Orlando in Orange County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)
1972 B-52 Crash
Photographed by Jamie Cox, May 5, 2015
1. 1972 B-52 Crash Marker - Front
At 11:20 a.m. on March 31, 1972, a 306th Bombardment Wing B-52D Stratofortress bomber stationed at nearby McCoy Air Force Base (now Orlando International Airport) crashed on this site. The plane, which was not carrying any weapons, had left McCoy minutes earlier and was headed north for a mock bombing exercise over Statesboro, Ga. when the aircraft sustained multiple engine failures and an engine fire. The crew was attempting to return to McCoy for an emergency landing when the aircraft crashed 3,220 feet short of the runway. The crash carved a 150-foot crater in the ground and about 40,000 gallons of fuel ignited and burned much of a two-block area in the residential area adjacent to this site. The crash killed seven Air Force crewmen, including pilot Capt. Wendell W. Campbell, 30, co-pilot Capt. Barry E. Applebee, 26, radar-bombardier Maj. James J. Hammons, 37, navigator 1st Lt. Robert Heatherly, 26, electronic warfare officer Maj. William E. Kesler, 41, gunner M. Sgt. Allen H. Murray, 53, and instructor-navigator Lt. Col. George M. Gamache, 42. Eight civilians on the ground were injured, including 10-year-old Anthony Ellington, who was playing in a nearby field. Ellington died three days later in a military hospital in San Antonio, Texas, 80 percent of his body covered with burns. The accident remains the worst plane crash in
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This plaque is dedicated in grateful and loving tribute to the brave crew and civilian whose lives were lost that day.
Jennifer Thompson, Commissioner District 4
Orange County Board of County Commissioners
Erected 2012 by Orange County Board of County Commissioners.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Air & Space • Disasters. A significant historical date for this entry is March 31, 1972.
Location. 28° 27.449′ N, 81° 19.848′ W. Marker is in Orlando, Florida, in Orange County. It is at the intersection of South Conway Road and Merryweather Drive, on the right when traveling south on South Conway Road. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Orlando FL 32812, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Central Florida. It is also in the American South. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: St. Mary's Missionary Baptist Church/Datson Dairy (approx. 2 miles away); The Pine Castle Homestead / Pleasure Beach (approx. 2.2 miles away); Conway Chain of Lakes/ Union Church (approx. 2½ miles away); Conway First Baptist Church/Fort Gatlin (approx. 2.6 miles away); Barber-Mizell Feud / Barber Park at Lake George (approx.
Photographed by Jamie Cox, May 5, 2015
2. 1972 B-52 Crash Marker - Reverse
Another marker is no longer nearby. Citrus Industry and Red Hill Groves/Conway School (was approx. 2.8 miles away but has been confirmed missing).
Also see . . . Orlando Sentinel article on plane crash. "Death Awaited Struggling B-52 Crew Central Florida's Worst Plane Crash Occurred 15 Years Ago." (Submitted on July 22, 2017, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.)
Additional commentary.
1.
I lived on the lake on Deatwyler Drive In 1972. I was in third grade and Anthony Ellington was in my class. I have never forgotten him. My brother was supposed to spend the weekend with his friend Charles, who was building a fort within the field. My mom changed her mind at the last minute and we instead went to see family in Jacksonville. I always say a prayer for these families who lost their love ones.
— Submitted May 3, 2025, by Donna Lauramore of Satsuma, Florida.
Additional keywords.
Photographed by Jamie Cox, May 5, 2015
3. 1972 B-52 Crash Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on May 4, 2025. It was originally submitted on May 5, 2015, by Jamie Cox of Melbourne, Florida. This page has been viewed 14,079 times since then and 712 times this year. Last updated on May 15, 2023, by Jamie Cox of Melbourne, Florida. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on May 5, 2015, by Jamie Cox of Melbourne, Florida. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.
