ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 112298
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| Date: | Friday 3 December 1943 |
| Time: | 16:36 |
| Type: |  North American BC-1 |
| Owner/operator: | 73rd Ferry Sqn /21st Ferry Gp USAAF |
| Registration: | 37-652 |
| MSN: | NA36-477 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | near Palm Springs airfield, California -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Approach |
| Nature: | Training |
| Departure airport: | Palm Springs AAF, CA |
| Palm Springs AAF |
Dorothy Faeth Scott was one of the original WAFs. She started out at New Castle Army Air Base in Wilimington Delaware and then went to the 5th Ferrying Group at Love Field in Dallas. While stationed at Love, she was sent to Palm Springs Army Air Field for pursuit plane training for the P-39, P-40, and P-47. Initial training started from the rear seat of an AT-6 or BC-1, which simulated the view from a pursuit plane cockpit.
In the afternoon of 3 December 1943, Scott took off from Palm Springs airfield for a routine training flight. She was in the front seat of the BC-1 37-652 of 73rd Ferrying Sqn, 21st Ferrying Gp, with her instructor, 2nd Lt Robert M Snyder, in the rear seat. They made several landings and were on final approach in a normal gliding attitude for another, when another aircraft of the same unit turned into final approach from a shorter base leg. It was the P-39Q 42-19531 flown by 1st Lt Wilson A Youg.
Ground witnesses reported that the BC-1 pilots, seeing the P-39, apparently attempted to abord the landed and pulled up... into the path of the P-39, which was apparently aborting its landing as well. The P-39 severed the tail section of the BC-1 and both aircraft crashed to the ground at 1636 hrs near the airfield a short distance from each other, with the BC-1 bursting into flames upon impact. Young, Snyder and Scott were all killed.
According to one source, there were several trainers and pursuits in the air. Dorothy Scott had just been cleared to make her final landing. The tower had also cleared the P-39 to come in second. Investigators believed that this accident was caused by the inability of the pilot of the P-39, when turning on to the final approach, to see the BC-1, which was already on final approach, because of the position of the sun and the banking attitude of the P-39. It was also believed that the operation of camouflaged aircraft in this area was a contributing factors to the accident.
Born on 16 February 1920 Dorothy and her twin brother grew up and went to school in Oroville, Washington. While going to the University of Washington, Dorothy learned to fly float planes on Lake Union. Her father was learning to fly at the same time, but Dorothy soloed first. Later while in the WASP, her picture appeared in Look Magazine.
Sources:
"Fatal Army Air Forces Aviation Accidents in the United States, 1941-1945. Volume 2, July 1943-July 1944", by Anthony J. Mireles. ISBN 0-7864-2789-2
https://www.wwii-women-pilots.org/the-38.html
https://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/AARmonthly/Dec1943S.htm
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/70685587/dorothy-faeth-scott
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/120091728/robert-mcrae-snyder
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/85554273
http://www.militarymuseum.org/PalmSpringsAAF.html
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=en&lat=33.829722&lon=-116.506667&z=12&m=w
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 01-Apr-2011 00:29 | angels one five | Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Narrative] |
| 16-Feb-2012 00:02 | Nepa | Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Narrative] |
| 25-May-2013 02:21 | angels one five | Updated [Operator, Location, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Narrative] |
| 12-Sep-2013 23:03 | angels one five | Updated [Operator, Narrative] |
| 19-Apr-2018 09:47 | A.J. Scholten | Updated [Cn, Operator] |
| 05-Dec-2018 16:29 | Laurent Rizzotti | Updated [Time, Operator, Other fatalities, Location, Source, Narrative] |
| 05-Dec-2018 16:32 | Laurent Rizzotti | Updated [Operator] |
| 20-Feb-2019 17:34 | stehlik49 | Updated [Operator] |
| 30-Jan-2021 10:22 | Anon. | Updated [Operator, Departure airport, Operator] |
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