Francis Newell Hayes was born in 1916 in Ohio. He was the son of Newell W. Hayes and Catherine Jane Nolan Hayes.

On 18 March 1944, two B-24 Liberators from the 392nd Bomb Group, 576th and 577th Bomber Squadrons, were involved in a horrific mid-air collision over the Oise department in France. Amblin Oakie, Aircraft #41-29174, on its 25th mission, and Aircraft 41-28651 (no nickname) on its 9th mission both took off from the UK at around 10am on 18 March 1944, along with 26 other aircraft, on a bombing mission to Friedrichshafen. Amblin Oakie was caught in violent propeller wash from the other craft as it fell out of formation. The collision occurred at 1253. On Amblin Oakie a section of the right wing torn off behind the #4 engine as well as a portion of the tail assembly. The other plane lost its left tail section and both wings. Hayes was the copilot of the Aircraft 41-28651 and was killed just outside of Le Ployron, France in a crash.