Date:	Sunday 24 June 1934
Time:	afternoon
Type:	de Havilland DH.60M Moth
Owner/operator:	Wedell-Williams Air Service Corporation
Registration:	NC924M
MSN:	123
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	1 mile South of Patterson Field, Patterson, St. Mary Parish, Louisiana -   United States of America
Phase:	Initial climb
Nature:	Training
Departure airport:	Patterson Field, Patterson, St. Mary Parish, Louisiana
Destination airport:

Narrative:
c/no. 123: Registered as NC924M [7.30 & 1.32] to Wedell-Williams Air Service Corporation, New Orleans, LA

Written off (damaged beyond repair) 24.6.34: Nose-dived in a muddy rice field from 200-300ft altitude within two minutes after take-off. Pilot James R. "Jimmie" Wedell (34), aircraft creator and designer and air race pilot was killed and his student Frank Sneeringer survived seriously injured. It is reported that the student "froze" at the controls and Wedell was unable to dislodge him. The plane went into a left bank, then into a half roll and dived straight into the ground at high speed.

Wedell's death received national attention where he was remembered for his love of speed, his innovations in the design of racing planes, and his reputation for "donating his time and talents to those in need". His obituaries included a column by Will Rogers and an article in Time magazine. Wedell is buried in the Columbia Cemetery in West Columbia, Texas.

Patterson is a city in St. Mary Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is part of the Morgan City Micropolitan Statistical Area.

1. Evening Star 25 June 1934, p3
2. Maryborough Chronicle, Wide Bay and Burnett Advertiser (Maryborough, Qld.) Tue 26 June 1934 Page 7: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/149285290
3. Manawatu Times, 27 June 1934, Page 5: https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/MT19340627.2.35
4. The Straits Times, 31 July 1934, Page 20 [photo]: https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19340731-1.2.134
5. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/dh/pUSA1.html
6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Wedell#Death
7. http://www.airracinghistory.freeola.com/aircraft/Wedell%20Williams%20No.44.htm
8. https://www.baaa-acro.com/crash/crash-de-havilland-dh60m-gipsy-moth-patterson-2-killed
9. https://crt.state.la.us/louisiana-state-museum/online-exhibits/louisiana-aviation-since-1910/jimmie-and-walter-wedell/index
10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patterson,_Louisiana

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
25-Aug-2017 13:47	Dr. John Smith	Added
05-Oct-2020 17:23	Sergey L.	Updated [Source]
21-Aug-2023 19:20	TB	Updated [[Source]]
22-Aug-2023 06:07	TB	Updated [[[Source]]]
07-Nov-2023 08:09	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Location, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Source, Narrative, Category]