Floyd Bennett Field – Glenview – Moffett

On July 4, 1966 at 08:40 PM, Floyd Bennett Field – Glenview – Moffett experienced a crash involving Lockheed P-3 Orion, operated by United States Navy - USN, with the event recorded near Battle Creek Michigan.

The flight was categorized as military and the reported phase was flight at a plain, valley crash site.

4 people were known to be on board, 4 fatalities were recorded, 0 survivors were identified or estimated. This corresponds to an estimated fatality rate of 100.0%.

Crew on board: 4, crew fatalities: 4, passengers on board: 0, passenger fatalities: 0, other fatalities: 0.

The crew departed Floyd Bennett Field Airport in New York on a flight to Moffett Airbase, California, with an intermediate stop at Glenview Airport, Illinois, under call sign PE-05. At 2035LT, while cruising at an altitude of 22,000 feet, the crew informed ATC about his position. Shortly later, the airplane entered a spin, crossed the last cloud layer at an altitude of 3,000 feet in a right turn and struck the ground in a 60° nose down attitude at a speed of 800 km/h. The aircraft disintegrated on impact and all four crew members were killed. The wreckage was found seven miles northeast of Battle Creek. Crew: Lt William E. Xiques, pilot, Lt John P. Fitzmaurice III, copilot, ADJ2 Charles J. Lurvey, flight engineer, ADJ3 Larry W. Battson, flight engineer.

Aircraft reference details include registration 152172, MSN 185-5142, year of manufacture 1965.

Geospatial coordinates for this crash are approximately 42.3193°, -85.1824°.