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rating issued by the Civil Aeronautics Administration.
Robert Reed Leicht, aged 25, staff sergeant, Sixth Ferrying Command, Army Air Forces, stationed at Long Beach, California, was acting as copilot in the B-34. He had accumulated approximately 100 solo flight hours in Army primary trainers, but had never soloed a B-34.
The Airplanes
The American NC 16017 was a Douglas Model DC-3 powered with two Wright cyclone G102 engines, each rated at 1100 h.p. for take—off and equipped with Hamilton Standard, constant speed, full—feathering propellers. The aircraft and its equipment had been approved.by the Civil Aeronautics Administration for air carrier operation, with 21 passengers and a crew of 4. It had been certificated for operation with a maximum take—off weight of 25,346 pounds. The gross load at which the airplane departed on the subject flight was 23,622 pounds.
The other aircraft was a U. S. Army B—34,[1] manufactured by the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation.
Facts Proceeding the Flight
Lt. Wilson testified to the following fact: That he was a friend of First Officer Reppert, of Americans's Trip 28,[2] that they had met the previous evening and during their conversation it was revealed that there was a possibility of both of them "going out" the following afternoon at about the same time; that they had trained together several months previously small type aircraft and thought it would be pleasant to "see each other in the air"; that they discussed the possibility of clicking their radio microphones as a signal of "hello", but decided to abandon that idea on account of the difference in transmitting frequency of their equipment, and that no definite signals of
