ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 228385
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| Date: | Saturday 25 February 1928 |
| Time: | day |
| Type: | Ford Flivver 2A |
| Owner/operator: | Ford Motor Company |
| Registration: | 3218 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Atlantic Ocean off Melbourne, Florida -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Demo/Airshow/Display |
| Departure airport: | Titusville, Florida |
| Miami, Florida | |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
The automobile industry magnate Henry Ford wanted to develop an aerial equivalent of his company's ubiquitous Model T car. A tiny, single-seat monoplane called the Flivver was the result.
The second prototype set off from Detroit, Michigan to fly to Miami, Florida non-stop in order to demonstrate the plane's long distance flying capability. On February, 21st, 1928 the pilot, Harry J. Brooks, was forced to land on a beach near Titusville, Florida due to an engine problem. Although falling short of its destination the Flivver had set a non-stop distance record for light aircraft of this class of 972 miles.
Four days later Harry Brooks took off again to make the 195-mile hop to Miami. The Flivver never arrived, and the wreckage of the little aircraft was found near the shore at Melbourne, Florida. Brooks' body was never found.
Examination of the aircraft revealed that toothpicks had been inserted into the fuel tank vents. It is believed that Harry Brooks did this to prevent moisture getting into the fuel system during the stop at Titusville and had failed, for some reason, to remove these obstructions to the flow of air into the system before taking off.
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Flivver
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 20-Aug-2019 20:43 | angels one five | Added |
| 20-Aug-2019 21:16 | angels one five | Updated [Narrative] |
| 20-Aug-2019 21:29 | angels one five | Updated [Narrative] |
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