Donald LeRoy Hunter was born on July 6, 1921, in Mendocino County, California. He was the son of Harold Carlton Hunter Sr. and Amy Evelyn Iversen Hunter. He served in the 310th Ferry Squadron, 31st Transport Group, as a First Lieutenant and Pilot of P-47 Thunderbolt #44-33266 during World War II.

On March 22, 1945, the aircraft crashed near Therdonne, approximately 4.5 kilometers southeast of the Beauvais-Tillé airfield in the Oise department of France. The aircraft had departed RAF Station 590 at Burtonwood, Cheshire, UK, at 18:53 on a ferry mission to A-81 Creil, with a planned stopover at A-61 Beauvais. Around 19:00, while performing aerial maneuvers at an altitude of 2,500 feet, the engine failed. The aircraft stalled, entered a spin, and crashed into a field, exploding and catching fire on impact.

1Lt Hunter was Killed in Action and is now buried in the Odd Fellows Cemetery, Point Arena, Mendocino County, California, USA.

Source of information: http://francecrashes39-45.net/