US Army Air Forces · First Lieutenant · 478th Bomber Squadron, 336th Bomber Group, Third Air Force · Service # 0-429188 · b. 20 September 1920 · Son of Arthur William Schmidt (1891 - 1961) and Irene Lee Davies Schmidt (1891 - 1971); sister: Gloria Irene Schmidt Counts (1922 - 1987) · Attended Harris Elementary School ·Married to Lucille · Killed Saturday 5 September 1942 in a Non-Battle crash of a B-26 bomber during a training flight at Page Field in Fort Myers, FL. The plane crashed during takeoff as it gained altitude and suddenly fell; all five airmen were killed. Conclusions of the investigating board were that the accident "resulted from the total and sudden power failure of the right engine during takeoff. The sudden loss of power on the right rendered the aircraft unmanageable at the speed which it had attained. The large amount of thrust in the left engine which was delivering full takeoff power combined with the sudden change from full takeoff power to drag in the right engine caused the airplane to turn sharply to the right and at the same time go over on its back with consequent collision with the ground" and it burst into flames. This was the first flight of the aircraft after its 25 hour inspection. Spark plugs were changed but one plug was broken off and a new cylinder piston and plug were installed. The engine was tested for two hours. It was believed that Arthur was at the controls because the other two pilots were not qualified to operate alone. Arthur was highly regarded in his organization. He had been transferred to FL to train flight crews for wartime service · Twenty-one years old at the time of his death
US Army Air Forces · First Lieutenant · 478th Bomber Squadron, 336th Bomber Group, Third Air Force · Service # 0-429188 · b. 20 September 1920 · Son of Arthur William Schmidt (1891 - 1961) and Irene Lee Davies Schmidt (1891 - 1971); sister: Gloria Irene Schmidt Counts (1922 - 1987) · Attended Harris Elementary School ·Married to Lucille · Killed Saturday 5 September 1942 in a Non-Battle crash of a B-26 bomber during a training flight at Page Field in Fort Myers, FL. The plane crashed during takeoff as it gained altitude and suddenly fell; all five airmen were killed. Conclusions of the investigating board were that the accident "resulted from the total and sudden power failure of the right engine during takeoff. The sudden loss of power on the right rendered the aircraft unmanageable at the speed which it had attained. The large amount of thrust in the left engine which was delivering full takeoff power combined with the sudden change from full takeoff power to drag in the right engine caused the airplane to turn sharply to the right and at the same time go over on its back with consequent collision with the ground" and it burst into flames. This was the first flight of the aircraft after its 25 hour inspection. Spark plugs were changed but one plug was broken off and a new cylinder piston and plug were installed. The engine was tested for two hours. It was believed that Arthur was at the controls because the other two pilots were not qualified to operate alone. Arthur was highly regarded in his organization. He had been transferred to FL to train flight crews for wartime service · Twenty-one years old at the time of his death
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
Explore more
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
