Ed's Carrier Landing Mishap

It was during carrier qualifying when Ed Scharch had his landing accident. He has one or two successful landings and takeoffs. But it was on his next run that he failed to "trap" his plane with the tailhook and arresting cable. His plane skidded overboard and crashed into the cold waters of Lake Michigan.

There are missing service records of Ed's that don't account for the Operational training phase he obviously received, as carrier qualification was typically the final hurdle of that phase.

During WWI it took about 8-weeks to complete Operational training before Naval Aviators were sent to CQTU (carrier qualification training unit). Ensign Scharch may have arrived at Glenview in early May 1944. In which case the temperatures of Lake Michigan were still fairly hypothermic following a typical Midwest winter.

More than once, Ed mentioned briefly his account of events during carrier qualification. He completed one or two successful "trap" landings out of the eight required to qualify for duty as a carrier pilot. On his next run to land onboard the carrier, as it chugged around Lake Michigan, his approach was such that he was given a wave-off by the LSO (Landing Signal Officer) and flew around for another shot.

As Ed approached the ramp (back end) of the carrier he was undoubtedly more determined to land his plane this time. Apparently he was a little too high or fast when he cut power. Missing the arresting cable with the plane's tailhook, he landed hard and was catapulted overboard into Lake Michigan where he impacted the water.  

He was able to exit the waterlogged aircraft and swim clear of his wrecked plane. Becoming quickly immersed in cold water was quite a shock. He awaited retrieval from one of the busy picket boats used for rescuing downed pilots, and spent about 15-minutes immersed in cold water.

By the time help arrived his plane had sank and he was already hypothermic. Ed remarked how he could not stop shivering long after being rescued that day. He reportedly spent about one month recovering in a naval hospital from hypothermia and back pain.

Since he did not complete carrier qualification, Ed washed out of the Naval Aviator program. It had been nearly two years since he had joined the U.S. Navy and begun extensive training as a V-5 Naval Aviation Cadet and invested much personal effort.

By middle of October 1944, Ed arrived back home in Milwaukee in time to celebrate his parents 25th wedding anniversary. A photo taken with his family on or around Oct 11, 1944, shows Ed wearing a Navy uniform.

Throughout the war, roughly 120 planes missed the carriers' flight decks and plunged to the bottom of Lake Michigan. Eight pilots were lost, but the remainder were rescued by the Coast Guard, using two winterized watercraft which trailed along behind the carriers during flight operations.

Edward was extremely fortunate to have survived the accident. He was also relieved that he would not be climbing back into the cockpit. As he once quipped with a friend, "I wanted wings till I got them, then I didn't anymore."

Studies on hypothermia show a water temperature of 50 °F can lead to death in as little as one hour, and water temperatures near freezing can cause death in as little as 15 minutes. The actual cause of death in cold water is usually the bodily reactions to heat loss and to freezing water, rather than hypothermia itself. For example, plunged into freezing seas, around 20% of victims die within 2 minutes from cold shock; another 50% die within 15–30 minutes from cold incapacitation. Exhaustion and unconsciousness cause drowning, claiming the rest within a similar time.

Between 1942 and 1945, there were a total of 200 accidents with 128 aircraft losses and eight pilots killed during carrier qualification exercises. However, there were over 120,000 successful landings and an estimated 35,000 pilots who qualified.

Ed at home in Milwaukee with family for his parents' 25th wedding anniversary in Oct 1944.

Although he once said the Navy chow was pretty good, Ed looks content while gazing at some home cooking for a change.

Discharged and Drafted Back

This was just the first half of Ed's service in the U.S. Navy during the war. Following a short convalescence he was discharged from the Navy. The date of separation was not found in his records.

He returned home to his family in Milwaukee, unsure of what would happen next, as the war was still being waged with Germany and Japan.

In October 1944 his parents celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary, which must have felt like a homecoming, except for two of Ed's brothers who were still in the service with one in England and the other in Alaska.

Ed's service records appear to be incomplete as there is nothing documenting  his activities after being commissioned on 14 March 1944 as Ensign, A-V(N), USNR. The next document in his records are his reenlistment papers from 26 July 1945. They refer to his previous service from 10/29/1942 to 3/28/1945 when he was given an Honorable Discharge at rank of Ensign (A1), USNR after serving 2 years and 4 months.

There were 379 days between his graduation and commissioning on 14 Mar 1944 and his discharge on 28 Mar 1945, and no mention of his activities or stationing while in the service.

A month later, he received a draft notice from the Navy, and he was ordered to report to Great Lakes in Chicago. He thought it was quite odd that the Navy drafted him back in after just discharging from the service. But that was typical for many Navy pilots who "washed out" of their aviation training during the war.

In Retrospect

There should be an aircraft accident report for Ed's mishap during carrier qualification in 1944.

According to the Naval History and Heritage Command's (NHHC) website, "As training vessels, mishaps, accidents, crashes, and losses from the decks were expected. Between 1942 and 1945, the years of the carriers’ operations, there were 128 losses and over 200 accidents. Although the majority of losses resulted in only minor injuries, a total of eight pilots were killed. These numbers seem significant until it is considered that during that time over 120,000 successful landings took place, and an estimated 35,000 pilots qualified. The training program, in this light, was a huge success."

“The Navy’s Historic Aircraft Wrecks in Lake Michigan.” Naval History and Heritage Command. U.S. Navy, July 28, 2017. https://www.history.navy.mil/research/underwater-archaeology/sites-and-projects/aircraft-wrecksites/aircraft-wrecks-in-lake-michigan.html.

The U.S. Navy maintains a collection of ship's (deck) logs and individual Aircraft Accident Cards. They were recorded between 1942-45 when carrier qualification flight operations took place on Lake Michigan with training carriers USS Wolverine IX-64 and USS Sable IX-81. The Aircraft Accident Report (AAR) collection is archived in Washington D.C., but is not available to the public. Each record describes each incident and assigns blame.

In late 2015, I spoke with the Historian and Artifact Collection Manager at the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Florida. According to Mr. Hill Goodspeed, the Aircraft Accident Reports (AARs) are on Microfilm, which have 1-2 page general paragraph summaries noting accident cause and assigned blame.

On February 26, 2018 a reply was received from Dr. Catsambis, a registered professional archeologist, senior marine scientist, and principal policy advisor with the Naval History & Heritage Command. He reviewed the records of the Underwater Archaeology Branch, but did not immediately find Ed Scharch's name directly associated with a lost aircraft. Without having the Bureau Number of the aircraft flown, it seems any accident record that may exist will probably not be found.

There were 128 aircraft lost between 1942-45 during CQ operations on Lake Michigan, with only six shallow-depth recoveries occurred at the time. Since the late 1980's, a Chicago-based company called A and T Recovery, LLC, has specialized in the deep-water recovery of many lost planes. A&T R has recovered nearly 40 aircraft from the lake bed on behalf of the National Museum of Naval Aviation.

The numbers suggest about 82-88 lost aircraft are still sitting on the bottom of the Lake Michigan. If Ed's ditched plane was indeed lost, as he said, it is among the others that have been sitting on the bottom since 1945. Either way, his name should still be among the Aircraft Accident Reports or aircraft carrier's deck logs.

Undoubtedly a life changing event

 Ed Scharch was most likely flying a Wildcat or Hellcat type fighter during his carrier landing accident, with either training carrier USS Wolverine or USS Sable.

The accident occurred just before the end of his the flight training program would have concluded. He already been assigned to a coastal patrol squadron on the East Coast of the Atlantic Ocean, and said he would have been tasked with searching for enemy submarines.

According to Hill Goodspeed, it was not unlikely for coastal squadrons to fly patrol missions in fighter-type aircraft. The coastal patrol squadron was land-based with fighter, torpedo bomber, and scout bomber aircraft in use. Given Ed's combat assignment, his account of flying the Grumman F6F Hellcat fighter has greater validity.

Knowing any details of the accident would be an incredible find. The experience undoubtedly impacted his life. There is no shame in having washed out of  naval aviation, and surviving his harrowing experience. No shame whatsoever. You would not be reading this, had he perished.  

There are ongoing efforts to recover WWII aircraft from the depths of Lake Michigan. However, these artifacts are degrading at an accelerated pace. This is do to the many years spent submerged under water, and the influx of zebra mussels in the lake. The invasive species form a thick crust on the airframes causing extensive damage and making restoration efforts of these old airplanes extremely difficult. Also, some aircraft cannot be disturbed if deeply embedded in the lakebed.