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Remember...James Richard Lewis
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James Richard Lewis was born February 11, 1932, in Charleston, Kanawha County, West Virginia, to Claude Edward Lewis (1906-1980) and Emma Lillian Chapman Lewis (1910-1998). James was the second son born to Claude and Emma; unfortunately, his older brother Tommy Edward (b. 1931) lived only two months. In 1938, another son, referred to only as "Infant Lewis," died at birth (August 6). The Lewis family was completed when, 13 years after the birth of James Richard, Larry Wayne Lewis joined the family (1945). While details of James's formative years are scarce, he would have attended local schools, as he grew up in the Loudon District of Kanawha County. By the age of 19, he was an apprentice mechanic, following in the footsteps of his father. (Family information obtained through 1940 and 1950 Federal Census documents, the Whittle/Plummer/Nelson and Davidson 2020 family trees on Ancestry.com, and James's Find A Grave page.)
With the Korean War looming, James enlisted in the U.S. Air Force, where he was assigned to the 167th Fighter Bomber Squadron, 123rd Fighter Bomber Group. It's possible that James had been in thinking about a career in the Air Force for some time; a photo posted on both family trees shows a young James in garb as a budding aviator. Although the training of the 167th was to prepare them to enter combat in Korea, the unit never left the States.
| As with his comrades-in-arms, James became a victim in the tragic crash of the C-47 near the Charleston [Kanawha] Airport on April 8, 1951. The squadron, which was training at Godman Air Force Base in Kentucky, was headed for Charleston to attend the funeral of Major Woodford Sutherland, who had been killed in an airplane accident in Florida three days previous. |  |
Much has been written locally about the crash and its aftermath—the Charleston Gazette and Daily Mail offered timely coverage of the event and its aftermath, and other newspapers around the state followed suit. In a practice no longer familiar, newspapers often published an "extra," which allowed for frequent updates on breaking news. The following account, however, is excerpted from the actual accident report:
After reporting over the Charleston Radio Range at 5000 feet on an IFR flight from Godman Air Force Base, Kentucky to Charleston, West Virginia, the pilot was cleared by Charleston Approach Control to descent to 3500 feet, pending approach clearance. . . . [The pilot then indicated a turn procedure.] The procedure turn report was the last radio contact with the aircraft.The C-47 crashed into a hill approximately 1150 feet high located 4.6 miles from the approach end of runway 23 at Kanawha County Airport and 1.07 miles West Northwest of the Outer Marker beacon. Both wings of the aircraft were sheared off on impact by trees. The fuselage came to rest approximately 125 yards from the point of impact and was almost completely consumed by the fire which apparently was instantaneous with collision. . . .
One of the two survivors of the crash was a rated pilot riding as passenger who succumbed to burn injuries within less than 24 hours. The other survivor lived for approximately one week after the crash. The statements of the survivors indicate that they were positioned further aft in the plane than any of the other passengers and it is worthy of note that one of the survivors stated that to the best of his knowledge all the rest of the passengers who suffered fatal injuries had their safety belts fastened. . . .
[Here the report provides numerous technical details regarding the approach pattern and describes the condition of the aircraft on impact, concluding that the damage made the cause of the crash difficulty to determine.]
The report continues:
The report continues:
The fact that both survivors reported seeing the airport a short time before the crash lends credence to the belief that the pilot misread the altimeter and was actually flying at 1300 feet indicated when he reported being at 2300 outbound over the inner locator at 1132C. This altitude would put the aircraft below the 1000 foot overcast and above the 500 foot broken ceiling which would enable the passengers to get a glimpse of the airport through the broken cloud layer.The time lapse of only 2 minutes from the position over the inner located outbound until the procedure report further suggests the actions of this pilot in setting up his approach were distinctly hurried. One wrist watch found in the wreckage was stopped at 1136C, so the time of the accident is assumed as between 1135C and 1136.
While the failure of the ILS equipment might be considered as conducive to the accident, the pilot was aware of the malfunction and planned to make his approach independently of this system. It does not appear therefore that this failure should be considered as a direct cause factor. (Report of AF Aircraft Accident, West Virginia State Archives.)
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While most families held individual private services for their lost loved ones, the entire community rallied to their support when a joint service for all was held at the Charleston Municipal Auditorium on April 10. Local newspapers reported that more than 4,000 attended the joint memorial service, with standing room only for more than 500. That same day, Pfc. Lewis was laid to rest in the Adkins Cemetery, a small family cemetery in the South Hills area of Kanawha County where other members of the Lewis family are interred. Pfc. James Richard Lewis was awarded the National Defense Service Medal. Additionally, according to the HonorStates.org website, he was eligible to receive the following: the Korean Service Medal, Republic of Korea Presidential Citation, Republic of Korea War Service Medal, United Nations Service Medal, Air Force Presidential Unit Citation, and the Air Force Good Conduct Medal. |
Article prepared by Patricia Richards McClure, who gratefully acknowledges the assistance of Syd Edwards, historian who has extensively written about the C-47 crash
September 2024
West Virginia Archives and History welcomes any additional information that can be provided about these veterans, including photographs, family names, letters and other relevant personal history.
