In Memory Of

STAATS, ROBERT LESLIE

Service Details
Age:
 23
Date of Birth:
 -0001-11-30
Service No:
 P1/40016
Rank:
 Second Lieutenant
Unit:
 2 Sqdn.
Regiment:
 South African Air Force
Date of Death:
 1952-01-17
Cause of Death:
 Died in Aircraft Accident, North American F-51 Mustang #374. 2Lt R. L. Staats had just recently returned for a second tour of operations, and was authorised to test Mustang 374, which had just undergone a maintenance check. He was seen circling K-10 airfield but when he failed to land after half an hour, attempts were made to contact him from the Control Tower, but he failed to respond. A message was almost immediately received that a Mustang had crashed into Chinhae Bay. A search failed to find any trace of him or his aircraft, and only three days later was the aircraft eventually found. South Korean divers recovered 2Lt Staats' body.
Commemoration
Cemetery:
 UNITED NATIONS PUSAN CEMETERY
Country:
 South Korea
Additional Information
ref. 85 years of SAAF