16 Facts About Cornelia Fort

Cornelia Clark Fort was an American aviator who became famous for being part of two aviation-related events.

Cornelia Fort was working as a WASP ferry pilot on 21 March 1943 when she became the first female pilot in American history to die while on active duty.

Cornelia Fort was involved in a mid-air collision and crashed ten miles south of Merkel, Texas, in Mulberry Canyon.

Cornelia Fort was born on February 5,1919, to a wealthy and prominent family in Nashville, Tennessee; her father, Rufus Elijah Cornelia Fort, was a founder of National Life and Accident Insurance Company.

Cornelia Fort received a high school certificate from the Ward-Belmont School in 1936.

Cornelia Fort showed an early interest in flying, ultimately training for and earning her pilot's license in Nashville.

Cornelia Fort was the second woman in Tennessee to get her commercial license and the first woman in Tennessee to get her instructors' license.

Cornelia Fort applied to many flying schools and was accepted as an instructor at a Colorado flight training school.

On December 7,1941, Cornelia Fort was in the air near Pearl Harbor teaching takeoffs and landings to a student pilot in an Interstate Cadet monoplane.

Cornelia Fort saw a military airplane flying directly toward her and swiftly grabbed the controls from her student to pull up over the oncoming craft.

Cornelia Fort quickly landed the plane at John Rodgers civilian airport near the mouth of Pearl Harbor.

Cornelia Fort made a short movie promoting war bonds that was successful and led to speaking engagements.

Cornelia Fort was the second woman accepted into the service.

Stamme had been flying too close to Cornelia Fort's plane, approaching her and then pulling back.

Cornelia Fort was able to control his plane, but Fort went into an irreversible dive and crashed.

At the time of the accident, Cornelia Fort was one of the most accomplished pilots of the WASPs.