First US Navy Parachute Incident
The first occasion in which a US Naval Personnel occurred on
October 16, 1924 when a mid-air collision occurred at 1,300 feet over Coronado, Calif.
'Gunner' William Marvin Coles, USN, of VF Squadron 1 who was piloting one of the aircraft jumped from the wing of his aircraft jumped and pulled the parachute after dropping 500 feet. He was uninjured
It was reported that "two navy Vought airplanes" were involved and the crew of the other aircraft U.S. Navy Enlisted Aviation pilot Robert H. Kerr aviation chief machinist mate from NAS San Diego and passenger Ensign Merritt J Flanders from the Aircraft Tender USS Vega. The crew did not have parachutes and were killed.
Kerr and Flanders bodies were recovered from the wreckage at Coronado and Coles machine ended up on the Coronado golf links and caught fire
But I have also seen it quoted that Coles was flying a JN-4 (Curtiss Jenny) and the Vought may be a Vought VE-7 BlueBird
I was wondering if anyone could confirm any of the details
Coles died in 1980 in California
Many Thanks
Paul McMillan
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