ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 112237
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| Date: | Saturday 17 September 1938 |
| Time: | 19:10 LT |
| Type: |  North American BC-1 |
| Owner/operator: | United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) |
| Registration: | 37-658 |
| MSN: | NA36-483 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Henning, IL -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Approach |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | Chanute AF, IL |
| Chanute AF, IL | |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
Crashed during attempted emergency landing near Chanute AF, IL September 14, 1938. Pilot killed. According to a contemporary newspaper report ("The Daily Times News" Burlington, North Carolina, 15 September 1938):
"COAST GUARD FLIER KILLED AS PLANE SCATTERS WIDELY.
Danville, Ill., Sept. 15 -- (AP) --
Lieut. WILLIAM SCHISSLER of the United States coast guard was killed last night when his combat plane crashed into a clover field near Henning, 14 miles northwest of here, with force that flung wreckage over a quarter mile area.
Tom Watson, a farmer, who saw the plane plow into the ground, said the pilot apparently was attempting to make a forced landing in the gathering dusk. Watson said he saw a flare dropped from the plane which died out before it hit the ground.
Lieut. SCHISSLER apparently made no effort to use his parachute which was burst open by the force of the crash."
The final conclusion of the investigation board was the Lt. Schissler had become lost while on a local practice flight and due to darkness, possible lack of knowledge of the use of the radio range and radio compass was unable to locate Chanute Field. Then, when the fuel supply was nearly exhausted, he decided upon landing in a fairly large clover field. While maneuvering and preparing for a landing, Lt. Schissler lost control of the plane and either spun or dived toward the field. When attempting to recover from this maneuver, with the flaps lowered and the plane traveling at excessive speed, the right wing failed, coming to rest some ways from the crash site. The plane crash in the field near Henning, Ill about 7:10 pm.
As a sidelight to the crash, the farmer in who’s field the plane crashed submitted a damage claim to the War Department Air Cops for $15 for damage to his clover field!
Sources:
1. http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/db.asp
2. http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1930.html
3. http://www.gendisasters.com/illinois/12655/henning-il-coast-guard-plane-crash-sep-1938
4. "The Daily Times News" Burlington, North Carolina, 15 September 1938
5. Detroit Free Press from Detroit, Michigan Thursday, September 15, 1938 page 1: https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/97654667/
6. http://www.check-six.com/Coast_Guard/USAF_BC-1_Schissler.htm
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 14-Feb-2015 01:34 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Date, Cn, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Phase, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 26-Apr-2018 19:17 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
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