Maynard Warner Sailor
Second Lieutenant Maynard W. Sailor was a trainee Marine Corps torpedo bomber pilot.
He was killed in a mid-air collision near MCAS Santa Barbara on 3 October 1943.
Branch
Marine Corps Reserve
Service Number O-21297
Current Status
Remains Not Recovered
CONUS Loss
Because this individual died within the limits of the continental United States, they are not tracked by the DPAA.
Capsule History
Pre-War Life
Birth
September 7, 1920
at Fairbault, MN
Parents
Maynard C. Sailor
Ethel Mary (Hill) Sailor
Education
High school graduate
Occupation & Employer
North American Aviation Corporation
(in Kansas City, KS)
Service Life
Entered Service
May 15, 1942 (Navy)
May 5, 1943 (commission)
Home Of Record
Blue Earth, MN
Next Of Kin
Mother, Mrs. Ethel M. Sailor
Military Specialty
Pilot
Primary Unit
MBDAG-42
Campaigns Served
None
Individual Decorations
—
Additional Service Details
—
Loss And Burial
Circumstances Of Loss
Second Lieutenant Maynard Sailor was a pilot assigned to Marine Base Defense Aircraft Group (MBDAG) 42 at MCAS Santa Barbara. He was part of a training unit learning to fly torpedo bombers, including the latest TBF and TBM Avenger models.
On the afternoon of 3 October 1943, pilots from the Torpedo Bomber Training Unit took off from Santa Barbara for a practice flight. The schedule included formation flying and mock torpedo runs against a target boat. All went according to plan until Lieutenants Sailor and Edward P. Alciatore lined up to take their turn. Horrified pilots watched as the fatal accident unfolded. “One plane overtook and collided from below with the other,” they reported, “cutting the latter almost in half. Both planes spun into the sea from approximately 3,500 feet.” Most shocking of all, one of the pilots was ejected from the wreckage and hit the water without a chance to deploy his parachute.
Search and rescue operations were of no avail, and both pilots were reported as dead following the crash.
Burial Information or Disposition
Crashed at sea; remains not recovered.
Next Of Kin Address
Permanent address of mother, Mrs. Ethel M. Sailor.
Location Of Loss
Approximate location of the crash, four miles south of Santa Barbara Point.