November 16, 1951
Air Force B-26 crashes near Eglon
On the evening of November 16, 1951, a U.S. Air Force Douglas RB-26C Invader returning from Pittsburgh to Langley Air Force Base on a routine training flight suffered an engine failure and struck a mountaintop near Eglon, southeast of Aurora. All three Air Force Reserve officers aboard—Jerome J. Walsh, William L. Langdon, and Prentice Ross Jr.—were killed. Wreckage scattered across the Ernest Shaffer farm, and one engine narrowly missed the family’s house. Hundreds of military personnel, National Guardsmen, police officers, Civil Air Patrol crews, hunters, and local volunteers participated in a weeklong winter search centered at Aurora High School.
Research status
This entry has been checked against its named source.
The timeline wording accurately reflects the source listed below. This status does not necessarily mean the event has been independently corroborated against additional records.
Sources and further reading
Where this entry comes from
The Republican (Oakland, Maryland), November 22, 1951, p. 1, “Crash of B-26 Bomber Near Eglon Takes Two Lives, Possibly Three”
Research notes
What the evidence establishes
The contemporary newspaper placed the crash on a mountaintop near Route 24, about a mile from Eglon, on the Ernest Shaffer farm; military aircraft records place it approximately 2 to 2.5 miles southeast of Aurora.
Aircraft records identify the plane as Douglas RB-26C Invader serial number 44-35434, assigned to the 4400th Replacement Training Squadron at Langley Air Force Base.
Jerome J. Walsh was found between Youghiogheny Forest and Brookside, helping explain the Brookside association in local memory even though the reported crash site was nearer Eglon.
The November 29 follow-up identifies the third airman as Prentice F. Ross Jr.; the November 22 report appears to give the middle initial as E. The timeline text omits the disputed initial.
Military aircraft records attribute the crash to engine failure. The contemporary newspaper also mentioned a belief that the aircraft may have descended while attempting to escape icing conditions, but did not establish icing as the cause.
Keep exploring
Related history
Help strengthen this entry
Have a correction, source, or local detail?
Share what you know. The contribution form will automatically include this entry’s title and reference.