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Pilot Lt. Col. William Franklin Smith, Jr. (KIA, BR) Latham, AL Co-Pilot Sgt Christopher Domitrovich (KIA, BR) Granite City, IL Passenger AMM2c Albert G. Perna (KIA) New York, NY Crashed July 28, 1945 at 9:40am Aircraft History Built by North American Aviation (NAA). Constructors Number 87-8742. Delivered to the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) as B-25D-20 Mitchell serial number 41-30730. Nicknamed "Old John Feather Merchant". Ther term Feather Merchant was slang meaning a person in a position that involves little effort or responsibility or that calculatedly evades effort or responsibility. Mission History On July 28, 1945 took off from Bedford Army Air Field near Boston on a flight bound for Newark Airport. Aboard was passenger AMM2c Perna who was hitching a ride. Over the New York City area, the weather was poor. While crossing Manhattan, at 9:40am this B-25 accidentally collided with the Empire State Building hitting the north side of the building between the 78th to 80th floors and creating a 18' x 20' hole. On impact, everyone aboard the plane was killed instantly. Inside the building, 11 died and 24 were injured. The crash caused an estimated estimated $1,000,000.00 in damage. Memorials The entire crew was officially declared dead the day of the crash. After the recovery of remains, all three were buried in their hometowns. Smith was buried at Elmwood Cemetery Birmingham, AL at block 28. Domitrovich was buried at Calvary Catholic Cemetery in Edwardsville, IL at section A, lot 18, grave 5. Perna was buried at Saint John Cemetery in Middle Village, Queens, NY. References USAF Serial Number Search Results - B-25D-20 Mitchell 41-30577 Merriam-Webster - Definition of feather merchant (noun) FindAGrave - LTC William Franklin Smith, Jr (photo, grave photo) FindAGrave - Sgt Christopher S. Domitrovich (photo, grave photo) FindAGrave - Albert G Perna (news, photo) Contribute Information Are you a relative or associated with any person mentioned? Do you have photos or additional information to add? Last Updated December 5, 2021 |
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