it back to America in a lead lined coffin which they often used to ship back bodies from the Dutch East Indies area.
His body was transported to Hawaii and buried in the Honolulu Memorial (Overseas American Cemeteries). No records were found that he was interred for any length of time in the Port Pirie Cemetery and the Port Pirie Council has no historical records of his being registered for burial or cremation in Port Pirie.
NARA War Department records list this soldiers Home of Record as Wasatch County, Utah...Died Non-Battle...WWII dead returned from Rookwood USAF Cemetery, Australia...Re-interred on 01/26/1949.
Gravesite Details
Entered the service from Utah.
