1944 Yocumtown "Airplane Man": B-24 crash in Yocumtown Pennsylvania: Sole survivor's son Norman S...
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On June 7th, 1944, a B-24 took off from Olmsted Air Base in Middletown Pennsylvania for a test flight. On board were 3 civilian technicians and 2 military pilots. Just as the bomber took off, electrician Norman Shuey Jr noticed that the engine was on fire. The pilot attempted to circle around back to Olmsted field but the Liberator kept losing altitude to the point where the captain told the crew that they were going to crash and they would have to jump. Norman, with no parachute training grabbed the chute that he was using as a seat cushion and put it on He then helped his Co-worker, 27-yr-old Carlisle native Wilfred Rainsford put his chute on. Norman stated that he saw the pilot stand up and state go ahead and jump, you only have 1500 feet, pull it quick. Rainsford was standing next to Norman with his chute on when Norman decided to dive head first through the bomb bay doors. His chute did open and he watched the plane hit the ground in Yocumtown in York County. Norman then ran over to the crash and pulled two burning bodies away from the wreckage. Newspaper articles state that Norman was transported back to the base and the story ends there. Norman Shuey Jr passed away in 2007 at 92 years old. Fortunately I located his son, Norman Shuey III, who agreed to tell his father's story starting with this fateful day.
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Mr. Shuey needs his own episode .... he is awesome, and full of experiences
@runningintohistory
2 ай бұрын
I agree!
I pass by this area almost weekly, and have friends in Marysville. I’m amazed that feeling like I know a decent bit of local history, that there is so so much that I’ve never heard yet. Thank you for sharing and continuing to document!
@runningintohistory
2 ай бұрын
Thank you for listening. There is so much forgotten history around us. I have a video version of this story if your interested. It discusses all three crashes that year. kzread.info/dash/bejne/gHail6ixoLOol6Q.htmlsi=5uvxXAvZNqwMvCaW
Fascinating story. My grandfather (who is still with us) was a tail gunner in a B-24J in the Pacific. During training, he was a waist gunner in a B-24D when #3 engine caught fire over the Florida Everglades. He got his chute on and prepared to jump. The pilot was able to rev the engine so high that the wind from the propellor blew the fire out, then he shut it down immediately. He said that when they landed, oil was pouring out of the engine.
@runningintohistory
6 күн бұрын
Wow!!
I grew up and work in this area thank you for putting out some of this history
@runningintohistory
2 ай бұрын
You are welcome. It's crazy that all of this has been lost to time. Even the current owner of the house where Mr. Shuey landed with his parachute had no idea. We are working on a memorial for that site.
@tricycleguy2657
2 ай бұрын
Where did it land???
Up the hill? On taylor rd back by village road?? It is rocky. Big rocks....the size of minivans
@runningintohistory
2 ай бұрын
I show it in my video here: kzread.info/dash/bejne/gHail6ixoLOol6Q.htmlsi=QBRoB6_QTcjL54RV
@tricycleguy2657
2 ай бұрын
@runningintohistory ok, I see, I thought it was the bashore on the west side of 83
@tricycleguy2657
2 ай бұрын
@@runningintohistory I just watched the other video very cool stuff
@runningintohistory
2 ай бұрын
@@tricycleguy2657 thank you. That year was crazy for crashes around here. I still can't believe I was able to make contact with a witness. Mr Rehm was pretty cool. I actually plan on doing another local video with him. He knows and observed so much of the area history.
@tricycleguy2657
2 ай бұрын
@runningintohistory please do.... don't let the history pass away with these wealths of info