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slug
United States
Jumps
License
In sport
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: 1
: B
: 1 years
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Nov 24, 2003, 8:00 PM
Post #1 of 8
(4617 views)
Registered: Jul 15, 2003
Posts: 3081
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lake Erie Incident
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A DC-3/ Lodestar took off with a bunch of folks during low cloud cover conditions. Someone had made arrangements with ATC to monitor their radar and notify the pilot when the plane was over the DZ.
There was some confusion caused by a smaller plane circleing over the DZ which may have caused ATC to incorrectly locate the jumplane.
The exit point ended out over lake Erie and only a couple of folks made it back, while all the family members were waiting at the DZ for their loved one's.
Before my time loss of life was upper teens.
R.I.P.
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PhreeZone
Moderator
United States
Jumps
License
In sport
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: 1625
: D
: 8 years
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Nov 24, 2003, 8:07 PM
Post #2 of 8
(4609 views)
Registered: Mar 18, 2001
Posts: 21407
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There is a very large multi-page article in this months Parachutist on this incident. Its worth checking out.
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skypuppy
Canada
Jumps
License
In sport
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: 3163
: D 347
: 31 years
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Nov 24, 2003, 8:47 PM
Post #3 of 8
(4595 views)
Registered: Aug 22, 2002
Posts: 1022
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Re: [PhreeZone] lake Erie Incident
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Actually I don't know about Parachutist but there was one in the last Skydiving, and it was by Chuteless...
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chuteless
Canada
Jumps
License
In sport
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:
: D 41
: 45 years
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Nov 25, 2003, 6:47 AM
Post #4 of 8
(4545 views)
Registered: May 15, 2003
Posts: 1704
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On August 27th 1967, Bob Karns, who was a pilot working for Ortner Aviation at Wakeman Ohio, was giving a free jump from 20,000 ft + in a B-25 WW II bomber, to some jumpers who had jumped from that aircraft at an air show, for which Karns had been paid.
There was so many jumpers showed up at Ortner Field, the plane was overloaded to the extent that the nose wheel came up off the ground.
As a result, three or four jumpers were taken from the aircraft, and the rest were to make the jump.
The plane took off and began its long climb, disappearing into 100% cloud cover . Cloud base was about 4000 ft and the tops about 6000 feet.
A local jumper who should have known better, took off a bit later in a Cessna 180, and was planning to take 35mm still photos of the jumpers as they fell towards Ortner field.
Common sense should have made him realize that the jumpers would be passing his Cessna 180 like bullets, and he would not get any usable photos, and if they were far enough away from the Cessna, they would be nothing but tiny specks in his viewfinder.
The plane reached altitude, and the pilot (Bob Karns) received confirmation that the aircraft was directly over Ortner field. The radar screen was showing a blip at that spot ( actually it was the Cessna 180) and Karns turned and waved the jumpers out the bomb bay doors. Jimmy Simmons was first to go, and the others followed like they were tied on a long string.
There was a total of 18 jumpers, and Bob Coy (one of the survivors) told me later they had a real blast getting together and just flying....until they approached the dark clouds at 6K.
As the jumpers came through the clouds, they were faced with a rainstorm and the fact that they were 5 miles out over Lake Erie.
They opened the chutes immediately, hoping to make it closer to shore. I believe everyone had Para-Commanders, and although its a great canopy, it doesnt fly like a square...not even close.
Few made any headway, and prepared to ditch in the lake, which was 72 degrees F.
Norm Allard had two jumpsuits on because of the cold at altitude, but he managed to get them off, except for the altimeter pinning them both to his wrist. Thats how they found him.
Bill Onyska had the only piece of flotation gear, which he inflated, but the CO2 went out a small hole
that had gone unnoticed in the device...and it was useless.
BoB Coy, tried using his packed reserve as floatation, but it soon became waterlogged, and he discarded it, and then he tried to lay on his helmet which had styrofoam inside. That probably saved his life.
A search was quickly started, and over the next 5 days, they collected all the bodies from the lake.
A boat had been brought alongside a jumper named Johnson, and the boat then drove off leaving him in the lake. It is possible the guy was a smuggler or out for a cruise with someone elses wife and didnt want to get involved. A second boat rescued Johnson.
Para Commanders were floating on the lake...with no one in the harness, or near them. Several were cut to pieces by boat propellers and founds later.
My best friend, Joe Malarik was the last to be found. Oddly enough, Joe had been in a bar the night before with his girldfriend Barb and another guy, and he said that when he died, he would prefer to drown. He did so the very next day.
When Joe was a young boy, he drowned in a swimming pool, but was revived. He thought it would be the best way to go.
The B-25 aircraft, made another circuit, and again was told by Oberlin Tower that it was directly over Ortner Field, and Larry Hartman and Al Olmstead jumped, wearinmg oxygen masks and bottles.
The Cessna hand landed by this time, and the B-25 was in fact, over the target area.
Hartman noticed through a small hole in the clouds, one of the airport runways, and he pointed to it for Olmstead. They tracked over, and landed on the airport.
By this time, the accident was known, and everyone got involved in the search.
Dale Gates of the Parkman DZ, flew his Cessna a few feet above the choppy waves of the lake, trying to spot survivors, but none were seen.
In all 16 jumpers died that day.
The following Sunday while at the DZ in Parkman, I was asked to take photos of a young lad in freefall after he would make one more good jump alone. I agreed, and when the young lad jumped ( Paul Camelford) he went right into the ground.
He had concentrated on holding his heading so much, he never attempted to get his main out.
That made 17 dead over the two weekends.
Even now when I think about it, I get quite upset inside.
Two weekends before the B-25 flight, I had been filming many of these guys at Parkman, and I later gave copies of the 16mm film to their families.
They told me it was like having their son back again.....even if only on film.
One thing that came out of this, was I conducted tests that showed a canopy (especially one of 0 porosity) can have a portion of it inflated by scooping air inside it, and it will act like a large beach ball in an emergency, and keep a person afloat for quite awhile. It may be necessary to inflate a portion of the canopy several times before one is rescued...but when you have nothing else, that may be your only hope.
Keep that in mind.
Bill Cole D-41 Canada
PLEASE STAY SAFE !!!
(This post was edited by chuteless on Nov 25, 2003, 6:50 AM)
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w4p2
Finland
Jumps
License
In sport
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: Student
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Nov 25, 2003, 1:56 PM
Post #5 of 8
(4478 views)
Registered: Apr 21, 2003
Posts: 184
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Re: [chuteless] lake Erie Incident
[In reply to]
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Thank You for telling the history of the tragedy. There are many of us that have not access to the magazines mentioned, and the history of the incident while posted here serves, as a remainder of realities, as well as tribute to the persons that lost their lives.
Kind Regards: JL
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tbrown
United States
Jumps
License
In sport
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: 1016
: D 6533
: 14 years
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Dec 8, 2003, 7:30 PM
Post #6 of 8
(4337 views)
Registered: May 12, 2003
Posts: 3975
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One thing to keep in mind is that when you're 8 miles from shore, having a square is no advantage over the rounds those folks were jumping. Bottom line is still that we shouldn't jump if we can't see where we're getting out.
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racerman
Jumps
License
In sport
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:
: C 18409
: 30 years
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Oct 25, 2005, 6:37 PM
Post #7 of 8
(3779 views)
Registered: Jan 9, 2005
Posts: 45
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Re: [chuteless] lake Erie Incident
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I was seven years old when this accident occured and had been going to Parkman for almost a year. (badgering my parens to take me), and had actually
known some of the jumpers. I remember the somber tone over the drop zone when I went to watch the following weekend and how empty it seemed. Nine years later I was hanging off the strut of Dale's C-180 after taking the FCJ taught by Lou (Lucinda)
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chuteless
Canada
Jumps
License
In sport
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:
: D 41
: 45 years
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Oct 27, 2005, 10:16 AM
Post #8 of 8
(3684 views)
Registered: May 15, 2003
Posts: 1704
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Re: [racerman] lake Erie Incident
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My gosh, those were the days.
One week after the guys drowned, Paul Camelford (age 16) was making his 13th jump, and I was to photograph him on his 14th. Paul asked me the night before about holding a heading in FF. I told him, use a road or tree line.
He left Dale's C 180, and corrected to hold on Mumford Rd. He held it all the way to the ground, never bothered to pull.
It seems he got mezmerized and concentrated so hard, he just held it, didnt bother looking at his altimeter, and thumped in.
That was two sad weekends ina row.
Bill Cole D-41
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