December 8, 1996: CAP Cadet Among First Four Women Accepted into VMI

Image via WikipediaOn this date, Cadet Lieutenant Lauren Wagner was one of the first four women accepted into Virginia Military Institute (V.M.I.).


An excerpt from the New York Times:

Ms. Wagner is a lieutenant in the Civil Air Patrol. Her mother is Eileen Wagner, a lawyer who filed a brief for the Virginia Women Attorneys Association arguing that the school should not be allowed to remain state-supported and all-male. this date, Cadet Lieutenant Lauren 

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February 24, 1990: 70 Year Old CAP Pilots Spot Survivors in California

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On this date in 1990, former World War II and current Civil Air Patrol pilot Keith P. Kelley spotted a California crash that lead to the rescue of two survivors.


An excerpt form the Los Angeles Times:

On Saturday, the Van Nuys resident found a Cessna 152 that crashed near Santiago Peak in Riverside County, and led rescuers to the area where they found the two survivors. The occupants of the plane suffered minor injuries but were not hospitalized.

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January 15, 1995: Searches Find Bodies of Three CAP Members in California Crash

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On this date in 1995, searchers found the bodies of three California Civil Air Patrol members whose own search plane that had crashed.

An excerpt from the Los Angeles Times:

UPLAND — The bodies of all three members of a volunteer Civil Air Patrol search team were found Sunday in the wreckage of their light plane in the San Gabriel Mountains, a tragic end to an attempt to find a plane and pilot missing for two weeks.

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December 29, 1998: New Hampshire CAP Helps in Search for Fatal Crash

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On this date, the New Hampshire Wing of the Civil Air Patrol assisted in the search of a single engine Piper Arrow carrying two New Jersey men.  The plane fatally crashed in the mountains.

An excerpt from the New York Times:

The plane took off from the Berlin Airport in Milan, N.H. about 7:30 P.M. on Sunday and headed south. Air traffic controllers tracked it as it climbed to about 5,600 feet, but then it disappeared from their radar, according to the Civil Air Patrol's New Hampshire Wing.

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November 3, 1997: Two Members of California CAP Die in Plane Crash

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On this date, two members of the California Civil Air Patrol died in the crash of a Cessna 182.

An excerpt from Airborne Law Enforcement Association:

Captain Jess Ceniceros died when his Skylane crashed at 1743 hours near Markleeville, GA. (sic), during a SAR mission. Lieutenant Colonel Frederick Nettell was also killed.

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July 17, 1999: Civil Air Patrol Joins Search for John F. Kennedy, Jr.'s Airplane

On this date in 1999, Civil Air Patrol aircraft joined in a massive air and sea search for John F. Kennedy, Jr.'s missing 1995 Piper Saratoga II HP.  The plane apparently crashed the evning of July 16, 1999 on a flight from New Jersey to the Kennedy compound on Martha's Vineyard.  Kennedy, the son of the slain President John F. Kennedy, his wife Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, and her sister Lauren Bessette, were all killed.

An excerpt from Newsweek:

Between 7:30 and 7:55 Saturday morning, a C-130, 15 Civil Air Patrol planes, two Coast Guard helicopters, an Air National Guard chopper and a UH-25 Falcon took to the skies. A virtual armada--Coast Guard cutters, utility boats, patrol boats and search-and-rescue ships--combed an area 190 nautical miles long by 20 miles wide between Long Island and Cape Cod. By noon, the Air Force had turned to the intelligence community, asking the National Imagery and Mapping Agency, which reports to the director of Central Intelligence, to pull the CIA into the search. Intelligence sources tell NEWSWEEK that three advanced KH-11 photographic satellites in a standard polar orbit were in position to pass over the entire search area at different times.

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May 29, 1999: CAP Fights for its "Independence" from the USAF

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On this date in 1999, the Colorado Springs Gazette reported that the Civil Air Patrol was "fighting for its independence" from the United States Air Force.

An excerpt:

Now the Civil Air Patrol - which has a $30 million budget and 60,000 members nationwide - is fighting for its independence against an unlikely opponent: the Air Force.

A recent audit found lax spending practices and safety procedures at Civil Air Patrol national headquarters. It prompted the Air Force to ask Congress for control of the organization.

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May 25, 1998: Massachusetts CAP Plane Crash Kills Two Crew Members

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On this date in 1998, a Civil Air Patrol Cessna 182 crashed in Massachusetts during a training flight, killing both crew members.

An excerpt from Aviation Safety Network:

The Civil Air Patrol Cessna 182 was conducting what was briefed as a 1 hour instrument proficiency flight. After 30 minutes the pilots cancelled the instrument flight rules clearance and the flight continued under visual flight rules. About 15 minutes later the airplane was observed to conduct a low approach to a private airport, and then initiated a climbing right turn. During the climb, the bank increased and the airplane descended into trees with no change in engine power.

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May 22, 1993: Bus with 23 CAP Cadets Overturns in California

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On this date in 1993, a military bus carrying 24 teens--23 of whom were CAP cadets--overturned on the way to an outing at Point Mugu, California.

An excerpt from the Los Angeles Times:

A bus filled with Southern California teen-agers on their way to an outing at Point Mugu overturned on a narrow, steep road near Camarillo on Saturday, injuring 17 youths and five adults, officials said.

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May 18, 1990: Virginia CAP Locates Site of Six Fatality Plane Crash

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On this date in 1990, the Virigina Civil Air Patrol assisted in locating a missing light plane that had been missing after taking off from North Carolina.  All six souls on board died in the crash.

An excerpt from the Richmond Times-Dispatch:

The bodies of the Washington area men, who left North Carolina in a Cessna 210 enroute to Winchester last Thursday, were found by a ground search team amid plane debris about two miles south of the community of Shady Grove Corner.

A 10-member Appalachian Search and Rescue Conference team had been combing the heavily wooded terrain since early yesterday when [Doug DeBoer]'s brother discovered plane debris about two miles off state Route 612. The name of DeBoer's brother was unavailable.

The search drew scores of personnel and volunteers from the Civil Air Patrol, Virginia National Guard, personnel from the Coast Guard and Quantico Marine Corps Base, as well the state police and the emergency services department. The Appalachian search conference, whose team discovered the bodies, is a Charlottesville-based group of volunteers trained in search and rescue techniques.

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May 9, 1996: New Hampshire CAP Float Plane Crashes

On this date in 1996, the New Hampsire Wing of the Civil Air Patrol lost a pilot when the Lake LA-4-200 Buccaneer he was flying crashed while practicing a water landing.

An excerpt from the Aviation Safety Network:

The pilot had not flown in make or model for 8 months. According to CAP regulations, in order to do water landings after such a lapse in flight time, the pilot was required to have a flight instructor with him. The pilot had called, reserved the airplane and gave the instructor's name who would be accompanying him during the flight. Witnesses saw the airplane land on the lake earlier and then saw an aborted takeoff attempt. His second takeoff attempt was successful and the pilot left the local area. The accident occurred on his return landing

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April 19, 1995: Civil Air Patrol Among First Responders to Oklahoma City Bombing

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 On this date in 1995, the Civil Air Patrol was among the first first responders to the domestic terrorist bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City.


An excerpt from Wikipedia:

At 9:03:25 a.m. CST, the first of over 1,800 9-1-1 calls related to the bombing was received by Emergency Medical Services Authority (EMSA). By that time, EMSA ambulances, police, and firefighters were already headed to the scene, having heard the blast. Nearby civilians, who had also witnessed or heard the blast, arrived to assist the victims and emergency workers. Within 23 minutes of the bombing, the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) was set up, consisting of representatives from the state departments of public safety, human services, military, health, and education. Assisting the SEOC were agencies such as the National Weather Service, the Air Force, the Civil Air Patrol, and the American Red Cross.

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April 18, 1995: CAP Assists NTSB in Solving Crash of Cessna 182 in Arizona

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On his date in 1995, a Cessna 182P crashed on a mountain in Arizona and the Civil Air Patrol assist the NTSB in the investigation.

An excerpt from the NTSB:

On April 18, 1995, about 1015 hours mountain standard time (mst), a Cessna 182P, N85DK, owned and operated by the pilot, collided with mountainous terrain about 2 miles west of Jerome, Arizona. The airplane was destroyed, and the private pilot and three passengers were fatally injured. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The crash site was located on April 28, 1995.

Information was obtained from the Civil Air Patrol, the Department of the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center, and from a review of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recorded radar data for April 18, 1995. About 0726 mst, the flight originated with full fuel tanks from the Coronado (uncontrolled) Airport, New Mexico. (All times used in this report have been converted to mst.)

The radar track indicates that the airplane proceeded on the nonstop flight along a westerly course until passing Winslow, Arizona. The airplane then flew along a west-southwesterly course passing south of Flagstaff and nearly over the Sedona Airport. The course between the Winslow (Flagstaff) and the Drake VORTACs (radio navigational aids) nearly paralleled federal airway V12, and was within approximately 1.5 miles of the airway's centerline.

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April 16, 1998: Following Tennessee Tornados, CAP Assists with NOAA Assessment

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On this date in 1998, ten tornadoes pounded Tennessee, including one that hit Nashville.

The day after the tornaodoes, the National Weather Service enlisted the aid of the Civil Air Patrol to help it study and assess the storms' paths and tracks.

An excerpt from Stormtrack.org:

The authors realized it was essential that the damage survey begin as quickly as possible after the disaster in order to preserve evidence. A meeting was held at the Nashville Weather Service the morning after the disaster in order to establish logistics of the survey. Hard copy radar images and newspaper accounts were gathered to determine the locations of potential damage paths. An aerial damage survey was scheduled to be done first in order to quickly establish the locations and number of tornado damage paths. However, inclement weather conditions prevented us from conducting the aerial survey until three days after the event. Therefore, the ground survey was conducted first by driving through the damage area. Since numerous downed trees and power lines prevented us from driving down each road, the authors proceeded in walking portions of the damage path in the rain. Similar methodologies have been described by McDonald and Marshall (1984) and Bunting and Smith (1990) for conducting damage surveys.

It was important to have proper equipment in conducting the damage survey. Detailed road maps were obtained before the authors began surveying the damage. Still cameras with both print and slide film were used to photograph the damage. A wide angle lens on one camera captured the overall damage scene whereas a zoom lens on another camera captured specific details. Also, bringing a second camera along was also a good idea in case one of the cameras malfunctioned. Notebook paper, a clipboard, and pens were brought along for documentation purposes. House-by-house F-scale ratings were plotted on paper for each block. A tape recorder was utilized to record the locations of the photographs as well as record pertinent observations. A tape measure was helpful to determine the distances between objects and obtain dimensions of building components. Proper identification also was needed to enter the disaster areas. Hard hats provided some safety from falling objects.

A high-winged, single-engine aircraft was employed for the aerial survey with pilot from the Civil Air Patrol. The aircraft was flown between 1 and 2 km above the ground in overlapping circles which paralleled the damage path. Clearance of the air space had to be obtained from air traffic control due to our close proximity to the Nashville airport. Numerous photographs were taken of the damage path. The best perspective was obtained when photographing directly above the damaged buildings. In many cases, specific buildings were be identified and served as landmarks. This was especially true for churches, schools, and hospitals. Numerous trees were downed as a result of the tornado which made identifying roads easier. The aircraft also had a GPS (global positioning system) digital display onboard which helped confirm our location especially when roads or other landmarks were not available.

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April 12, 1995: Washington CAP Pilot Crashes in Wilderness

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This one involved a Cessna 182 single which was attempting a VFR cross-country from Auburn, Washington to Boise, Idaho on April 12, 1995.

On this date in 1995, a Washington Civil Air Patrol pilot crashed in the mountains and forests of Washington and later died from exposure.

An excerpt from Equipped to Survive:

The private pilot was a Civil Air Patrol (CAP) volunteer and the purpose of the flight was a CAP proficiency training flight. From the flight plan, the intended route of flight was Auburn to Yakima, Washington, then to Boise. The aircraft departed Auburn at 5:02 in the morning and the pilot opened his flight plan with Seattle Flight Service Station at 5:19. That was the last communication with the aircraft. Later examination of radar data indicated a primary target about 20 miles southeast of Auburn at about the same time. . .


The search continued for the next 3 days, with the weather still hindering the ability of crews to search effectively. At about 11:15 AM on the 15th of April, a Washington Civil Air Patrol aircraft located the wreckage of the 182 about 32 miles northwest of Yakima. The aircraft had crashed in the William O. Douglas Wilderness Area on a mountain ridge at an elevation of about 7,100 feet.

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April 9, 1990: CAP Cessna 172 and ASA Airliner Crash over Alabama Skies

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On this date in 1990, a Civil Air Patrol Cessna 172 collided mid-air with an Atlantic Southeast Airlines regional airliner in Alabama.  The two members of the CAP crew were killed but the ASA flight was able to land with no injuries.

An excerpt from Wikipedia:

Atlantic Southeast Airlines flight 2254 operated under 14 CFR 135 by Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia N217AS from Muscle Shoals, Alabama to Atlanta, Georgia with an intermediate stop at the Northeast Alabama Regional Airport in Gadsden, Alabama collided in mid-air with Civil Air Patrol Cessna 172 N99501 on April 9, 1990 over Gadsden. Following departure from Northeast Alabama Regional Airport Runway 24, the ASA flight turned left toward the east along its intended flight path to Atlanta at an assigned altitude of 5,000 feet. The Cessna 172 was west bound at the same altitude, facing the setting sun. During the head-on collision at 6:05 p.m. Central Daylight Time, the right horizontal stabilizer of the Embraer was torn from the aircraft. Though significantly damaged, the ASA flight managed to return to Northeast Alabama Regional Airport with no injuries to occupants, the Cessna 172 crashed into a field, resulting in fatal injuries to both occupants. An eyewitness to the event did not report any evasive maneuvers by either aircraft prior to the collision

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April 8, 1998: Alabama CAP Assesses Damage after F-5 Tornado

On this date in 1998, following powerful F-5 tornado in Alabama, the Alabama Civil Air Patrol assisted with aerial missions to assess the damage.

An excerpt from NOAA:

Aerial surveys conducted by the National Weather Service with the help of the Alabama State Troopers Aviation Unit and the Civil Air Patrol determined that the tornado that ripped across west Jefferson County Wednesday night, April 8 ^th was an F5 tornado, the most violent tornado that occurs. F5 tornadoes have winds in excess of 260 miles per hour. The F5 tornado is highest rating for the most violent tornado. The Fujita Scale runs from F0 for the weakest to F5 for the most intense.

The tornado track (map of tornado track, size about 236 kb) was approximately 30.6 miles long and at it's widest point was half a mile wide. After first touching down on the east side of the Warrior River in Tuscaloosa County, the tornado crossed into Jefferson County at 7:52 pm moving just south of the town of Scrap, just inside Jefferson County. It traveled east-northeast impacting Oak Grove, Concord, Pleasant Grove, Edgewater, McDonald's Chapel areas before ending in Pratt City. The storm reached it's strongest intensity producing F5 damage in the Concord area and the McDonalds Chapel/Edgewater area.

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March 17, 1994: CAP Discovers Wreckage of Plane Flown by Impaired Pilot

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On this date in 1994, the CAP discovered the wreckage of a Beech 95-B55B in Colorado, which crashed March 15, 1994 while an inebriated pilot was at the controls.  The pilot died in the crash.

An excerpt from the NTSB:

The wreckage was located by the Civil Air Patrol on March 17. It was embedded in a rock wall at the 10,550 foot level of Haystack Mountain, at Battlement Mesa, about 12 miles southwest of the Rifle Airport. The wreckage was aligned on a magnetic heading of 210 degrees. Accordion-type crush damaged extended from the nose section to the cockpit area. Both wings bore similar damage from the leading to the trailing edges. Both engines were fragmented.

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March 13, 1994: CAP Couple Discovers Fatal South Carolina Plane Crash

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On this date in 1994, a married couple who were CAP members and pilots, were the first to discover the fatal crash of a new pilot and his Cessna in South Carolina.

An excerpt from the National Transportation Safety Board:

On March 13, 1994, at 2300 eastern standard time, a Cessna 152, N67581, collided with trees and terrain near the Allendale County Airport, Allendale, South Carolina. The private pilot, an Indian national, was fatally injured, and the aircraft was destroyed. The aircraft was operated under 14 CFR Part 91 by the Southeastern School of Aeronautics in Macon, Georgia. Night, visual meteorological conditions existed at the time, and a visual flight rules flight plan was filed for the personal, cross country flight. The flight originated in Savannah, Georgia, at 2158.

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March 12, 1994: Aviatrix, Engineer Col. Mary S. Feik Inducted into Women in Aviation Pioneer Hall of Fame

On this date in 1994, at the International Conference of Women in Aviation, aviation pioneer and CAP Col. Mary S. Feik was inducted into the Women in Aviation Pioneer Hall of Fame.  The third award in the CAP Cadet program is named after her.

An excerpt from her biography:

During WWII, Feik became an expert on many military aircraft and is credited with becoming the first woman engineer in research and development in the Air Technical Service Command’s Engineering Division at Wright Field in Dayton, Ohio.  

She flew more than 6,000 hours as pilot in fighter, attack, bomber, cargo and training aircraft.  She qualified as a B-29 Flight Engineer and was an engineering analyst in test aircraft for flight and maintenance requirements.

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