Eleanor Makes Her First Parachute Jump

Started by Cindi, August 27, 2016, 03:30:14 AM

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Cindi

Civil Air Patrol Trainer and DC-3 Collide, CAPers Parachute to Safety! A Christmas Eve 1944 Story:

20 Persons Unhurt As Planes Collide -
Air Transport And CAP Trainer Crash In Air; Two Jump To Safety. Ypsilanti: Twenty persons escaped injury yesterday morning as a Civil Air Patrol training craft and an American Air Transport airliner collided in mid-air and forced the occupants of the CAP plane to parachute to safety.
Capt. Victor Evans set the passenger craft down safely after the collision which crumpled a wing tip on the big plane and sent the smaller machine out of control.
Donald Gridley, Ypsilanti, pilot of the CAP trainer, and his student, Miss Eleanor Cramer, 18, also of Ypsilanti, jumped while their plane was 1,200 feet off the ground. It was Miss Cramer's first jump.
CAP Plane Crashes: The CAP plane crashed near 5521 Thomas Rd. about four miles south of Ann Arbor while the airliner was guided to earth in a field near 1330 Willis Rd. not far from the Ypsilanti State Hospital. Gridley and his student landed near the CAP plane.
The air-liner, on the New York-Chicago run, was carrying 15 passengers, a three-person crew, and considerable mail cargo. Passengers stayed briefly at a farm home near where their ship had been landed and then were transported to the Willow Run airport where another air-liner later picked them up to continue the journey.
Gridley told investigating officers that he had "just finished a regular instructional flight when I heard a bursting noise and found the tail of my plane gone.
Makes First Jump: "I decided to abandon the plane and told Miss Cramer to bail out. It was the first time she had ever worn a parachute but as soon as she realized the difficulty she went over the side at 1,200 feet. I saw the air-liner a mile ahead of us but I didn't realize it had hit us or that it was in trouble."
Sheriff's officers reported that they were told by the air-liner co-pilot, J. Richard Lyons, that the CAP plane came down from above and that a piece of its landing gear hit one of the transport's wings. Passengers on the bigger plane were eating lunch at the time and quickly fastened safety belts being cautioned to do so by Miss Mary L. Brauer, Stwardess.
CAP authorities said they would make an investigation of the accident. Lyons, co-pilot for the air-liner is a native of Owosso and a graduate of the University. He was formerly an instructor at the Ann Arbor airport.

- The Ypsilanti Daily Press for December of 1944

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The rest of the story as told to George Ridenour by Ms. Eleanor (Cramer) Rose:
Told by sources that Ms. Eleanor (Cramer) Rose was indeed alive and well we decided to try and interview her for the Gleanings. On a recent cloudy, blustery, winter day we met Ms. Rose at her apartment complex in the old Ypsilanti High School. Her eyes twinkled, she held a steady smile, and spoke in a clear voice about her adventure on Christmas Eve, 1944. You could tell and sources confirm that there is no one quite like "Ellie!"
She indicated she was 18 years old and on a training mission for her license. She was flying out of an airport near Munger Road in Ypsilanti that was used by Don Gridley, Civil Air Patrol pilot, instructor, and neighbor of Ms. Rose. She had urged him to take her up for a final lesson. Before boarding the aircraft he asked her to put a parachute on because part of her flying lesson would include learning how to recover from a tailspin and a parachute was mandatory gear. She was tall and with the parachute on remembers her head hitting the top of the cabin and being uncomfortable. However, she did enjoy flying and was determined that she would get her license.
She remembers hearing a noise like a loud "thud" which turned out to be the tail coming off her aircraft. There had been a collision between the Civil Air Patrol plane and a DC-3 American Air Transport airliner, carrying mostly servicemen. The airplane with Rose and Gridley was severely damaged and the American Airliner was able to make a belly-landing in a field near Willis Road near Ypsilanti State Hospital.
Ms. Cramer remembers being very scared when Don told her to climb out on the strut of the plane, jump, and then count to 10 before pulling the ripcord. She jumped but only counted 1-7-10 before pulling the ripcord. Pulling the cord that early could have caused the parachute to get caught on the plane but she says "God was with me." She remembers how beautiful it was with the deep snow and was able to see for miles. She knew that Don had jumped and also knew that the plane they had been in was on fire. She was frightened that she might come down in trees or worse electric wires. Also, she had never had instructions on "how to guide" the parachute.
The Civil Air Patrol Plane was a total loss. The FAA and Civil Air Patrol did countless investigations and interviews to determine the cause of the accident. Don Gridley was eventually exonerated in the crash.
At the age of 17 Miss Cramer had come to Ypsilanti to visit her aunt and uncle living on Oak Street. She had grown up and attended school in her native Montana. While here the aunt and uncle who had no children asked her to stay with them. She agreed. She met Don Gridley who was a neighbor and flying enthusiast and that is how she developed her interest and came to be in the plane that Christmas Eve, 1944.
The incident did not stop "Ellie" from getting in a plane two days later. However, when she tried to take off, the airplane's skis got stuck in the snow on the runway and the nose tipped down and the propeller broke off. At that point Rose's ambition to become a pilot ended and she traded her interest in flying for downhill skiing. However, Christmas Eve from 1944 to the present has been enthusiastically celebrated and remembered by Eleanor "Ellie" (Cramer) Rose and her family.

Damaged DC-3 after landing, Christmas Eve 1944:


"Ellie" Rose and Don Gridley beside remains of the Civil Air Patrol trainer (1944):



Cindi

#1
Glad to see Ellie and Don were able to walk away from their 1944 accident. Don was exonerated of any wrong doing. I was glad to see this Wednesday in Fallbrook, California two Civil Air Patrol pilots walked away with minor injuries after their CAP 182 overturned on landing.  The 77-year-old and 79-year-old seniors refused hospitalization and walked it off like troopers. Between them they may have over 100 years of senior member experience. Any landing you walk away from is a good landing in my book gentlemen. That porta potty nearby might of come in handy. Been there, done that.


News Story:

On Wednesday, August 24, 2016 a small plane coming in for a landing at the Fallbrook Air Park ran out of runway and made a left, causing the plane to roll over, officials said.

The Cessna 182, a part of the Civil Air Patrol, landed shortly after 1 p.m. Wednesday at the air park, located at 2155 S Mission Road. The Civil Air Patrol is the longtime all-volunteer U.S. Air Force auxiliary.

The plane was on an authorized proficiency flight with two pilots on board when it landed on the runway, but ran out of space.

The pilot made a left at the end of the runway and the plane rolled over, fire officials said.

The two occupants inside, a 77-year-old man and a 79-year-old man, suffered minor injuries.

The aircraft suffered "substantial damage", Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) spokesman Ian Gregor said. The two men received minor injuries, but were not hospitalized.

No one was trapped inside, fire officials said.

FAA and the National Transpiration Safety Board (NTSB) officials will investigate the crash.

Cindi

#2
Speaking of landings, I would fly with Lt. Rovner anytime. She made an amazing emergency landing in downtown Houston. Nobody got hurt and no downtown buildings were damaged.  :clap:
Lt. Sarah Chantal Rovner was commended for carrying out a landing that even veteran pilots would find difficult.


From the Daily Mail, January 6, 2012:
Miracle as 22-year-old rookie female pilot dodges cars to makes emergency landing on busy downtown street:
A 22-year-old pilot was forced to turn a busy Houston street into an emergency landing strip when the engine stalled in her plane.
Sarah Chantal Rovner, who has less than 100 flying hours and obtained her pilot licence three months ago hit a power line, knocked over a street sign and snapped a wing as she guided the plane down on the street on Tuesday night.
But she has been commended after completing the landing, which even veteran pilots would find difficult, without injuring herself or anyone on the ground.
Piloting a Civil Air Patrol-owned Cessna 172  from West Houston Airport to Lone Star Executive Airport in nearby Conroe, Texas, Miss Royner initially hoped she would be able to glide the plane the final six miles to her destination.
But she was forced to make an emergency landing on East Davis Street in Conroe, ABC News affiliate KTRK reported.
With guidance from a Federal Aviation Administration controller at the airport, Miss Rovner, a second lieutenant in the patrol's Houston-based Thunderbird Composite Squadron landed safely.
She snapped a wing off as she swerved to avoid an oncoming car.
The air drama happened around 9:30 p.m. while Rovner was on a training mission with the patrol, a unit of the U.S. Air Force that performs search and rescue missions.
Col. Brooks Cima, Texas Wing commander, told Nebraska City News Press.
'Landing on a public roadway is certainly not optimal, but the pilot surveyed the situation and determined that the road was the best and safest choice for herself and the residents of the area given the local terrain and darkness of night.'
The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board have opened an investigation into why the plane lost power.
'The one thing that I would say is that I'm looking forward to flying with her,' said Lt. Col. Bob Beeley with the Texas Civil Air Patrol.
'She is an excellent pilot. She did a good job. She did what she was trained to do.'
The plane has been removed and is now at the Conroe airport with its wing snapped off and damaged windshield as the National Transportation Safety Board conducts an investigation.




Live2Learn

interesting posts.  I have the reports on the DC3 midair from the 40's for which the crew were absolved, and the 2012 engine failure handled so very well by Lt Rovner.  They are in a different class than the over run and ground loop at Fall Brook Airpark last Wednesday.  We can wait for the NTSB report, however initial information suggests pilot error.  Thanks for posting these very interesting CAP accidents.

PHall

The one "good" thing about the CAWG crash. This was one of the oldest C-182's in the wing and was due for replacement pretty soon.

Live2Learn

Quote from: PHall on August 27, 2016, 05:19:44 PM
The one "good" thing about the CAWG crash. This was one of the oldest C-182's in the wing and was due for replacement pretty soon.

Oldest aircraft, oldest pilots, or both?

Cindi

#6
Quote from: PHall on August 27, 2016, 05:19:44 PM
The one "good" thing about the CAWG crash. This was one of the oldest C-182's in the wing and was due for replacement pretty soon.

I was watching a video of this same 182 landing at Fallbrook Community Airpark. From what I read, landings at this airport can be difficult. It's a short runway. "This is a Civil Air Patrol Cessna 182 landing at Fallbrook Airport (L18) right as the sun sets. This was the end of an orientation flight for cadets, and the landing was timed perfectly!" -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gp40S0mv6KY




PHall

The runway at Fallbrook (L18) is 2160 x 60 feet. Not a whole lot of room for error.

NIN

Quote from: PHall on September 05, 2016, 06:59:59 PM
The runway at Fallbrook (L18) is 2160 x 60 feet. Not a whole lot of room for error.

Short, yes. Requires attention to your touchdown zone and a readiness and willingness to go around when long.

Narrow? Meh, not so much.  45G (Brighton) outside of Detroit has a 24' wide runway. It's jokingly called "the sidewalk".  Plenty of o-flights flown there.
Darin Ninness, Col, CAP
I have no responsibilities whatsoever
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The contents of this post are Copyright © 2007-2024 by NIN. All rights are reserved. Specific permission is given to quote this post here on CAP-Talk only.

SarDragon

This one shows it a little better. The approach end of 18 is elevated from the surrounding terrain, and nobody lands "on the numbers", because of the lack of threshold.

Dave Bowles
Maj, CAP
AT1, USN Retired
50 Year Member
Mitchell Award (unnumbered)
C/WO, CAP, Ret

PHall

Quote from: SarDragon on September 06, 2016, 04:42:49 AM
This one shows it a little better. The approach end of 18 is elevated from the surrounding terrain, and nobody lands "on the numbers", because of the lack of threshold.



Yep, no overrun and no underrun. And the drop off at the approach end tends to give you that "sinking feeling" if the sea breeze is blowing about the time you cross over it. Which is why most people tend to come in a bit high.

LSThiker

Quote from: Cindi on August 27, 2016, 05:08:38 AM
Speaking of landings, I would fly with Lt. Rovner anytime. She made an amazing emergency landing in downtown Houston. Nobody got hurt and no downtown buildings were damaged.  :clap:
Lt. Sarah Chantal Rovner was commended for carrying out a landing that even veteran pilots would find difficult.

Cindi,

Downtown Conroe, TX is definitely not downtown Houston, TX.  There is a 40 mile distance between the two.  The population of Conroe, TX is about 63,600 while Houston is 2.2 million.  While Davis St and 6th St are "busy" in their own rights, they are not downtown Houston busy.  Impressive nevertheless but the story needs no embellishment. 

Live2Learn

Quote from: PHall on September 06, 2016, 05:11:17 AM
Quote from: SarDragon on September 06, 2016, 04:42:49 AM
This one shows it a little better. The approach end of 18 is elevated from the surrounding terrain, and nobody lands "on the numbers", because of the lack of threshold.



Yep, no overrun and no underrun. And the drop off at the approach end tends to give you that "sinking feeling" if the sea breeze is blowing about the time you cross over it. Which is why most people tend to come in a bit high.

interesting landing.  Must have scared the videographer since the flare, float, and touch down offered a wonderful image of the top of the glare shield.  Seemed to be a bit fast on final.

Cindi

#14
Quote from: Live2Learn on September 06, 2016, 04:06:44 PM
interesting landing.  Must have scared the videographer since the flare, float, and touch down offered a wonderful image of the top of the glare shield.  Seemed to be a bit fast on final.

I thought the CAP pilot made a better landing.  :)