March 8, 1943: The Houston paper barely mentions the accident. It has little to say about the death of the first woman pilot to die in the service of her country.
Both Margaret Oldenburg and her civilian instructor, Norris Morgan were killed when their PT-19A crashed approximately six miles south of the Houston Texas Army Air Field.
When Oldenburg's classmates learn which plane crashed, members of 43-3 are horrified and furious. They know the plane was out of rig and its Form 1-A noted the plane was restricted.
The instructors wonder privately if anyone told Morgan - new to military flying - about being sure to check the Form 1-A, and not to take for granted the Flight Board assigning him the plane.
The flight instructor was covered by $10,000 insurance policy. Oldenburg had no insurance coverage. Provisions were made for the instructor's burial expenses.
All Margaret would get would be a pine box and $200, with no provision, no escort, to her body back to California.
This is such a heartbreaking story especially knowing the pain that her husband (and later, my father) lived with his entire life. How many lives would’ve been altered had that one form been seen in time? Life is precious and unpredictable.
ReplyDeleteShe must have been amazing! She was my fathers first wife. After her death, my father married my mother. We knew very little about Margaret until after both of our parents died, then my sister and I spent seceral years researching Margaret and their marriage. I wish we could have known her!
ReplyDelete