Serial Number

Model

Registration

Date of Manufacturing

ATC

Price (USD)

Engine

Propeller

Current Status

History

The airplane was sold brand new to Cliff Durant on November 6th, 1935. Durant was a pioneer aircraft operator, whose claim to fame was as a foremost automobile racer. His father was an auto manufacturer, founder and head of General Motors.

The ship left the factory without a forward cockpit hole cut out. That space was utilized as an extra baggage and fuel compartment. It had a 40 gallon fuel capacity, by installing an auxiliary fuel tank of 16 ½ gallon capacity. The aircraft as also fit with an RCA AVR-7 radio. The aircraft was registered as an ST-B (X14953) according to original papers, but all further reference are to an ST-A.

The ship had a radio and special instruments installed, the original engine; SN 172 was removed and replaced by SN 192 by the Ryan company.

While awaiting delivery of his aircraft Durant spent much time at the Ryan school taking special advanced navigation courses under the direction of Lt. Commander Lloyd Gray, well known Ryan pilot and instructor.

Durant was a colourful character of the day, involved in both auto racing and aviation, he raced against Barney Oldfield on occasion, and also raced at Indianapolis.

Durant used the Ryan mainly for sport flying. He passed away on his farm in Michigan, on October 30th, 1938.

In 1938, The aircraft then became the property of Walter J Brown, a fixed base operator in Sacramento, California.

On June 5th, 1939, Mr. Elwell W. Hough, 53 of Forest Hills California, a mine operator and not a pilot , and Grafton Terrill Reed, 43 of Auburn, California, a private pilot with about 400 hours experience, and a motion picture operator and auto salesman, were killed in this aircraft which they had rented from Brown.

The Pilot and passenger had lunch at the Auburn Club, a restaurant which is about a mile east of the airport, and upon leaving said they would come back shortly and circle with the Ryan. They took off from the Auburn Airport, and climbed to 1000 feet above the surrounding hill tops. The Auburn Club is located in a very small canyon through which runs a highway with telephone and power lines at the side.

The Pilot circled the club once or twice, waved at people on the ground, and then put the Ryan into a dive towards the building, continuing to wave while making the dive. In the Pullout he failed to notice a 40 foot power line pole ahead, the right wing striking this pole about three feet from the top, splitting the pole. This threw the plane to the highway in a rather flat angle from which it bounced up about fifteen feet and into an orchard on the bank at the side of the road, across from the club. The aircraft was destroyed.

Ownership History

• R Clifford Durant, Hollywood, California;

• Walter J. Brown, Sacramento, California

Current Ownership

• None

Notes

Via FAA records the registry N14953 previously assigned to an Embraer 145LR jet, (deregistered) belonging to Wells Fargo Bank, Salt lake City, is now shown as on hold.