Cleveland – Bay City
Flight / Schedule
Cleveland – Bay City
Aircraft
Pitcairn PA-6 MailwingRegistration
NC129E
MSN
15
Year of Manufacture
1928
Operator
Thompson Aeronautical CorporationDate
February 18, 1930 at 12:00 AM
Type
CRASHFlight Type
Postal (mail)
Flight Phase
Flight
Crash Site
Plain, Valley
Crash Location
Flint-Bishop Michigan
Region
North America • United States of America
Coordinates
42.9935°, -83.7405°
Crash Cause
Weather
Narrative Report
On February 18, 1930 at 12:00 AM, Cleveland – Bay City experienced a crash involving Pitcairn PA-6 Mailwing, operated by Thompson Aeronautical Corporation, with the event recorded near Flint-Bishop Michigan.
The flight was categorized as postal (mail) and the reported phase was flight at a plain, valley crash site.
1 people were known to be on board, 0 fatalities were recorded, 1 survivors were identified or estimated. This corresponds to an estimated fatality rate of 0.0%.
Crew on board: 1, crew fatalities: 0, passengers on board: 0, passenger fatalities: 0, other fatalities: 0.
The listed crash cause is weather. While cruising at an altitude of 1,000 feet in poor weather conditions (heavy snow falls), the engine failed. The pilot decided to bail out and abandoned the aircraft that entered a spin and crashed in a field located one mile northeast of Flint. The plane was wrecked but three pouches of mail were saved. The pilot Clifford William March was uninjured.
Aircraft reference details include registration NC129E, MSN 15, year of manufacture 1928.
Geospatial coordinates for this crash are approximately 42.9935°, -83.7405°.
Fatalities
Total
0
Crew
0
Passengers
0
Other
0
Crash Summary
While cruising at an altitude of 1,000 feet in poor weather conditions (heavy snow falls), the engine failed. The pilot decided to bail out and abandoned the aircraft that entered a spin and crashed in a field located one mile northeast of Flint. The plane was wrecked but three pouches of mail were saved. The pilot Clifford William March was uninjured.
Cause: Weather
Occupants & Outcome
Crew On Board
1
Passengers On Board
0
Estimated Survivors
1
Fatality Rate
0.0%
Known people on board: 1
Operational Details
Schedule / Flight
Cleveland – Bay City
Operator
Thompson Aeronautical CorporationFlight Type
Postal (mail)
Flight Phase
Flight
Crash Site
Plain, Valley
Region / Country
North America • United States of America
Aircraft Details
Similar Plane Crashes
United States Signal Corps - USSC
De Havilland DH.4
The single engine airplane departed Dayton-McCook Field for a local test flight. Shortly after takeoff, the aircraft stalled and crashed, killing both occupants. Crew: Maj Oscar Brindley, Lt Col Henry Damm.
United States Signal Corps - USSC
De Havilland DH.4
Lt. Frank Stuart Patterson, son and nephew of the co-founders of National Cash Register, is killed in the crash of his DH.4M, AS-32098, at Wilbur Wright Field during a flight test of a new mechanism for synchronizing machine gun and propeller, when a tie rod breaks during a dive from 15,000 feet (4,600 m), causing the wings to separate from the aircraft. Wishing to recognize the contributions of the Patterson family (owners of NCR) the area of Wright Field east of Huffman Dam (including Wilbur Wright Field, Fairfield Air Depot, and the Huffman Prairie) is renamed Patterson Field on 6 July 1931, in honor of Lt. Patterson.
United States Signal Corps - USSC
De Havilland DH.4
The aircraft crashed in unknown circumstances.
United States Signal Corps - USSC
De Havilland DH.4
The crew was completing a training mission. At an altitude of about 4,000 feet, the aircraft entered a spin and crashed in an open field near Everman-Barron Field Airport. A crew was killed and the second occupants was injured. The aircraft was destroyed.
U.S. Air Mail Service
De Havilland DH.4
Crashed following an engine failure. Pilot fate unknown.
United States Signal Corps - USSC
De Havilland DH.4
The accident occurred in unknown circumstances.
