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| USAF 4th FIG 334th FIS  USAF 1952 |
Pilot Captain Jimmy P. Robinson, AO703522 (missing) Crashed November 1, 1952 Aircraft History Built by North American Aviation (NAA). Delivered to the U.S. Air Force (USAF) as F-84G-5-RE Thunderjet serial number 51-1040. Assigned to the 12th Fighter Escort Wing (FEW), 561st Fighter Escort Squadron (FES). No known nickname or nose art. Mission History On November 1, 1952 took off from Eniwetok Airfield piloted by Captain Jimmy P. Robinson as part of "Red Flight" with call sign "Red 3" equipped with wingtip scientific sampling equipment to collect nuclear sampling inside the atomic cloud an hour after Ivy Mike the first Hydrogen Bomb (H-Bomb) test at Elugelab Island in Eniwetok Atoll. This Thunderjet was flying as wingman for Captain Bob Hagan. The pair climbed to 40,000' and entered the stem of the mushroom cloud. inside the cloud, Robinson experienced severe turbulence and spun out of control to an altitude of 20,000' before he was able to regain control. In rain and poor visibility, the electromagnetic storm had disabled his instruments and was unable to find a KB-29 tanker to refuel. At 13,000' the engine flamed out and Robinson attempted to reach Eniwetok Airfield but radioed he would bail out. When this aircraft failed to return it was officially listed as missing. Search Meanwhile, a rescue helicopter spotted this jet gliding at roughly 500' to the north of Eniwetok Atoll. It appeared the canopy was jettisoned and the pilot was attempting to ditch. The jet was observed to hit the sea, skip smoothly then hit a wave and flipped over then sank rapidly. Hovering over where it sank, no sign of the pilot was observed. Memorials Robinson was officially declared dead on November 1, 1952. He earned the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC), posthumously for the mission he was lost. His body was never located and remains missing. in 2002, Robinson had a memorial marker placed at Arlington National Cemetery at memorial section MC site 32-L-1. During World War II, Robinson earned the Purple Heart for wounds June 11, 1944 and Air Medal. Relative Rebecca "Becky" Miller (daughter of Robinson) References USAF Serial Number Search Results - F-84G-5-RE Thunderjet 51-1040 "1040 crashed and sank in lagoon at Enewetok, Marshall Islands, Pacific during nuclear sampling mission, Operation Ivy, Oct 31, 1952" ANC Explorer - Jimmy P. Robinson (memorial marker photos) FindAGrave - Capt Jimmy Priestly Robinson (photos, memorial marker photo) Smithsonian Magazine "Into the Mushroom Cloud" by Mark Wolverton August 2009 Thanks to Rebecca Miller for additional information Contribute Information Are you a relative or associated with any person mentioned? Do you have photos or additional information to add? Last Updated August 14, 2023 |
 F-84  MIA 1 Missing |
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