Henry Grady Stone, Jr.
1943
General Science
Clemson Flying Cadets
Florence, South Carolina
Army Air Force, First Lieutenant
Dec 28, 1921
Nov 13, 1944
Died non Battle - Pilot of a four-engine plane, First Lieutenant Stone was killed after crashing during the transportation of supplies over the Himalaya Mountain range in India. Stone was just recently transfered to the China-Burma-India theater.
Memorial marker in Mount Hope Cemetery, Florence, SC. He is also memorialized on the Florence County WWII Memorial.
SE
Additional Information
Acctdent Report:
Aircraft Model C-47, S/N #44-39278 Location: Jorhat Air Base Place of Departure: Jorhat, India Intended destination: Chengtu, China Type of Mission: transport Date: 13 November 1942; Time: 2017 GMT Location of Crash: 1-2 miles from Jorhat runway Reason aircraft was lost: pilot error Number of Persons aboard aircraft; Crew 4 Passengers 0 Total 4 List of Crew 1st. Lt. Gene Hensley – Pilot – fatal 1st Lt. Henry G. Stone, Jr.-Copilot-fatal Col. Leslie G. Wellon- Passenger-fatal
Narrative of eyewitness statements:
Lt. Hemsley, pilot of C-47 took off from Jorhat Air Base at approximately 2017, GMT. Take-off was normal and all engines sounded to be running smoothly. Approximately 30 seconds after take-off, or between 1 and 2 miles from the runway the ship crashed, exploded, and burned. All crewmembers were killed.
- The investigation committee has concluded that the airplane was taking off with the flaps in the up position and that this was the cause of the accident. It is impossible to raise both the gear and flaps together, and in the short time the ship was in flight it was impossible to first get the gear up and then the flaps, prior to the crash.
- Also with the loaded airplane at night the pilot could not have had safe altitude for retracting the flaps.
Was an actor in Florence and went to school at Clemson for 2 years then enlisted on April 2nd, 1942 in CP Croft, SC.
https://www.wwiimemorial.com/registry/wardept/pframe.asp?HonoreeID=1277997&popcount=1&tcount=2
Related Images Click to Enlarge
News and Courier 11/21/1944 p2
The State 5/21/1948 p3B
