WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced today that U.S. Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Austin K. Neely, 26, killed during World War II, was accounted for on Dec. 1, 2025.
In the Spring of 1944, Neely was assigned to 433rd Fighter Squadron, 475th Fighter Group. On April 14, Neely piloted one of 16 P-38J fighters during a bomber escort mission from Nadzab’s Airstrip #3 to Hollandia, Dutch East Indies (present day Indonesia), along with over 300 allied aircraft. On their return, the aircrews encountered increasingly severe weather in their flight paths. 37 aircraft went missing, bailed out in the ocean, or were forced to return to base after sustaining too much damage to fly. The substantial aircraft losses made this the largest non-combat U.S. Army Air Forces disaster in World War II, earning it the name “Black Sunday.” Fifty-four airmen, including Neely, went missing or died in their attempts to return to Nadzab. He was last seen when his aircraft disappeared into the storm. Postwar efforts failed to recover his remains.
This is an initial release. The complete accounting of Neely's case will be published once the family receives their full briefing.
For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for Americans who went missing while serving their country, visit the DPAA website at www.dpaa.mil or on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa, https://www.linkedin.com/company/dodpaa,
https://www.instagram.com/dodpaa/, or https://x.com/dodpaa.