11 Air Passengers Get Landing Thrill


Camden Courier-Post – February 11, 1938

Tail Wheel of Plane Collapses at Central Airport; Nobody Injured

Eleven passengers on a Transcontinental and Western Air Transport plane got an unexpected thrill at the end of their air journey, when the “tail wheel” collapsed during the landing at Central Airport.

Neither the passengers nor the crew of three were injured and the only inconvenience for the riders was that they had to walk from the south end of the field to the Administration building.

All of the passengers were scheduled to leave the plane at Camden although the trip officially was to have ended in Newark. The flight originated on the West Coast but most of the passengers were picked up at Chicago and Pittsburgh.

R. A. Heiderman, the pilot, negotiated the landing to the Northeast-Southwest runway perfectly but as he was taxiing to the South end of the field the wheel collapsed. Heiderman purposely put the plane into a “ground loop” to stop it by turning it around on the front wheels.

The passengers were strapped in their seats and were only aware of the mishap by a slight jolt when the wheel let go. The pilot told Carl Flournoy, field manager of the line, that he thought he struck something on the runway but an inspection today revealed it in perfect condition.

The damage was repaired yesterday..


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