CRASH OF AN A-20A HAVOC
BETWEEN AUSTRALIA AND NEW GUINEA
ON 16 NOVEMBER 1942

At 9am on 16th November 1942, A-20A Havoc, #40-155, "Abijah Gooch", of the 89th Bomb Squadron of the 3rd Bomb Group, USAAF took off on a flight from Cairns to Kila Kila, near Port Moresby in New Guinea. The aircraft and crew were never heard from since that time. The weather on that day was favourable. The pilot of the aircraft was 1st Lieutenant Francis C. Pruitt.

AMERICAN BATTLE MONUMENTS COMMISSION
THE WORLD WAR II HONOR ROLL

Francis C. Pruitt

First Lieutenant, U.S. Army Air Forces

0-442230

89th Bomber Squadron, 3rd Bomber Group, Large

Entered the Service from: Louisiana
Died: November 16, 1942
Missing in Action or Buried at Sea
Tablets of the Missing at Manila American Cemetery Manila, Philippines 

Crew members of A-20A Havoc, #40-155, "Abijah Gooch" were as follows:-

1st Lt Francis C. Pruitt (0-442230) Pilot
2nd Lt. Cornelius F. "Connie" O'Leary (0-649101) Co-pilot
S/Sgt Roger S. Martin (11014927)
S/Sgt Roland C. Noyes,  Jr (18010733)

The Guild diary shows that this aircraft was assigned to the 3rd Bomb Group on 12 July 1942.

Photo:- via Charlotte Brown

Caption on the back of the photo reads:- "Connie, Mother, Father, Dan".
"Connie" is 2nd Lt. Cornelius F. "Connie" O'Leary (0-649101)
 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I'd like to thank Gordon Birkett for his assistance with this home page in sending me the Guild diary which was provided to him by my mate Bill Swain. 

I'd like to thank Timothy O'Leary for his assistance with this web page. Cornelius O'Leary was his grandmother's brother. She recently (2018) passed away at the age of 94. The family has never really known what happened to him. Timothy told me that they have a family gravestone with his name on it as well as his siblings.

I'd also like to thank Charlotte Brown for her assistance with this web page.

Can anyone help me with more information on this crash?

"Australia @ War" WWII Research Products

This page first produced 31 May 2003

This page last updated 26 February 2022