More detail on this person: Mid-air collision
on final cross country flight. This information was last updated 05/18/2016
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Date posted on this site:
03/11/2023
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I had to borrow a microfilm reader from
Weatherford college, haul it to the MIneral Wells
library, put a newspaper over my head to shade the
light to make the film readable, but it worked.
The Mineral Wells Index Headline story on Sunday
Jan 24, 1960 was the mid-air collision of two
helicopters. "Killed in the crash were Capt
Ronald S. Elwell, 31, of Tulasa, OK ... and 2nd Lt
Jerry L. Burton, 23, of Inglefield, IN a 1958
graduate of the United States Military Academy at
West Point. The accident occurred 1:15 Friday
[Jan 22 by my reckoning] 2.5 miles north of Camp
Wolters on the Grady Seale Ranch."
The pilots had just taken off for a cross country
flight to Abilene...NOTE that they were both solo.
These were the 1st fatalities in the helicopter
school which had graduated 3,000 students. Lt
Eugene Fudge was the first to reach the crash site
(a member according to the directory).
PHOTO CAPTION - "Death Trap - Capt Ronald S.
Elwell, 31, a student at the United States Army
Primary Helicopter School died in this trainging
wreckage Friday afternoon after his helicopter was
apparently in a mid air collision with another
heliopter (U.S. Army Photo)"
From: Jim Messinger