FOO, Teh-Shing

Wickenburg Sun, Wickenburg, AZ Jan 7, 1946, p. 1 Pilot Killed As Plane Crashes West Of Town Many residents of Wickenburg and a number of guests on ranches in the vicinity, witnessed the crash of the Luke Field plane on the desert four miles due west of the city about 3 o’clock Monday afternoon. The pilot, lone occupant of the P-51 was killed and the plane completely destroyed. The crash was reported directly from here to Luke Field and a jeep containing officers and enlisted personnel, an ambulance and crash truck made a quick trip to the scene of the accident. According to officials at the flying field, the plane pilot was Sub-Lt. Teh-Shing Foo, who was flying his first acrobatic mission in a four-ship formation. Col. G. E. Pinkston, commanding officer of the Army Air Base at Luke Field, said a preliminary investigation indicated the student lost control of the ship while attempting an Immelman turn. The plane went into a tight spin and crashed at high speed before the pilot could jump. Inspection of the crash shortly after it occurred Monday afternoon by a representative of the SUN verifies the report that it was traveling at high speed when it crashed into the side of a hill about three-fourths of a mile north of the California highway. The scene of the fatality would indicate that the plane, after boring its way several feet into the earth, exploded scattering parts over a wide area, with fire destroying what remained of the motor and fuselage. The largest piece seen in the vicinity was a twisted section of one wing, only a few square feet in area.