Lt. Harry Posey Plane Crash in Vandalia, Ohio Dec 3, 1943

[kfields]

Across from my house is a corn field, maybe 75 acres? About 10 years ago, I was walking it, looking for arrowheads. Found some but started finding pieces of aluminum metal. Very strange in a field. So I did a bit of research and found out that a P-38 aircraft had crashed in the field somewhere local there in 1943. More searching of the field and I found many more parts from an aircraft. I checked the Dayton Daily News archives and found that it was this aircraft, his name was Lt Posey, and his plane crashed in the field opposite my house! Unfortunately he was killed in the crash.  The crash site lies about 200 yards walking distance from my front door.

Here are some things I found so far. I found the rubber shoe sole at the site as well:

 

 

 

[kfields]

Here's a picture taken from the crash investigation report showing the firemen working the wreckage site:

And the second picture is how it looks today. Neighbors barn on the left, my little red barn middle and my house right, behind the pines:

 

[collectsmedals]

What an incredible thing to find out happened where you live, and to be able to locate evidence of the crash so many years later.

[danimal03]

wow.  Very interesting finds and pictures.  Thank you for sharing!  RIP Lt. Posey.

[The Rooster]

Thats incredible. You have some really fine

areas to detect. Do you think thats the Pilots shoe?

My Uncle was killed in NC. Arapaho. I want to get down there and

find the crash site and see if anything is left.

 

[kfields]

This is the last small group of pieces I found in the field using a metal detector. Of course the piece of plexiglass I found on the surface as the sun was glancing off it.

 

[27Division18]

Extraordinary! Thanks for sharing with your friends on the forum.

[P-59A]

Outstanding find and well done on the reasearch. You have a name, a date and an aircraft type. Go to the AAIR web site to find your tail number. Then use a FOIA  to request the mishap report. One thing about the two photos, you are not at the point of impact. That field has been plowed for over 70 years. Things get moved around and that is what you are finding. To find the exact spot that P-38 stopped you need to orient exactly to the photo. That building has to be picture perfect to your photo. Another observation is that the P-38 is flipped upside down and the props are missing. That indicates your bird was sliding on the ground before it flipped. Were the nose is pointing is the direction it came from. That plexi came off after it flipped but before it burned. I am sending  a PM.

[JohnK83882]

I bet that farmer's chicken coop has some interesting stuff in it, like what's lining the roof.

[kfields]

Yeah I got the crash report and the old photo was included. 

I live maybe 1 1/2 miles from the Dayton airport (Vandalia, Ohio). To summarize from the report, the pilot was taking a familiarization flight at the time. it says the pilot was preparing to land, wheels down, circled once for whatever reason for a second attempt, didn't keep his speed up, stalled it and the plane dropped & crashed. 

Going from memory, the newspaper article said he arrived for this assignment on a Sunday and crashed on Thursday. Not even a week! Very tragic.

For whoever asked, yes I think the shoe sole probably was from the pilots shoe as the field is somewhat remote and the site is smack dab in the middle of the field.

[JohnK83882]

Get the steel pieces and melt them into parts for a pocket knife. Use the piece of windshield for the grips.

[268th C.A.]

Lt. Harry Posey, I'm surprised this is not considered a War Grave. Bones? Human? probably so...