On October 9, 1942, at approximately 1:15 AM, R4D-1 Bureau Number 01981, piloted by Maj. W. Frear Kimball, the executive officer of VMJ-253, struck Ouassio Hill shortly after takeoff from Tontouta Air Base.  All five crewmen and three passengers were killed instantly.  The aircraft remains on the hillside where it crashed.

In July 2019, Steven Hare, Paul Judd, Dominique and "Petit" Dominique Dumortier, and Roy Benyon, with the assistance of Kanak guides Jerry and Camille, located and began documenting  the wreck of MAG-25's first aircraft loss for this web site, preserving information about the wreck and enabling a more thorough analysis of what occurred on October 9, 1942.  We offer them our sincere thanks for helping us to preserve this historical record for future generations.

Updated with new photos on 12/5/2019
Updated with new information on 6/19/2024