Historical Marker · No. 476
BT-13B "Valiant" and P-47D "Thunderbolt" Crash, 1944
Fillmore County · Nebraska
Erected by Milligan Memorial Committee/Milligan Public Library, Nebraska State Historical Society and Families of the Crewmen and Friends of the Community, 2010
The BT-13 was the middle rung of Army flight training, a basic trainer flown after a primary trainer such as the PT-13, PT-17 or PT-19 and before advanced aircraft. Vultee built 9,525 of the design including its BT-15 variant, and 1,125 of them were BT-13Bs like this one, two-place monoplanes powered by a 450-horsepower Pratt & Whitney R-985 nine-cylinder radial. The airplane's nickname was the Vibrator, for the resonances it set up in some flight modes. Its prototype designs had first flown in 1939.
What the plaque says
BT-13B "Valiant" and P-47D "Thunderbolt" Crash, 1944 On May 10, 1944, an instructor pilot and a student pilot were flying a BT-13B "Valiant" aircraft back to the Bruning Army Air Field after a training session. At the same time, a P-47D "Thunderbolt" fighter, whose pilot had been conducting individual training, was returning to the same airfield. Neither pilot was aware of the other aircraft's presence and both planes were far from the airfield control tower. After both aircraft made simultaneous turns, they were suddenly headed directly toward one another at a high rate of speed. A midair collision occurred at approximately 4,000 feet, causing both aircraft to spiral toward the ground. The BT-13 crashed on the Frank Stych farm, approximately 3 miles west and 2 miles south of Milligan. The P-47 crashed on the Fred and Dorothy Stych farm, approximately 3 miles west and 3 miles south of Milligan. The P-47 pilot, F/O John Dobony, was killed. Both pilots in the BT-13 bailed out. The instructor pilot, 2nd Lt. Frank W. Mrenak, survived, but the student pilot, 1st Lt. William D. Jaeger, lost his life. Milligan Memorial Committee/Milligan Public Library Nebraska State Historical Society, 2010 Families of the Crewmen and Friends of the Community
Where it stands
40.51011, -97.38511 · Directions
More markers nearby
- B-17G "Flying Fortress" and P-47D "Thunderbolt" Crash, 1944 — steps away
- Two B-24 "Liberators" Crash Near Milligan, 1943 — steps away
- The Blizzard of 1888 — steps away
- The Pioneer Chapel and Český Bratří Cemetery — 1.1 mi