Adopted: May 17, 1944

File No. 2341-43

REPORT OF THE CIVIL AERONAUTICS BOARD

on the

Investigation of an Accident Involving Aircraft During a Local Instruction Flight

Instructor Morris Judson Crump was seriously injured and Student James Wilbert Callahan received minor injuries in an accident which occurred about 4 1/2 miles southwest of Laurens, South Carolina, at approximately 8:45 a.m. on June 17, 1943. Crump held a commercial pilot certificate with single-engine land 0-80 h.p., and flight instructor ratings. He had accumulated approximately 380 solo hours, about 150 of which were in the type aircraft involved. Callahan, a War Training Service trainee, was assigned to the Army indoctrination course at the Giles Flying Service. The aircraft, a Luscombe 8B, NC 28787, owned by the Defense Plant Corporation, Washington, D.C., was demolished.

Instructor Grump and Student Callahan, after securing clearance for a dual instruction flight, took off from Barksdale Field, Laurens, South Carolina at approximately 8:20 a.m. and proceeded to a practice area about 5 miles southwest of the field. When they had completed several “S” turns at an altitude of about 500 feet, a Piper Trainer approached from the roar and after following them through three "S" turns, nosed down as though simulating a forced landing. According to Instructor Crump, the Piper was observed a few minutes later in a diving, head-on approach and when a collision seemed inevitable to Cramp, he took the controls and pulled up into a steep climbing right turn to avoid the Piper. During this maneuver, the Luscombe was stalled, fell off into a spin and struck the ground nose-first at an angle of about 30 degree. It slid forward on the bottom of the fuselage and turned over on its back.

Examination of the wreckage revealed no evidence of failure of any part of the aircraft prior to impact. Marks on the ground indicated that the spinning had stopped and partial recovery had been effected at the time of impact.

The student in the Piper stated that his instructor chased the Luscombe, coming at tines to within about 50 feet of its tail; that following a turn, the Luscombe suddenly appeared in front of then, and he heard the roar of the engine as it zoomed over then. After this he saw a crashed plane on the ground but did not know it was the plane they had been chasing.

It is apparent that this accident was due to an inadvertent stall and spin at low altitude, while the pilot was maneuvering to avoid a probable collision with another aircraft which was being flown in disregard for the lives and safety of others.

BY THE BOARD

/s/ Fred A. Toombs

Secretary