Incident Name:
Date: 8/2/1944
Personnel: Frederick S Frank
Age: 27
Agency/Organization: US Forest Service, the smokejumper plane was located at the SJ base at Cave Junction, OR
Position: smokejumper pilot and aerial firefighter
Summary: The Fairchild 71 Smokejumper Plane had been having fuel or mechanical problems. Preceeding a smokejumper drop to fight a fire on August 2, 1944, pilot Fred Frank tested the plane by test flying it. After rising 300-400 feet, the engine suddenly coughed and went dead. The plane went into a spiral and crashed, instantly killing Fred. The full description is here starting on page 12: Continuation of Illinois River Crash – Cave Junction, Oregon 8/2/44 in Smoke Jumpers Staticline publication, 1996 (entire download is 5 MB pdf).
Fairchild 71 for type in Pan Am colors from Wikipedia
Maps
Illinois River area next to Cave Junction strip, Cave Junction jumper base
{mosmap lat=’42.103135’|lon=’-123.681600’|marker=’0’|text=’former Cave Junction Smoke Jumper Base’}
Reports, Documentation, Lessons Learned
- Concise Information from the NTSB, FAA, AAP and research by the WLF Staff:
- 8/2/1944
- 1 killed, Fred Frank, pilot
- Operator: Forest Service
- Type: Fairchild 71
- Location: Illinois River area next to Cave Junction strip, OR
- FAA Registration # none
- NTSB # none
- National Transportation Safety Board: none
- Fairchild 71 probable cause from smokejumper mechanics; Smoke Jumpers Staticline publication, 1996 (entire download is 5 MB pdf)
- Oregon Death Index: Frederick S Frank
Wildlandfire.com Links:
Media Articles and Reports
Photos, Videos, & Tributes
- Antique Fairchild 71 photos from airburn.com
Contributors to this article: Smokejumpers and the dedicated writers, preserving the stories…
Please support the Wildland Firefighter Foundation
