Date:	Friday 24 November 1944
Time:
Type:	Curtiss SB2C-1A Helldiver
Owner/operator:	US Navy
Registration:	75525
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Trabuco bombing range, California -   United States of America
Phase:	Combat
Nature:	Training
Departure airport:
Destination airport:

Narrative:
In November 1944, VMSB-464 was based in Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, Santa Ana, California and attached to Marine Aircraft Group 41. Its primary mission was the training and replacement of personnel for combat duty in the Pacific, and it was using SB2C Helldivers

On 24 November the squadron performed eighteen flights, all glide bombing training sorties, for a total of 18.3 hours. While participating in a glide bombing mission at Trabuco, the SB2C-1A #67 (Buno 75525) piloted by Second Lieutenant Belford S Dunn failed to recover and crashed a approximately 1000 hrs. The pilot, who was alone aboard, was instantly killed and the plane completely demolished. An ambulance and a crash jeep were sent to the scene from El Toro. Dunn’s body was later shipped to his mother at Wilmington, Delaware.

The day after the crash, all SB2C-1A of the unit were restricted to normal flight and 215 knots, pending investigation of the crash. On the 29th, all SB2C-1A were grounded pending further inspection of inner structure of stabilizer. Flights resumed in early December.

Headquarters Marine Aircraft Group 41 War Diary, November 1944 (available online at https://www.fold3.com/image/292582371)
COMWESTSEAFRON War Diary, November 1944 (available online at https://www.fold3.com/image/295265897)
VMSB-464 War Diary, November 1944 (available online at https://www.fold3.com/image/1/292584113)
http://californiamilitaryhistory.org/MCASElToro.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marine_Corps_Air_Station_El_Toro
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=fr&lat=33.610228&lon=-117.624741&z=18&m=b

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
14-Nov-2010 11:55	ASN archive	Added
25-Nov-2015 07:10	Laurent Rizzotti	Updated [Total fatalities, Total occupants, Location, Country, Phase, Nature, Source, Narrative]
25-Nov-2015 07:13	Laurent Rizzotti	Updated [Narrative]
25-Nov-2015 07:43	Laurent Rizzotti	Updated [Narrative]