Mid-Air Crash Over Midland, 1956

                On October 24, 1956, a Lockheed T-33 “Shooting Star” collided with a Cessna 170 over the Permian Estates development of Midland, Texas.  The crash killed all persons on board both airplanes.  Miraculously, no one on the ground was injured despite all of the wreckage falling on a residential area.  This would be Midland’s worst aircraft crash, in terms of lives lost, until 1983.  It remains Midland’s deadliest military aircraft incident.

Cessna 170

                There was little detail published on the crash because Cold War secrecy restricted public information on military aviation incidents in the early 1950’s.  Unlike the many reports I've obtained for World War II era and civilian crashes, I had to file a Freedom of Information Act request with the Air Force for the report.   The Air Force redacted some personal information on military personnel, all names and information on civilians, and much of the investigation details.  Fortunately, the findings remained. 

                There were photographs of wreckage and model mock-ups, but there were no photographs of the victims released, which I found to be respectful.

Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star

                A Lockheed T-33 “Shooting Star” jet departed Webb Air Force Base in Big Spring, Texas at 13:51 that day.  The T-33 is the training variant of the P-80 jet fighter, and was a frequent sight over the skies of west Texas in those days.  Captain Roy Roberts, an instructor pilot, was in the forward seat.  The student pilot, First Lieutenant Lowell Hale, was in the aft seat.

                Their mission was to perform ILS (Instrument Landing System) approaches at Midland’s airport, known today as Midland International Air and Space Port.  ILS allows pilots to land in conditions that restrict visibility, such as darkness or fog.  To effectively train for ILS, the student pilot wears a hood or helmet attachment that prevents them from seeing anything but their cockpit instruments in order to simulate a real-world experience.  This requires a second pilot to keep watch for other aircraft or hazards.  For this flight, the student flew under the hood in the rear seat, with the instructor pilot in the forward seat. 

                The T-33 was in radio contact with the Midland tower throughout their flight, and successfully performed a touch-and-go on Runway 043 around 14:50pm.  As they departed, they were granted permission for a second approach.  Runway 043 runs east and west, alongside Business Loop 20 (Old Highway 80).

Firefighters at T-33 Wreckage, USAF Report Photo

                Minutes earlier, a Cessna 170A left Ector County Airport bound for Bowie, Texas.  The single-engine prop plane had five souls on board.  The passengers included the pilot, his wife, infant daughter, and his wife’s parents.  The Cessna is believed to have flown north of Midland’s airport, then southeast to the crash site.

                A transcript of the control tower conversations shows that the tower lost contact with the T-33 shortly after their touch-and-go, then smoke was seen rising over Permian Estates.  The airplanes had collided 6.25 nautical miles from the runway at 1000-1200 feet above the ground. 

Cessna Wreckage, USAF Report Photo

                The report shows the T-33 striking the Cessna from behind at a downward angle, slightly to the left side of the Cessna.  The rudder of the T-33 ripped through the thin aluminum structure of the Cessna, which “broke into pieces, throwing the people aboard out of the aircraft.”  The instructor pilot ejected from the aircraft, but did not have sufficient altitude for the ejection seat system to operate.  The report further explains that he didn’t separate from the seat sooner due to a failure of an “oxygen hose quick-disconnect.”  The instructor’s body came to rest near the main wreckage of the T-33.  The student pilot remained  with the wreckage.  The civilian passengers fell over an area covering about seven houses.  Several news and social media reports indicate that a female passenger fell through a roof into a bathtub.  The location of the infant varies, some saying the child was found in shrubs and others claim the child fell into a home.  

                The T-33’s tail separated and fell into a back yard, and the Cessna fell in at least five major pieces.  The engine of the Cessna fell through the roof of a home that was unoccupied at the time.  Parts fell on homes, in yards, and vacant lots.  The main wreckage of the T-33 struck the driveway and a garage of a home and burned.  It was the only fire reported throughout the incident.

The Air Force lists several factors that caused the crash:

1.       “The primary cause of this accident is supervisory error on the part of the Instructor Pilot in that he did not see the other aircraft in time to avoid the collision.”  Since the student was wearing a hood to restrict his vision, the instructor pilot in the front seat was responsible for keeping watch for traffic.  The downward angle of the jet’s impact could indicate the possibility of a last-second attempt to miss the Cessna.

2.       “A contributing cause factor is that current CAA regulations do not require light aircraft to be controlled under VFR conditions in control zones; Midland Tower was not aware of the Cessna’s presence.”  Control zones were much smaller in 1956 than today, and the Cessna stayed out of Midland’s zone throughout the entire flight and probably wasn’t monitoring Midland’s radio traffic.  The Cessna pilot was operating his aircraft in accordance with regulations and practices of the time, and was probably over Midland in order to follow Interstate 20 for part of his flight.  Control zones and traffic procedures have changed drastically, and this sort of incident would be impossible today if procedures are followed.  The Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) became the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in 1958.

3.       “Installation of the stand-by compass… precludes unobstructed vision forward.”  A significant piece of the T-33 forward pilot’s view was obstructed by instrumentation.

Although the report had the names of the civilian victims redacted, newspaper sources listed them as Winfred Clement (27 years of age at the time of the accident), his wife Elizabeth (25), and their infant daughter, Cathy.  Elizabeth’s parents were also on board, Roy E. Howard (63) and Ethel Howard (57).  The aircraft was registered to Winfred Clement.  The family was buried in Bowie, TX.

Lt. Lowell was buried in Decatur, Illinois.  Capt. Roberts was buried in Trinity Memorial Park, Big Spring, TX.

Ector County Airport became Schlemeyer Field sometime in the 1970’s, and features a T-33 on static display. 

The Air Force report included a map that plots 13 locations of wreckage.  In respect of the crash victims and current property owners, I will only show a modern map of the wreckage area and will not release the specific points. The crash area was published as "the 3500 block of Apache Drive."  

I teamed up with local videographers Tim Kreitz and Michael Montalvo with the intention of filming a documentary about the crash, but we were not able to locate witnesses willing to be interviewed.  There just wasn’t enough material for  a video production without them, and we completely understood their reluctance.  Many thanks to Tim and Mike for helping me assemble all the data on this crash.

This incident is an important piece of Midland's history of military aviation.  As far back as World War II, Midland has served an important role in our nation's air power preparedness, and many lives have been lost.  This is the only local military aircraft incident I've found with civilian casualties. 

Should anyone have photos or witness accounts they wish to share, please contact me at mattvann@suddenlink.net.   I won't publish anything without the contributor's permission.

Cessna 170 Tail, USAF Report Photo

Ejection Seat, USAF Report Photo

T-33 Tail, USAF Report Photo

Models Showing Impact Angle, USAF File Photo

Wreckage Area, Present Day

Update, May 7, 2019:  Podcast epispode:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itjICu8yo2c&t=3177s

Here are a few pages from the local newspaper on the day after the crash: