Airco DH.4 A7588 at Bramham Moor aerodrome.
On 10th March 1918 this No.46 Training Squadron aeroplane was being flown from it's home aerodrome at Catterick south when it caught fire in the air in the Tadcaster area. The pilot attempted to land at Bramham Moor aerodrome but it struck a tree on the approach to land and crashed. Unfortunately the fire took hold and the pilot could not be rescued and was killed. It was believed that a fuel pipe had broken, this had caused a fuel leak and this was then ignited by the exhaust. Smoke and fumes probably affected the pilot just prior to the crash. His death was registered in the Wetherby district suggesting the crash occurred on the north to west side of the aerodrome site, the south to east side is in the Tadcaster district. "www.jarretthousenorth.com" suggests that the aeroplane landed on a railway track and the pilot was actually killed by a train rather than as a result of the impact with the ground.
Pilot - 1Lt Eugene Russell Wheatley USAAS / RFC, aged 22. Buried Brookwood Cemetery, Surrey.
Eugene Wheatley was born on 5th April 1895 at Culpeper, Virginia, USA but later moved to Detroit, Michigan with his father who was a special agent in the US Treasury Department, working in Customs. Eugene studied engineering at the University of Virginia and appears to have been there when he enlisted for military service. My knowledge of the US military during the First World War is very limited. He received a commission to the rank of Lieut in the American Army prior to transferring to the USA Air Service with his unit listed as being the 17th Aero Squadron. He then became a USAAS cadet who was one of many who volunteered for pilot training in Canada, he passed the selection in Canada and was sent to the UK to continue training with the Royal Flying Corps. On arrival in the UK he was posted to No.46 Training School at Catterick on 19th February 1918 which was part of No.19 Wing.
