Newsome said of Marshall’s part in the effort, “He’s not only doing an improvement project but bringing awareness of a significant historical event along the trail while honoring a decorated Air Force pilot.”
We need to preserve that history before it becomes lost.” The crash, Newsome said, “is a significant part of the history of the trail. Tillery of Roanoke Rapids did not have many details of Bender personally or the aftermath of the crash, but Newsome said, “Provided valuable insight into the era and helped to provide a clearer picture of the mechanics of the airplane and life during those times.” He has also talked with James Tillery, an aviation mechanic who shared barracks with Bender. View the embedded image gallery online at:įor the exhibit Newsome has talked with Fender about finding the pieces.
#SCHMIDT BENDER SCOUT GENERATOR#
Two local boys, Marion Brown and Freddie Schmidt, found pieces of the plane before they knew about the crash, later locating part of a generator with the fresh smell of fuel, according to an account at the time reported in the Roanoke Rapids Herald. Radio contact with Bender at 400 feet was unsuccessful. What is known about the Bender flight is that it was a training mission from Maxwell Field in Alabama to Langley Field in Virginia.īender was an accomplished pilot who flew more than 100 combat missions and received the Distinguished Flying Cross as well as the Air Medal.Īccording to news accounts at the time, Bender's plane was missed over Weldon as he was making a final approach to Langley. Little is known what caused Bender’s F-80 jet craft to crash.
While the exhibit might not be ready by the anniversary, visitors to the Roanoke Canal Trail will have better views of a marker honoring Lieutenant Fletcher Thomas Blender because of the work of Troop 146 Boy Scout Braden Marshall who is undertaking a cleanup and improvement project to earn his Eagle Scout rank at the site where the pilot is honored. While it remains uncertain whether the Roanoke Canal Museum will be opened in time to commemorate the anniversary of the death of an Air Force pilot who crashed into the Roanoke River in 1949, the planning continues.Ĭurrently the museum remains closed per state executive orders associated with the novel coronavirus pandemic.īut the museum’s Cultural Resources Leader Ryan Newsome is getting the exhibit, which includes parts of the jet salvaged from the river, ready.
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