Maj. Nathan W. Hylan was a respected physician and well-known member of the Derry Flying Club in the small town of Derry, N.H. Like many others during wartime, Hylan traded in his civilian life for military service. He was assigned to the medical section of the Army Air Corps and was posted to the 352nd Fighter Group as their flight surgeon.



On January 28, 1944, while testing a high altitude escape system designed to enable pilots to survive bailouts, an explosion caused a fire on B24J #42-10001 "Drawers". Attempts to extinguish the fire with a CO2 hand extinguisher proved futile and the pilot gave the order to bail out. Hylan’s parachute was ripped away during deployment because Maj. Hylan's leg straps were not properly secured.