Lucky Bag Yearbook

From the 1971 Lucky Bag:

CRAIG LEE McFARLANE

Across the steppes the winds of chance one day happened to sweep listlessly into Salina, Kansas; when they continued on their journey, they were not alone. Not quite. Gliding about the confines of 4-4, Spook effortlessly established a rapport with the wardroom crowd; who could forget the popcorn and the sessions with Sir Graves? A love of the outdoors, his firearm collection, a certain civil servant and his gas-guzzler point out the face that no one who spends four years studying can be all bad; when was the last time that your parents got a letter from that certain someone? Craig’s dedication to the art and science of flight, coupled with his natural analytical mind, ensures him a place in any destroyer of his choice.

Loss

Craig was lost on November 6, 1974 when his A-7 Corsair crashed near Lemoore, California.

Other Information

From the June 1975 issue of Shipmate:

Lt. Craig Lee McFarlane USN died on 6 November 1974 when his A -7 Corsair crashed two miles short of the runway while on a night training mission at the Lemoore, California, Naval Air Station. A memorial service was held at the Naval Station chapel and funeral services were held from the Westlink Church of Christ in Wichita, Kansas, with interment in the Hesston Cemetery in Hesston, Kansas.

Entering the Naval Academy from Kansas, Lt. McFarlane was graduated in the Class of 1971. He remained at the Naval Academy that summer as a sailing instructor, then reported to USS HARWOOD (DD 861) for duty on board until the ship’s decommissioning. He began his flight training at Pensacola, then took basic and advanced jet training at Meridian, Mississippi, being designated a naval aviator in October 1973. He joined VA-122 at Lemoore NAS and later transferred to Attack Squadron 192 and was a member of that command at the time of his death.

Lt. McFarlane is survived by his widow, Nancy Kaye Harlow McFarlane, formerly of Annapolis; and his parents and sisters, all of Wichita.

From the Times-Advocate on November 7, 1974:

A U. S. Navy jet fighter crashed in flames two miles short of the runway here, killing the pilot, officials said.

Witnesses said the A7 Corsair was on fire when it crashed in a cotton field near Highway 198 Wednesday night.

From researcher Kathy Franz:

Craig graduated in 1967 from Salina High School where he concentrated in mathematics and science. He graduated in the top 10% of his class. Hi-Y 4; Latin Club 2; Russian Club 3, 4, president 4; Junior Play 3; Student Council 4; Tennis 2, 3.

His appointment to the Naval Academy was by Rep. Bob Dole. Craig hoped to major in aeronautical engineering at the academy.

On January 20, 1969, as a member of Company 3, midshipman 3-C Craig marched in President-elect Richard M. Nixon’s inaugural parade. That summer, he attended a 3-week aviation indoctrination training course at NAS Pensacola, receiving flight instruction as a co-pilot in a Navy Mentor training aircraft.

His sisters are Brenda & Cheryl.

Craig is buried in Kansas.

Photographs

From his high school yearbook

From his high school yearbook

From The Salina Journal on October 30, 1969