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John Kemp Keller
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Rank
Lieutenant Junior Grade, U.S. Navy
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Date of Death
September 16, 1951
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Lieutenant Junior Grade Keller was the pilot of a F2H Banshee fighter with Fighter Squadron 172 aboard the carrier USS ESSEX (CV-9). On September 16, 1951 his aircraft was struck by enemy anti-aircraft fire, damaging its tail section. When he tried to land on the aircraft carrier, the tail hook could not engage and the aircraft bounced over the barriers, struck other aircraft and burst into flames, killing six crewmen. To prevent major damage he and his aircraft were pushed overboard and his remains were never recovered. |
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