This aircraft is a Ryan B-1 Brougham, S/N 66 (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 11/28/28. It was equipped with a 220 HP Wright J-5C engine, S/N 8216. It weighed 3,300 pounds.

It sold on 2/13/28 to Mission Airplane Services, San Antonio, TX (Winburn Field). Over the next two years, Mission Airplane Services resold NC4090 two times, seemingly to itself under different corporate names.
NC4090 landed at Tucson three times early in its life, on 2/17, 9/7 and 9/20/1928. Each flight was between San Antonio and California, carrying almost a full load of passengers. Perhaps these were charter flights under the auspices of Mission Airplane Services business. Mission dissolved on 1/22/30, perhaps a victim of the developing Great Depression.

On 2/4/31, the airplane sold to Barney Berliner of San Antonio. Berliner died on 12/28/31, and the airplane was sold by his heirs on 12/15/31, preceding his death! J.J. Mitchener, Jr. of San Antonio bought it and apparently moved it to Mexico in February 1933. A letter from William F. Bollinger of Nuevo Laredo on 8/9/33 states, “Mitchener exported the airplane to Mexico and damaged the propellor [sic] and wing tips in Mexico. Not flown until purchased by Onofre Castilla of Nuevo Laredo.” He requested cancellation of the U.S. registration.

Bollinger, a U.S. pilot (certificate #107), had reconditioned the airplane, test flew it, and applied for Mexican registration. No report of the Mexican sale was made by Mitchener, in fact inspectors were unable to locate him. The record cites the final disposition of the airplane as, “Ship washed out in Mexico.”