Aviation Tragedy
Suwanee, United States
In the evening hours of December 6, 1953 four F-84D jet aircraft of 128th Fighter Bomber Squadron of the Georgia Air National Guard crashed near this site. They were returning from a routine weekend training flight from the Miami area when they encountered unexpected weather and altitude awareness problems as they prepared to land at Dobbins AFB near Marietta, Georgia. All of the pilots perished. No one on the ground was injured although the impact destroyed the home of the Ernest Brooks family that by chance were not at home. After the accident the United States Air Force changed the design of the altimeter, the instrument used to measure altitude, making it easier to read. This change probably saved many lives in the future. The Pilots were Captain Idon M. Hodge, Jr., 1st Lieutenant Samuel P. Dixon Jr., 1st Lieutenant Elwood C. Kent, and 2nd Lieutenant William A. Tennent.