Izard County Military Plane Crashes of 1944

In July and September 1944, just as World War II was nearing an end, two separate military plane crashes occurred near the Izard County town of Guion. In the first crash, the pilot was able to parachute to safety. The second crash resulted in the death of the pilot, although the other man on board survived. Both flights were coming from the Marine Corps Auxiliary Field in Newport (Jackson County).

In late July, First Lieutenant Thomas Dewett Jr. embarked upon a solo flight from Kosciusko, Mississippi, to Olathe, Kansas. He left the Newport field at about 4:30 p.m. on July 31, heading to his next stop in Springfield, Missouri. Within about ten minutes from Guion, Dewett’s plane began to develop engine trouble. Realizing he was likely to crash, he made an effort to avoid the surrounding mountainous area by keeping the plane at a low altitude close to the White River. At approximately 150 feet altitude, Dewett hit the Arkansas Power and Light (AP&L) steel cable power line spanning the White River. Though the cable was not broken, the contact with the plane did knock out electricity for several area communities for about an hour. After the plane nosed down near the river bank, Dewett was able to free himself from the wreckage. He was picked up in a boat by local citizens and carried on horseback to Guion. After he was administered first aid by Second Lieutenant Jack Barnes of Batesville (Independence County), who was on leave and on a fishing trip, he was taken by train to Dr. Gray’s Hospital in Batesville. Though Dewett suffered a concussion, severe cuts to his head and right hand, and a fractured shoulder, he continued his military service after his recovery.

A similar incident, though this time deadly, took place on September 20. Twenty-one-year-old Marine First Lieutenant Maxwell Kiser and Gunnery Staff Sergeant William N. Lyons departed the Marine Corps Auxiliary Field in Newport in their Marine scout bomber. Sometime between 1:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m., Kiser was flying at low altitude when he stuck the AP&L cable crossing the river. The plane almost immediately burst into flames and “fell and burned on the outskirts of Guion.” Witnesses stated that, after hitting the cable, the plane shot straight up for about 100 feet, dragging almost 3,000 feet of the cable about half a mile. When the plane was at an altitude of about 200 feet, Lyons was able to parachute to safety, sustaining minor injuries. The plane crashed near the Guion railroad depot. A second plane following Kiser’s narrowly escaped a crash.

Local residents poured water on the wreckage in an attempt to douse the flames. However, they were unable to remove the Kiser’s body until the wreckage had sufficiently cooled. The several feet of cable wrapped around the plane made it even more difficult to recover the pilot’s body. A Marine ambulance and crash crew arrived within a short period of time to pick up Lyons and to recover the body of the pilot, who was “burned beyond recognition.”

For additional information:
“Flier Dies as Plane Hits Power Line.” Arkansas Gazette, September 21, 1944, p. 2.

“Name of Victim in Guion Plane Crash Revealed.” Batesville Guard, September 21, 1944, p. 1.

“Plane Hits Guion Cable; Pilot Killed.” Batesville Guard, September 20, 1944, p. 1.

“Plane Hits High-Line Near Guion; Falls into River.” Batesville Guard, August 1, 1944, p. 1.

“Plane Wreck Victim Oklahoma Marine.” Arkansas Gazette, September 22, 1944, p. 2.

“Spectacular Plane Plunge Kills Pilot.” Arkansas Democrat, September 21, 1944, p. 2.

Mike Polston
CALS Encyclopedia of Arkansas