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Flight Personnel
On the flight in question the flight crew consisted of Captain David I. Cooper, First Officer Richard L. Owens and Stewardess Mary E. Blackley.
The record shows that Captain Cooper aged 34, at the time of the accident, held airline transport pilot certificate 12278 with 4M Land rating, and had a total of 5929:50 hours flying time. He had been employed by American and its predecessor company since July, 1931. His total flying time with American was 5369:50 hours, of which 2914 15 hours had been as first officer and 2455:35 hours as captain. He had accumulated approximately 3702 hours in Douglas DC-2 and DC-3 equipment.
Captain Cooper had logged, during his employment with American, approximately 387 hours of instrument time and 244 23 hours of hood time. During the month of October, 1941, he had flown 76 30 hours and his rest period prior to leaving New York on Flight 1 of October 30, was approximately 23 hours. His last line cheek was given on July 14, 1941, and the check pilot reported that the results of this test were "excellent". Mr Roy L. Mitchell, Assistant Operations Manager of American, testified that he had on several occasions flown with Captain Cooper and that he considered his ability as a captain above the average. The record shows that Captain Cooper had been flying over AM 7, the route involved in the accident, since May 30, 1940.
Captain Cooper's last physical examination required by the Civil Air Regulations[1] was taken on June 6, 1941, and showed him to be in a satisfactory physical condition. In addition, and in accordance with the established procedure of American, he had been subjected to a thorough physical examination by a company physician on March 31, 1941. Although Captain Cooper had been off duty for six days during the week of October 20, suffering from wryneck, American's Assistant Flight Surgeon at New York City on October 27 examined the captain and certified that he was fit to resume his usual duties.
First Officer Owens, 30 years of age, was the holder of commercial pilot certificate No. 44041 with single engine 0-675 h. p. land and instrument ratings. He first soloed at Alice, Texas, on March 27, 1939, and subsequent to that date had been employed as a pilot with various aeronautical companies. Although he had logged 1065 hours of flying at the time of his employment by American on August 19, 1941, he was required to take a pilot training course at the company's school in New York. This course consisted of instruction in DC-3 airplane equipment, radio equipment, meteorology, general operations procedures, navigation, and radio code, together with a course in flight training and flight procedures. As a part of the course he had had 25 hours 50 minutes of instrument time in a Link Trainer and approximately 22 hours of flying time as a third member of the pilot crew on DC-3 airplanes operating under the New York-Chicago Division.
In addition, First Officer Owens had instruction in the operation of all of the controls of the engines, propellers, automatic pilot, radio and fuel systems and other controls of DC-3 aircraft. Night flying, except that obtained as a third member of the pilot crew, was not included in the course.
At the conclusion of the course he was given a two-hour flight test in a DC-3. This test consisted of such maneuvers as stalls, straight and level flying with the landing gear5--21156
- ↑ The holder of an airline transport pilot certificate is required by Section 21.252 to take a prescribed physical examination every 6 months.
