Fort Worth

The four engine aircraft was carrying a crew of 11 who was completing a local training flight at Fort Worth-Greater Southwest Airport on behalf of the Air National Guard. They were on a four hour training flight, making touch and go landings. Four such landings were completed without incident. During the fifth approach, the airplane was too low, struck an embankment short of runway, broke up, skidded on the runway and burst into flames. Four crew members were killed while seven others were injured. The aircraft was totally destroyed.
Crew:
Maj Henry C. Smyth,
M/Sgt Roy R Sypert, †
M/Sgt Robert E. Weeks, †
T/Sgt Emil J. Trojacek, †
S/Sgt Charles W. Elmore, †
Maj Charles D. Foran,
Maj Charles S. Chester,
Cpt James W. Kumpf,
1st Lt Richard Yeates,
M/Sgt Frank D. Hutchinson,
M/Sgt Hoyt E. Moore.

While on a ferry flight from CGAS Biloxi to NAS Seattle for overhaul, the pilot reported an oil leak in the right engine. He then reported a single engine operation and requested an emergency clearance to Fort Worth. The aircraft proceeded out the north leg of the Fort Worth range where the other engine stopped due to an unknown cause, and the propeller was feathered. The aircraft emerged from the clouds in a spin to the left and impacted the ground. All seven crew members were killed and the aircraft was destroyed by impact forces.
Crew:
Lt Vaughn E. Salisbury,
Cpt Ernest C. Lindsey,
Ammc John E. Vallowe,
Arm1 William L. Hickman,
Amm2 George L. Proffitt,
Amm1 Oswald D. Jacobson,
Cpl Marion Higgins.

Following an uneventful flight from Chicago, the pilot initiated the descent to Fort Worth. He encountered poor visibility due to snow falls, so he decided to reduce his altitude when the airplane impacted trees and crashed in Little Elm. The pilot Ted Kincannon was killed and all five passengers were injured.

On November 9, 1935, at approximately 0445LT within the city limits of East Fort Worth, Texas, a commercially owned airplane, while being flown without passengers, crashed with resultant death of the pilot and the complete destruction of the aircraft. The airplane, a Lockheed Vega, model 5C, was owned and operated by Braniff Airway Inc., Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and bore Department of Commerce licence n° NC980Y. At the time of the accident it was being ferried from Dallas to Waco, Texas, via Fort Worth, and no passengers were permitted to be carried. The pilot, William C. Maus of Waco, Texas, held a Department of Commerce transport pilot's licence and a scheduled air transport rating. The take-off was accomplished at 0410LT, the airplane carrying a 5-hour gasoline supply. The ceiling at Dallas was 1,000 feet with 8 miles visibility. Fort Worth at the time had a ceiling of 500 feet with 7 miles visibility. It had not been the intention of the pilot to land at Fort Worth but to fly beyond it to a lighted airway leading into Waco, Texas, his destination. By the time Fort Worth was reached the ceiling had dropped to about 75 feet and the visibility was zero. This change in weather was broadcast to the pilot from Fort Worth with instructions that he return to Dallas. Whether or not the pilot received this broadcast is not known inasmuch as his airplane was not equipped with two-way radio. However, he had plenty of fuel and could have easily returned to Dallas, where the weather had remained constant, or have flown on to Houston, where the ceiling was practically unlimited. Reports from various people who heard the airplane overhead and saw the accident indicate that the pilot was attempting to get under the 75-foot ceiling, presumably to locate the airport. He was heard flying around for some time and made two complete circles at a low altitude in the immediate vicinity of the accident. Immediately preceding the crash the airplane appeared diving out of the mist. The engine was heard to accelerate as through the pilot had just caught sight of the ground and was making an effort to pull the airplane out of the dive before striking. The aircraft was destroyed by impact forces and the pilot was killed.

En route from Oklahoma City to Fort Worth, the pilot encountered poor weather condition with thunderstorm activity. While cruising at low altitude, the engine failed. The pilot lost control of the airplane that crashed in a pasture located about 8 km north of Alvord. A passenger was injured and all three occupants were killed.