Destroyed By Fire

This aircraft is a Ryan B-1 Brougham, S/N 127 (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 6/20/28. It was equipped with a 220 HP Wright J-5 Whirlwind engine, S/N 8527. It weighed 3,300 pounds.

It was sold on 7/5/28 to Interstate Transit Lines, Omaha, NB (a bus company, Tim Manning, Agent). NC6585 landed at Tucson on 7/8/1928 piloted by Myron Larkin. He carried Mr. Manning as passenger. They were headed from San Diego to Omaha via El Paso, TX. This was the factory ferry flight of this brand new airplane.

Interstate didn’t use the airplane very much, as it was sold with only 30 flight hours on 7/3/29 to Rapid Aviation, Inc. of Omaha for “taxi service”. It sold a month later on 7/7/29 to sister company Rapid Air Lines, Inc. of Rapid City, SD for “passenger route: Rapid City, SD to Huron, SD”.

The airplane suffered an accident at Faith, SD on 4/26/30 when, “wheel struck mound in field, L/G and wing damaged after landing.” No mention of injuries to pilot Dan L. Carver and 3 passengers. It changed hands six more times and had another accident in Texarkana, TX when, on 12/3/37 it came to its last owner, Andy Anderson of Heads, MS. The airplane suffered a final insult at Leland, MS on 1/24/38 and was, “damaged to a major extent in hangar fire with several other planes.”

UPLOADED: 07/09/05 REVISED: