ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 99282
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| Date: | Friday 11 September 1942 |
| Time: | 12:15 |
| Type: |  Boeing-Stearman PT-17 |
| Owner/operator: | 12th AAFFTD USAAF |
| Registration: | 41-25421 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | 10 miles northwest of Thunderbird Field II, Phoenix, Arizona -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Training |
| Departure airport: | Thunderbird Field II |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information verified through data from accident investigation authorities |
On 11 September 1942 Air Cadet Pilot Frank A. Atkins took off from Thunderbird Field II, Phoenix, Arizona, in the PT-17 41-25421 on a solo flight at 1140 hrs and crashed while maneuvering alone 35 minutes later at 1215 hrs, into the empty desert ten miles northwest of the airfield. The aircraft smashed into the ground at a 45-degree angle and immediately burst into flames. The pilot abandoned the aircraft at very low altitude and fell to his death. His parachute burst open from impact with the ground and his body was found near the wreckage, having bounced 35 feet from where he initially hit the ground.
The investigation board concluded that the aircraft was in a right spin, nearly recovered, when it hit the ground. It was their opinion that the student failed in his attempt to recover from the spin. He added throttle in his desperation and seeing he was very low to the ground, he must have panicked and jumped. Before he had time to pull his rip cord he hit the ground. It was the first fatality in connection with Thunderbird II Airfield operations.
Sources:
https://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/AARmonthly/Sep1942S.htm
"Fatal Army Air Forces Aviation Accidents in the United States, 1941-1945. Volume 1, January 1941-June 1943", by Anthony J. Mireles. ISBN 0-7864-2788-4
https://ww2aircraft.net/forum/attachments/plane-and-pilot-just-fell-out-of-the-sky-pt-17-story-pdf.161903/
https://www.fold3.com/record/84385462/frank-a-atkins-wwii-army-enlistment-records
https://fr.findagrave.com/memorial/192097462/frank-atkins
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scottsdale_Airport
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=en&lat=33.610902&lon=-111.946220&z=12&m=w
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 13-Sep-2021 12:38 | Laurent Rizzotti | Updated [Time, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Location, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 10-Dec-2021 12:31 | Nepa | Updated [Operator, Other fatalities, Operator] |
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