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Old 8th January 2018, 19:32
paulmcmillan paulmcmillan is offline
Alter Hase
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 1,208
paulmcmillan
3rd US Navy Parachute Incident 1930

On July 24, 1930 Lt Thomas Geary 'Bubbles' Fisher bailed out of an aircraft (believed to be a Boeing FB3-1 of VB-2B /VF-2B Saratoga) at San Diego, Calif. due to an Inverted Spin. He was XO of the Sqn at the time and jumped from 2,000 feet.

I am trying to Id the aircraft involved

Previously Lt Thomas Geary Fisher was the only survivor of the loss of Boeing TB-1 A7024 crashed and sank off Laguna Beach, CA on a delivery flight 21st Jun 1927, he swam ashore (it look him a number of hours) but the incident cost the lives of Lieut. Commander William Sanwood Hactor (35), U. S. N., operations officer at the Naval Air Station San Diego, and Aviation Chief Machinists' Mate Charles Kenneth Robbins (Mechanic), who were passengers in the plane.

His luck ran out the following year when he was killed, when his aircraft shed its wings in a dive whilst "strafing" the Radio Controlled Target Ship USS Stoddert on Junly 30th 1931. I believe he was still serving on the Saratoga at the time and was probably flying a Boeing FB3-1 but would appreciate confirmation

See https://dmairfield.com/people/fisher_tg/index.html for more info on Geary

He had previously landed on the Saratoga without the help of the arresting gear. Since it was a test and had not been attempted before, the deck was cleared of airplanes and the "crash barrier" was not erected. As the Saratoga steamed into the wind, Fisher swept in, landed on the ramp, and with his brakes slowed down his plane.
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