FORD 4-AT NC7119
GOING TO GRAND CANYON
This airplane is a Ford 4-AT (later modified to 4-AT-E standard)
tri-motor (S/N 4-AT-33; ATC # 87/132) manufactured August
18, 1928 by the Stout Metal Airplane Company (Division of
Ford Motor Company), Dearborn, MI. It came from the
factory with three Wright J-5 engines (S/Ns missing) of 220
HP each. See an image of this airplane here.
It sold on September 7, 1928 to Maddux Air Lines, Inc.,
Los Angeles,
CA. It was flown for a couple of years,
then converted at the Ford factory by Maddux to a Model 4-AT-E
on February 21, 1930.
NC7119 landed once at Tucson, on June 5, 1929. It
was flown by Dick Ranaldi carrying four unidentified passengers. They
were northbound from Glendale, CA to Grand Canyon, AZ. No
purpose was given for the trip. Below, from the California State Library (CSL), is a photograph of NC7119 taken at the Grand Central AIr Terminal (GCAT) in Glendale. It wears Maddux livery, so the date of the photo must be between September, 1928 and April, 1931.
Ford NC7119 at Glendale, CA, Ca. 1929-31 (Source: CSL)
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On April 21, 1931, NC7119 was sold to Transcontinental and
Western Air, Inc., New York, NY. Upon transfer, it
had “TWA No. 701” painted on. The airplane's final disposition: “Accident:
Oklahoma City, Okla. 12/19/31. Washed out, ship cracked
up and burned”. Details and photographs of this accident are found at pilot Nathan Morse over on the Grand Central Air Terminal Register Web site, at the link.
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UPLOADED: 04/01/06 REVISED: 11/05/15, 04/25/16
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