1956 — June 9, USN F9F-4 Panther (1) crashes into houses (10), Minneapolis, MN — 11

–11 AP. “Eleventh Victim of Jet Plan Disaster Dies.” Brainerd Daily Dispatch, MN. 6-28-1956, p.1.
–11 Aviation Safety Network. USMC F9 Panther crash into houses Minneapolis MN, 9Jun 1956.
–11 Forgotten Jets; A Warbirds Resource Group Site. “Grumman F9F Panther series.”
— 7 MinnPost.com. “Remembering the Twin Cities’ four aviation disasters in the 1950s.” 8-17-2016.
— 7 Twin Cities Almanac: A Record of Disasters.…Events. “Aviation Disasters.”
— 6 Historic Twin Cities. “On This Date in Twin Cities History – June 0, 1956.”

Narrative Information

Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation. Database:
“Date: 09-Jun-1956
….
“Type: Grumman F9F-4 Panther
“Owner/operator: United States Marine Corps (USMC)
“Registration: 125945
….
“Fatalities: Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
“Other fatalities: 10
….
“Location: Minneapolis, MN
“Phase: [Not noted]
“Nature: Military
“Departure airport: [Not noted]
“Destination airport: [Not noted]
“Confidence Rating: Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources
“Narrative:

“Crashed into houses. Five children critical injured and later died. Maj George E. Armstrong (33).”

Forgotten Jets; A Warbirds Resource Group Site: “The Grumman F9F Panther is one of the United States Navy’s first successful carrier-based jet fighters, as well as Grumman’s first jet fighter. A single-engined, straight-winged day fighter, it was armed with four 20mm cannons and could carry a wide assortment of air-to-ground munitions. The Panther was used extensively by the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps in the Korean War. It was also the first jet aircraft used by the Blue Angels aerobatics demonstration team, from 1949 through late 1954. The aircraft was exported to Argentina and was the first jet used by the Argentine Naval Aviation. Total F9F production was 1,382….

“F9F-4 125945…. Reserves VMF-213.
“6/9/1956: Crashed into a residential area near NAS Minneapolis, MN. The pilot and 10 civilians on the ground were killed.” (Forgotten Jets; A Warbirds Resource Group Site. “Grumman F9F Panther series.”)

Historic Twin Cities. “On This Date in Twin Cities History – June 0, 1956.” :
“On this date in 1956, a U.S. Navy F9F Panther jet fighter plane crashed into a house and set fire to five others at the north end of Wold-Chamberlain Field in Minneapolis (now Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport) killing six people and injuring nine others.

“Just before the crash occurred, three Navy planes had been flying in military formation near the airport. One of the planes piloted by, Major George Armstrong, of Edina, broke formation to make an emergency landing. On approach back to the navy base, the plane hit the street in front of 5804 and 5808 46th Avenue South, near the main gate of the navy base. The plane then bounced into another home at 5820 46th Avenue, and exploded scattering the plane and its fuel over the neighborhood.

“Some 20 or more children were at play in that block when the plane crashed. Some of them were littered with debris and flaming fuel. The injured were taken to Veterans Hospital, General Hospital and the Navy infirmary at the airport.”

MinnPost.com (Andy Sturdevant): “…a pair of military aircraft disasters only days apart rocked the city [in 1956]. On June 5, 1956, a Northrop F-89 Scorpion went down, crashing into a car on the highway near the airport and killing a mother and child bound for the new Metropolitan Stadium. Four days later, a Grumman F9F Panther, fully loaded with ordnance, fell out of formation and crash-landed across three houses on 46th Avenue, causing an enormous explosion and killing the pilot and six people on the ground.” (MinnPost.com (Andy Sturdevant). “Remembering the Twin Cities’ four aviation disasters in the 1950s.” 8-17-2016.)

Twin Cities Almanac: A Record of Disasters.…Events. “Aviation Disasters.”:
“Military, Grumman F9F Panther – June 9, 1956 – 7 dead. Loaded with ordinance, it fell out of the sky and crashed just north of the airport into houses along 46th Ave. S., Mpls.”

Newspapers

June 9, AP: “Minneapolis (AP) – A Navy jet plane crashed in flames in a residential area near the airport here today killing the pilot and five other persons. The exploding plane spread flames which leveled one hour and damaged five others. Eight children were taken to nearby Veterans Hospital with critical burns.

“The coroner said the bodies of two adult men, one of them the pilot, one woman and three children had been recovered from the ruins. Five of the bodies, including that of the pilot, were found in the ruins of the Donald Garies home, which was destroyed. The body of a child was found in the wreckage of house next door. The pilot was identified as Maj. George E. Armstrong, a Minneapolis Marine pilot. Shortly before 1 p.m. a deputy coroner said search of the ruins had been completed and no more bodies had been found. He said one of the victims had been identified as Deborah DeWolfe, 5, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Donald P. DeWolfe, 5816 46th Ave. He said four of the bodies found in the Garies home ‘could be no one else’ but Mr. and Mrs. Garies, both in their 30s, and their sons, Mark, about 7, and Bryan, about 2. A third Garies son, Joel, 11, was fishing at the time of the crash.

“The DeWolfe house was just east of the Garies home. Neighbors said Deborah apparently was lying on a living room couch watching television when the plane crashed. Mrs. DeWolfe, in the kitchen, said she tossed another child through a screen window when the plane hit. She was pinned for a time by a refrigerator which was knocked against her. DeWolfe was not at home.

“The plummeting plane sliced off the front half of the house to the east and tore off part of the roof of the house to the west. Witnesses told of a ‘muffled explosion’ and then ‘fire everywhere.’ One report said the plane hit the ground, then bounced into the houses and burst into flames.

“The control tower said the plane was attempting to return to the field just after taking off….

“Vincent Kieffer, who lives two doors from the Garies house was knocked down by the force of the crash which came while he was painting his back fence. ‘I looked up to see my three children running toward me in flames. I rolled one of them on the grass and the other two ran into the garage, trying to put out their flaming clothing with blankets.’ Keiffer suffered burns. His T-shirt was burned off his back….

“The crash was the second involving a jet near the airport this week. On Tuesday, a mother and daughter were killed when a jet had trouble on the takeoff and smashed into their car as they drove on a road bordering the field.” (Associated Press. “Jet Slams Into Minneapolis Homes and Kills Six People.” Fergus Falls Daily Journal, MN. 6-9-1956, p. 1.)

“June 13, AP: “Minneapolis (AP) – The jet plane crash at Wold-Chamerlain Field that cost six lives was charged Monday to an error by the pilot. Rear Adm. Daniel V. Gallery, Chicago, commander of naval air reserve training, told the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MCA) that the crash was a ‘typical pilot error accident.’ He did not elaborate. The MAC, after the informal hearing, voted to continue its inquiry into the Saturday crash as well as into an earlier one in which three persons were killed when a jet plummeted into a car on a nearby highway.

“Rep. Judd (R.-Minn) said at the hearing it was inevitable that military operations would have to be moved from Wold-Chamberlain. He pointed that would be imperative because of increased activity by both commercial and military ships, all of them consistently growing more powerful.

“Answering MAC demands that all jet flights except those vital to national defense be canceled, Maj. Gen Kenneth B. Bergquist, Air Force operations director, said that all flights from Wold-Chamberlain were ‘necessary and vital to defense of this country.’

“Navy Capt. F. F. Gill, commander of the Naval Air Station here, told the hearing that the field was not used for pilot-training flights. ‘Our reserves all are trained pilots who must maintain combat readiness,’ Gill said. Vice Adm. Thomas S. Combs, deputy chief of naval air operations, said it would be a definite handicap if reserve fliers were not permitted to keep up their flying hours.

“Maj. George Armstrong, the pilot, and five civilians were killed when his jet slammed into a house at the edge of the airport and set five other homes on fire. Five children still are hospitalized also with burns that are termed critical.” (Associated Press. “Pilot Error Charged in Jet Crash.” Brainerd Daily Dispatch, MN. 6-13-1956, p. 1.)

June 18, AP: “Minneapolis (AP) – Cassandra Kieffer, 5, one of five children burned critically in a jet plane crash here June 9, died early today in Veterans Hospital. The other four children remain in critical condition.

“Six persons were killed when the plane crashed in a residential district alongside Wold-Chamberlain field, destroying one house and damaging a half dozen others.

“Still in critical condition were two other Kieffer children, Jeffrey, 7, and Jennifer, 2; Lynn Greening, 6, and Stephen Clark, 5….” (Associated Press. “Child Dies.” Brainerd Daily Dispatch, MN. 6-18-1956, p. 2.)

June 25, AP: “Minneapolis (AP) – a 6-year-old girl has died here, the eighth victim of a jet plane crash. Lynn D. Greening, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth L. Greening, bus burned over 90 per cent of her body when the Naby plane plowed into several houses near Wold Chamberlain Airport June 9.

“Still in critical condition are three children who were playing with Lynn at the time of the tragedy. They are Jeffrey Kieffer, 7, and Jennie Kieffer, 2, brother and sister of Cassandra, 5, who died June 18, and Stephen Clark.” (Associated Press. “Eighth Victim of Jet Plane Disaster Dies.” Brainerd Daily Dispatch, MN. 6-25-1956, p.1.)

June 28, AP: “Minneapolis (AP) A 7-year-old boy died of burns early today becoming the 11th victim of a jet plane crash which destroyed several Minneapolis residences June 9. Jeffrey Kieffer was the last survivor of five children burned by flaming jet fuel when the Navy plane, attempting to make an emergency landing at the Minneapolis airport, fell short and crashed into a row of homes, setting them afire.

“Jeffrey’s sister, Jennifer, 2, died Wednesday [27th]. Another sister, Cassandra, 5, died June 18. They were the only children of Mr. and Mrs. Vincent Kieffer whose home was one of those destroyed.

“Two other children who were playing with the Kieffer children near the home died earlier. Six persons, including the pilot, were killed instantly. No other persons are hospitalized.” e(Associated Press. “Eleventh Victim of Jet Plan Disaster Dies.” Brainerd Daily Dispatch, MN. 6-28-1956, p. 1.)

Sources

Associated Press. “Child Dies.” Brainerd Daily Dispatch, MN. 6-18-1956, p. 2. Accessed 7-6-2023 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/brainerd-daily-dispatch-jun-18-1956-p-2/

Associated Press. “Eighth Victim of Jet Plane Disaster Dies.” Brainerd Daily Dispatch, MN. 6-25-1956, p.1. Accessed 7-6-2023 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/brainerd-daily-dispatch-jun-25-1956-p-1/

Associated Press. “Eleventh Victim of Jet Plan Disaster Dies.” Brainerd Daily Dispatch, MN. 6-28-1956, p. 1. Accessed 7-6-2023 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/brainerd-daily-dispatch-jun-28-1956-p-1/

Associated Press. “Jet Slams Into Minneapolis Homes and Kills Six People.” Fergus Falls Daily Journal, MN. 6-9-1956, p. 1. Accessed 7-6-2023 at:
https://newspaperarchive.com/daily-journal-jun-09-1956-p-1/

Associated Press. “Pilot Error Charged in Jet Crash.” Brainerd Daily Dispatch, MN. 6-13-1956, p. 1. Accessed 7-6-2023 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/brainerd-daily-dispatch-jun-13-1956-p-1/

Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation. Database. USMC F9F-4 Panther crash into houses, Minneapolis, MN, 9 Jun 1956. Accessed 7-6-2023 at:
https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/223589

Forgotten Jets; A Warbirds Resource Group Site. “Grumman F9F Panther series.” Accessed 7-6-2-23 at: http://www.forgottenjets.warbirdsresourcegroup.org/F9F.html

Historic Twin Cities. “On This Date in Twin Cities History – June 0, 1956.” Accessed 7-6-2023 at: http://www.historictwincities.com/this-day-in-history/06-09-1956/

MinnPost.com (Andy Sturdevant). “Remembering the Twin Cities’ four aviation disasters in the 1950s.” 8-17-2016. Accessed 7-6-2023 at: https://www.minnpost.com/stroll/2016/08/remembering-twin-cities-four-aviation-disasters-1950s/

Twin Cities Almanac: A Record of Disasters.…Events. “Aviation Disasters.” Accessed 7-6-2023 at: http://tcalmanac.com/?page_id=13