Photo By Airman 1st Class Elijah Harris-lariviere | Melanie Casineau, social media manager for the 104th Fighter Wing, thumbs through...... read more read more
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Hidden within the history of the 104th Fighter Wing lies a captivating story, one that contrasts the assumptions of time—of an aircraft plunging into the icy waters of the Quabbin Reservoir—with the truth of its final resting place in the woods.
Every month, I dive deep into archives, scouring photos, yearbooks, documents, and speaking with alumni during dinners, all to uncover stories that connect us to our past. For our AirScoop newsletter, social media, or podcast, I look for tales that coincide with the month we’re in. This time, it was April 3rd, 1955.
From the 104th Fighter Group’s Tenth Anniversary Yearbook (1947-1957), this paragraph caught my attention:
"A sudden snowstorm during the training assembly of April 3rd, 1955, was one of the factors which prompted Lt. Dewey Durrett to abandon his F-94 over Quabbin Reservoir and parachute to safety. These he did, ending up by hitchhiking back to civilization after making his way out of the woods in which he came to rest. An intensive search of the Quabbin area in the days which followed, however, failed to show any trace of the missing aircraft."
This left me with so many questions. How did we lose an aircraft so close to home? Where did it go, and why wasn’t it found? Thankful for our current tool, the internet, I began searching for answers.
According to New England Aviation History in a story titled Quabbin Reservoir Land, April 3, 1955, U.S. Air Force First Lt. Dewey Durrett, a pilot with the 104th Fighter Group, had been on a navigational training flight, returning to base during a snowstorm. Radar contact was lost, fuel was running low, and he made the decision to bail out. He landed in the woods, saw no explosion, and assumed the jet had broken through the ice of the Quabbin Reservoir.
What had actually happened with the F-94 was that it had crashed in a wooded area within the town limits of Petersham, MA, about a mile from the Dana Common gate. Dana Common, evacuated years earlier for the creation of the 38-square-mile Quabbin Reservoir, was a quiet, uninhabited forest. No wonder no one saw the crash—it wasn’t discovered until nearly four years later.
In the 104th Fighter Group’s Twentieth Anniversary Yearbook (1947-1967), this oversight was corrected:
“…and the loss of an F-94 in the Quabbin reservoir area by Lt. Dewey Durrett, who parachuted to safety. The plane defied searchers for years but was finally located in a wood section nearly four years later.”
Today, the wreckage of the F-94 Starfire remains in the woods, a silent testament to this forgotten history. Despite over 70 years having passed, the site is still visible. You may also not be aware that removing any part of the wreckage is prohibited by federal and state law. It seems that has been respected over time.
More information about the crash site can be found at woodlandhiker.com in a story titled Quabbin Reservoir F-94A Starfire Jet Crash.
For those curious enough to visit this hidden piece of history, most navigation apps can guide you to the site. The 7-mile round-trip trail is most viewable during fall and winter, when the forest quiets down and the crash site is easier to spot
Here is a paragraph from the editor of the tenth anniversary edition, John Lundberg.
“The gathering of the facts behind the history of the Air Guard units at Barnes, although based on records and memories with which we have never quite lost contact, still turned up items of forgotten data which impressed us. The big story here too, is one of constant growth and the application of the same principals of foresight, sound planning and definite and directed action.”
I hope you find this story as fascinating as I did. History serves as a powerful reminder of how far we’ve come, offering us the perspective to appreciate our progress and growth.
| Date Taken: | 03.31.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 03.31.2025 14:28 |
| Story ID: | 494154 |
| Location: | WESTFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, US |
| Web Views: | 103 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, 104th Fighter Wing Forgotten History Restored, by Melanie Casineau, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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