1940 — Oct 20,  Plane Catches Parachute’s Shrouds, Crashes, Marianna Airshow, AR–     6

Compiled by Wayne Blanchard; last edit 10-12-2024 for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/

—  6  Northwest Arkansas Times, Fayetteville. “Six Persons Die…Air Accident.” 10-21-1940, 1.

—  6  Wikipedia.  “List of Airshow Accidents and Incidents.” 11-3-2011 modification. 

Narrative Information

Northwest Arkansas Times, Fayetteville: “Marianna, Ark., Oct. 21 (AP) — The Civil Aeronautics Authority planned today to investigate a mid-air accident in which six persons were killed after a sightseeing plane became entangled in a stunt man’s parachute at an air show and plunged 500 feet to earth. Eyewitnesses said the plane was circling slowly around the descending parachutist yesterday to give four passengers a close up view. The craft became enmeshed in the parachute’s shrouds and plunged downward, carrying the parachutist with it. The dead:  [list of six names, ages and home towns]…

“Nalejana’s final leap, which started from another plane at an altitude of 3,000 feet, was billed as his 781^st.  He started parachute jumping five years ago in North Dakota.  Zorn [the pilot] had ten years of flying experience….”  (Northwest Arkansas Times, Fayetteville. “Six Persons Die…Air Accident.” 10-21-1940, p. 1.)

Sources

Northwest Arkansas Times, Fayetteville. “Six Persons Die in Unusual Air Accident.” 10-21-1940, 1. At: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=59105490

Wikipedia. “List of airship accidents.”  11-20-2011 modification.  Accessed 11-20-2011 at:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_airship_accidents#cite_note-Vaeth-13