1974 10/21 CA Michael Fagan -F7F

Incident Name:  enroute to a fire near Orick in Humboldt County, CA
Date:  October 21, 1974
Personnel:  Michael Fagan
Age:  40
Agency/Organization:  Sis Q Flying Service (owned by Bud Davis), Santa Rosa, CA, under contract with CDF (now CAL FIRE)
Position: pilot

Summary: On October 21, 1974, Michael Fagan was piloting a Grumman F7F (Tanker 22) taking off from the Rhonerville Airport on his way to drop on a small fire near Orick, CA. He lost power in both engines and tried to return to the airport for an emergency landing. His plane hit a tree, farm equipment and a barn. Michael Fagan did not survive impact.

Photo of another F7F for type of aircraft, compliments of Leroy Zwicky.

Maps

Rohnerville Airport, just south of Fortuna, CA; the crash site was in one of the fields below the bluff and runway; the plane hit a barn there.

{mosmap lat=’40.554773’|lon=’-124.131521’|marker=’0’|text=’Rohnerville Airport’}

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Reports, Documentation, Lessons Learned

• 
• Concise Information from the NTSB, FAA, USFS, AAP, and research by the WLF Staff:
  • October 21, 1974 – Tanker number reported by his son Michael Fagan, Jr was Tanker E-22.
  • 1 killed: Michael Fagan
  • Operator: Sis Q Flying Service under contract with CDF (now CAL FIRE)
  • Type: Grumman F7F-3
  • collided with trees and barn during forced landing near the Rohnerville CA airport
  • FAA Registration Number: N7238C
  • NTSB # OAK75FVD18
• NTSB: Probable Cause (html)
  • Probable Cause(s)
    • Pilot in Command – Inadequate Preflight Preparation and/or Planning
    • Pilot in Command – Mismanagement of fuel
    • Miscellaneous Acts, Conditions – Fuel Starvation
    • Terrain – High Obstructions
  • Factor(s)
    • Miscellaneous Acts, Conditions – Failure of two or more engines
    • Complete power loss – Complete engine failure/ flameout-2engines
    • Emergency Circumstances – Forced landing off airport on land
    • Remarks – Also hit barn and damaged farm equipment
• For more information, in case it becomes available, consult the NTSB Lookup Utiliy. Use NTSB Identification: OAK75FVD18
• Warbird Registry with photo

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Wildlandfire.com Links:

• Hotlist thread on the research: 8/26/11

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Media Articles and Reports.

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Photos, Videos, & Tributes

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Contributors to this article: Chris Anderson, Michael Fagan, Jr., Leroy Zwicky

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