Air Collision near Rio De Janeiro
Tragedy struck the Navy Band in February 1960 when a mid-air collision over Rio de Janeiro claimed the lives of 61 persons, nineteen of which were members of the U.S. Navy Band. The musicians, en route from Buenos Aires, Argentina, were scheduled to perform at a reception for President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Brazilian president, Jascelino Kubitschek. ... Then Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Arleigh Burke, inquired as to the feasibility of the Navy Band making a trip to South America aboard the USS MACON (CA 132) in conjunction with President Eisenhower’s trip. Naval attaches were notified and instructed to schedule as many public appearances as possible. It was a 19-piece orchestra with Lt. Harold Fultz conducting that made that fateful trip and signaled the end of strings as a part of the Navy Band.
You may view this event's Commemorative Wall plaquehere
You may view this event's Commemorative Wall plaquehere
