ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 115407
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| Date: | Thursday 10 May 1951 |
| Time: | day |
| Type: |  Republic F-84E Thunderjet |
| Owner/operator: | 111th FBS, 136th FBW, Texas ANG, USAF |
| Registration: | 51-571 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Macedonia, 12 miles South East of Cleveland, Liberty County, Texas -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | Bergstrom AFB, Austin, Texas (AUS/KAUS) |
| Langley AFB, Hampton, Virginia (LFI/KLFI) | |
| Confidence Rating: |  Little or no information is available |
Republic F-84E-15-RE Thunderjet 51-571, 111th FBS, 136th FBW, Texas ANG (Air National Guard), USAF: Written off (damaged beyond repair) May 10 1951 when crashed near Macedonia, 12 miles South East of Cleveland, Liberty County, Texas due to engine failure (engine flame out)/engine fire. Pilot attempted forced landing/belly landing but was unsuccessful. Pilot Lt Col William Nicholas Hensley III, USAF (1918-1951) was killed. At the time of his fatal crash he was commanding officer of the 182nd FS, Texas Air National Guard.
According to a local newspaper report (San Antonio News-Express February 20 2017):
"Eyewitness accounts differ: Hensley’s plane, flying at about 40,000 feet, either caught fire and started to drop or burst into flames after the engine cut out. It struck a utility pole outside Cleveland, near Houston. Whatever the cause, the pilot radioed that he was “going down,” and the plane dropped, nose down, into a rice field. An officer dispatched from an Air Rescue squadron said, “The pilot apparently was headed for a perfect, dead-stick landing” but couldn’t outrun the flames".
According to the following extract from his biography:
"On 1 January 1947 he became the District Attorney for Bexar County and that same year he helped to organize the 182nd Fighter Squadron as its commander. His unit was called to active duty during the Korean Conflict and he underwent F-84E training at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. While en-route back to Langley from San Antonio, his plane crashed and burned just north of Houston, Texas on 10 May 1951. His dedication to duty and faith was symbolized by the small Bible and Texas flag found in his pocket at the scene of the crash. He was honored by having Hensley Field and the Hensley Hangar of the 149th Tactical Fighter Group dedicated to his memory".
Hensley was awarded the Asia Pacific Campaign Medal, National Defense Service Medal and the World War II Victory Medal. His body was recovered, and he was buried at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Arlington County, Virginia, USA
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, within Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land metropolitan area and Liberty County. Macedonia is an Unincorporated community in northern Liberty County, Texas. Formerly a distinct community, it is located 5 miles (8.0 km) northeast of the junction of Texas State Highway 321 and Farm to Market Road 1008 and 16 miles (26 km) northwest of Liberty
Sources:
1. http://forgottenjets.warbirdsresourcegroup.org/F-84.html
2. https://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1951.html
3. https://www.aviationarchaeology.com/rptAF55.asp?RecID=16259
4. http://www.accident-report.com/Yearly/1951/5105.html
5. https://texasmilitaryforcesmuseum.org/hallofhonor/hensley.htm
6. https://militaryhallofhonor.com/honoree-record.php?id=218326
7. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/49202623/william-nicholas-hensley
8. https://www.expressnews.com/militarycity/article/Pilot-s-son-also-had-brilliant-career-short-10945534.php
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macedonia,_Liberty_County,_Texas
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 10-Sep-2018 19:54 | TB | Updated [Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Source, Narrative] |
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