Pilot  1st Lt. Richard P. Stier (MIA / KIA)
Lost  July 13, 1945

Wartime History
No known nose art or nickname.

Mission Histroy
Lost on an orientation flight over Mindoro for two newcomer pilots, 2nd Lt.'s Donald Henderson (the number two plane in the flight). As part of the orientation, the two experienced pilots showed the new pilots the various air strips located in the southwest corner of Mindoro, and tested the capabilities of the new pilots, the flight leader led the flight into an exercise called "rat racing," i.e., a series of maneuvers that one might use in aerial dog fights, etc. As part of this "rat racing," the flight leader took the group into a split-S dive through clouds. Lt. Henderson and Lt. Stier never pulled out of this dive. The reason for this is unknown. Various reasons have been cited, including the possibility of vertigo by the deceased pilots, the wing compressibility problem inherent to P-38's during dives, and the possibility that Henderson and Stier collided when in the clouds.

Contribute Information

P-38

MIA

Stier MIA