On January 15, 1961, while serving as the deputy commander of the Boston Air Defense Sector at Stewart Air Force Base in New York, Texas Tower 4, a general surveillance radar station, located 63 miles (101 km) south-southeast off the coast of Long Island, New York in 185 feet (56 m) of water, was destroyed by a winter storm, resulting in the deaths of all twenty-eight airmen and civilian contractors who were manning the station. Banks was charged with involuntary manslaughter and two other officers, commanding officer and executive officer of the 4604th Air Support Squadron, were charged with dereliction of duty. All the charges against them were dismissed by a court martial board on June and August 1961.
