The Tragic End of the original Miss Veedol

A little more than 92 years ago, on October 5th, 1931, Clyde Pangborn and Hugh Herndon Jr. performed a controlled crash landing. The original and historic Miss Veedol touched down without landing gear at Fancher Field in East Wenatchee. Their bumpy landing concluded the first trans-Pacific non-stop flight. The eventful flight lasted 41 hours - starting in Misawa, Japan, and concluding in East Wenatchee, Washington.

The Miss Veedol crew’s first desired landing spot was Vancouver B.C. or Seattle.

Upon arriving in the Pacific Northwest, much of which was socked in with cloud cover. This was a factor in missing both intended landing sites. Landing in Boise, Spokane, and Pasco was also attempted - but not possible due to the unwelcome cloud cover.

Why East Wenatchee?

That made Wenatchee and Fancher Field (East Wenatchee) their eventual landing site. The two-man crew jettisoned the landing gear three hours after takeoff - which allowed for less air resistance and longer range. Not having wheels resulted in damaging the bottom of the plane and bending of Veedol's propellor - still on display at the Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center.

Click here to see Miss Veedol after it skidded to a full stop at Fancher Field in 1931

The Original Miss Veedol's Tragic Ending

The airplane was repaired.

But lost on a trans-Atlantic flight from Long Island, New York to Rome, Italy - in September 1932. 

Why was it named Miss Veedol?

Co-pilot Hugh Herndon Jr's mother, Alice Carter Herndon was the heiress of the Tidewater Oil Company - a manufacturer of Veedol motor oil.

The Miss Veedol we get to see today - is a replica

In 1998, The Spirit of Wenatchee - a nonprofit group set up to raise funds and build a replica of the historic plane that flew across the Pacific - nearly 100 years ago. They set out -and made their goal -  of having a flyable replica to celebrate the 100 Years of Powered Flight activities to take place nationwide in 2003.

The team that made Miss Veedol was fueled by love

Read more about the Spirit of Wenatchee's mission to build this beloved plane here.

You can see it flying above the Wenatchee Valley and hear its loud and proud Pratt and Whitney radial engine on Apple Blossom parade days, Memorial Day, the 4th of July, and Labor Day Monday.

INFO: Wenatchee Valley Museum & Cultural Center, Spirit of Wenatchee