McMurry, William Fletcher
Air Force 1st lieutenant

William Fletcher McMurry from Paducah, Kentucky, McCracken county.

Service era: Korea

Date of death: April 15, 1952
Death details: Body not recovered.

On April 15, 1952, a B-26 Invader (tail number 44-34089) with a crew of four took off from Kunsan Air Base, South Korea, on a night intruder operation over North Korea. Shortly after takeoff, the Invader lost altitude and crashed into the Yellow Sea. After the incident, the remains of two crew members were located and identified, and the Invader’s wreckage was also located underwater. Divers did not retrieve the remains of the other two crew members, likely killed in the incident and still inside the downed plane.

First Lieutenant William Fletcher McMurry, who joined the U.S. Air Force from Kentucky, was a member of the 8th Bombardment Squadron, 3rd Bombardment Group (Light). He was the pilot of this Invader when it went down on April 15, 1952, and he was likely killed in the crash. He was not recovered or identified following the loss of the aircraft, and he remains unaccounted-for following the incident.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency