I was going through the USC Archive's photographs from the old
L.A. Examiner looking for warbird stuff last night. I found a series of photos of the results of a midair collision between an F6F-5 Hellcat and a Cessna 140 over Stanton, CA on November 12, 1951. One shot shows the Hellcat's sheared-off tail with its BuNo, 79209, and a small letter S (maybe the last letter of Los Alamitos?). Most of the others show the Cessna, N76224, with markings "Bellflower 'Belles' Bellflower Calif." and the number 17 on the fin. I haven't found any info on the net about this crash; Baugher doesn't have anything for 79209 and the markings on the Cessna make me think it could be a Powder Puff Derby veteran, although this happened after the 1951 race. There's no info on fatalities, just a mention of "first-aid given to victims". Anyone have more info? Here's the link to the photos:
http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/compo ... 174/rec/30
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All right, Mister Dorfmann, start pullin'!
Pilot: "Flap switch works hard in down position."
Mechanic: "Flap switch checked OK. Pilot needs more P.T." - Flight report, TB-17G 42-102875 (Hobbs AAF)