John Coryell Leysath


1954

Electrical Engineering

Cadet Sergeant First Class, First Lieutenant Platoon Leader: Distinguished Military Graduate, Honors, AIEE, Wesley Foundation; Tri County Club; Captain, Captain Rifle Team

North, South Carolina

Mr. and Mrs. Horace Leysath

Air Force, First Lieutenant

Stationed at McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas

Jul 7, 1932

Mar 28, 1956

Non Battle - He was killed in the explosion of a B-47 near Connell AFB, Kansas.

He was buried in Pen Branch Cemetery with full Military Honors.

SW

Personal Remembrances

"John C. Leysath, Class of 54 was a good friend of mine.  "Jackie" would go home with me to date a distant cousin.  In fact, he and his date were with me when I gave my wife of 54 years her diamond.  I reported in for active duty in Aberdeen, MD and one morning picked up my copy of the Baltimore Sun and there was a write up of a B-47 crash and he was on it.  What a shock." - Carl Brabham '54

He was the first Eagle Scout from North, SC.
He worked for General Electric prior to entering active duty.

Additional Information

28 March – A B-47 Stratojet sheds its wings over East Wichita, Kansas and explodes, crashing four miles (6 km) NE of the city, killing three crew.  The office of information services at McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas, said the explosion occurred after takeoff, probably at about 2,000 feet (610 m) altitude.  Lt. Maurice Boyack, pilot of a Navy P2V Neptune bomber, out of Naval Air Station Hutchinson, Kansas, said the explosion occurred in a climbing turn.  He flew his bomber to a point where he could see the wings rip off the B-47.  He said it appeared there was a fire in the mid-section, followed by the explosion.  Fire fighters battled the blaze at the crash scene for more than an hour.  The plane crashed within 1,000 feet (300 m) of two large suburban houses.  Officials at McConnell AFB identified the pilot and instructor as Capt. William C. Craggs of Wichita.  He is survived by his widow and two sons.  The students were Lt. Col. William H. Dames, 39, of Oconomowoc, Wisconsin whose wife and two sons are reported to be living in Milwaukee; and 1st Lt. John C. Leysath, 24, of North, South Carolina

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_accidents_and_incidents_involving_military_aircraft_(1950%E2%80%931959)#1953

 

Extracts from a newspaper article:

Wichita, KS., B-47 Strato-jet Explosion & Crash. Mar. 1956 – 3 Die In Jet Plane Blast

Wichita, KS. (UP) – “A B-47 Strato-jet exploded over East Wichita Wednesday as thousands watched.  It crashed four miles northeast of the city, killing its crew of three.  The office of information services at McConnell Air Force Base said the explosion occurred after takeoff, probably at about 2,000 feet altitude.  Wreckage was strewn along the countryside for several miles as the wings sheared off and the fuselage tumbled to earth.

McConnell identified the pilot and instructor as Capt. William C. Craggs of Wichita.  He is survived by his widow and two sons.  The students were: Lt. Col. William H. Dames, 39, of Oconomowoc, Wis.  His wife and two sons are reported to be living in Milwaukee.  1st Lt. John C. Leysath, 24, of North, South Carolina.

The six-jet USAF plane was watched in its death plunge by the pilot of a Navy Neptune bomber, Lt. Maurice Boyack of the Hutchinson, Kan., Naval Air Station.  Boyack said the explosion occurred in a climbing turn.  He flew his bomber to a point where he could see the wings rip off the B-47.  He said it appeared there was a fire in the mid-section, followed by the explosion.

Fire fighters battled the blaze at the crash scene for more than an hour. The plane crashed within 1,000 feet of two large suburban houses.”

Anderson Herald, Anderson, IN 29 Mar 1956
__________________
Transcribed by Lori Hedges.
Copied from the World Wide Web

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Extra Documents

A Life of Outstanding Accomplishment – Vignette written by Kelly Durham for The Echo