21 May 2014 marks the 75th anniversary of the collision of a US Army Air Corps Northrop A-17 aircraft into the main building of Lick Observatory, shortly after 7 pm on a foggy evening. Tragically, the pilot, Lieutenant Richard F. Lorenz and passenger, Private W. E. Scott were killed instantly. The aircraft burst through the external wall of the building and, after traversing the area occupied today by the Gift Shop, the gasoline soaked wreckage halted in the corridor of the main building. The tragedy is all the more remarkable in that it did not injure any staff or guests of the observatory and little or no damage was done to the scientific equipment. (Image credits: Example of A-17 in flight by United States Army Air Corps (United States Army Air Corps photograph) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons; Images of damage and wreckage by Lick Observatory).
Posted on: Wed, 21 May 2014 11:07:45 +0000
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