Splash Down

This aircraft is a Ryan B-1 Brougham, S/N 76 (ATC 25). It shares lineage with the “Spirit of St. Louis”, but was built during the following year. The B.F. Mahoney Aircraft Co., San Diego, CA manufactured it on 3/17/28. It was equipped with a 220 HP Wright J-5C engine, S/N 8284. It weighed 3,300 pounds.

NC4562 was sold on 3/26/28 to C.S. Yarnell, Jr. of Minneapolis, MN, who worked for the Marvin A. Northrop Aeroplane Co. The airplane landed at Tucson on 3/29/1928 piloted by Leon S. DeLong with Mr. & Mrs. Yarnell as passengers. They were inbound from San Diego, headed for El Paso. This was probably its maiden voyage and initial deployment to Minneapolis.

Shortly, Yarnell, in turn, sold the airplane to Air Transportation, Inc. of Minneapolis on 4/2/28. A new tail skid was reported installed by C.W. Potter of Northwest Airways, Inc. on 6/4/28.

An accident at Duluth, MN occurred on 8/23/28. The airplane was reported on pontoons and, “went into spin at low altitude”, fatally injuring pilot Harvey F. Williamson of Duluth. The airplane was a total loss; the engine was salvaged on 11/2/28 and sent to the Wright factory for overhaul.