Frank Tallman's Last Flight

[Larry Dighera]

In the course of researching Frank Tallman's last flight, I've come to
the conclusion that there is a lot of contradictory information
floating around. Unfortunately the on-line NTSB records only go back
to 1983.

If you can add or correct anything, please send me e-mail at:
LDig...@worldnet.att.net

Here is what I have so far:

Frank Tallman, (EAA 75) returning from a flight to northern California
scouting movie locations, was killed when his Piper Aztec hit near the
top of the Santa Ana Mountains east of El Toro Marine air base,
southeast of Los Angeles.

Died April 16, 1978 Frank Gifford Tallman III
The coroner's report said that he died of a heart attack in flight.

04/15/78 TRABUCO CANYON,CA N5641Y PIPER PA-23 FATAL (1)
33 40N 117 28W UNKNOWN AZTEC N5641Y WHITE W/YELLOW TRIM

N-Number: 5641Y
Aircraft Make: Piper
Aircraft Model: PA-23-250
Serial Number: 27-2755
Year Manufactured: 1965
Aircraft Type: Land
Engine Make: Lycoming
Engine Model: TI0-540 SER
Horsepower: 310
Airworthiness Class: Standard
Seats: 6
Type of Ownership: Corporation
Owner Name: Sale Reported
Street: 11962 S Prairie Ave
City: Hawthorne, CA 90250
FAA Region: Western-Pacific
Country: US
Last Activity Date: 16-Aug-1980

Unanswered Questions:

Correct Date of Accident:
Correct Time of Accident:
Point of Departure:
Time of Departure:
Elevation of Impact:
Description of Aircraft Damage:
Last Radio Contact:
Flight Plan:
Meteorologic Conditions:
Cause of Accident:
Cause of Death:
Purchaser of Aircraft Salvage:
Location of Aircraft Now:

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Regarding the last flight of Paul Mantz:

Paul Mantz teamed with Frank Tallman in 1960, and created Tallmantz
Aviation. Frank Tallman ran Tallmantz Movie Air. Mantz started
flying in motion pictures back in the very early days of the cinema.

Mantz met his fate during the filming of "Flight of the Phoenix"
starring James Stewart and Hardy Krüger in July 1965 in the desert
west of Yuma, Arizona.

Filming had been mostly completed and the director asked Mantz to do a
few "for effect" shots. He wanted to shoot the "Phoenix" dramatically
just clearing the top of a dune as if it had just taken off.

The aircraft was so dangerous to takeoff from the sand that the
takeoff sequence was filmed as a very low-altitude slow-speed pass,
which in editing would make it appear to be taking off (apparently
Mantz took off from a safer paved runway). Mantz successfully
completed a pass but the director wasn't certain that it had been shot
properly, so he ordered another pass.

The airplane was flown by Mantz to the dune area and signaled to begin
the sequence. He dove down below the dune and pulled up to clear it
but the airplane did not climb as he had anticipated. Tragically, the
aircraft skids dug into the sand on this pass, flipping the plane, and
decapitating him. The fuselage separated behind the cockpit.

Sadly, Mantz might have survived the crash, as the cockpit section was
relatively undamaged, but instead of a crash helmet, he was requested
to wear the soft hat that actor James Stewart wore in the film. Mantz
was not wearing a safety belt at the time because there wasn't one for
the stunt-man riding with him. Rumor has it that Mantz was
intoxicated at the time.

Afterwards it turned out that the initial footage taken on the first
pass would have been adequate.

Frank Tallman blamed himself for the rest of his life for Mantz's
death, for he was supposed to fly the "Phoenix" during Production.
Tallman was in the hospital (recovering from a fall while pushing his
son down the street in a go-cart which shattered his knee) at the time
his partner was killed when the "Phoenix" flipped over. Tallman went
to the crash site on crutches to help with the investigation. As a
result he got gangrene and had to have his leg amputated from the knee
down.

Frank Tallman had to re-test for each and every one of his pilot
ratings after losing his leg, no small feat since he held each and
every pilot rating in existence.

[Brett Justus]

Larry,

Frank Tallman was a friend of my Dad's. They met when dad contracted
to have the Anaheim Police Dept helicopter maintenance done there at
Orange Cty, now John Wayne Airport. The personal tour Mr. Tallman
gave me of his museum of warbirds helped fuel my early interest in
aviation. His funeral was quite an event with many flyovers. The
stories about his crash are indeed wide-ranging. The first rumor we
heard was that he crashed an ultra-light as he flew a canyon.

I have several clippings I keep in my yellowing signed copy of "Flying
The Old Planes":

1. <Los Angeles Times (Orange County Edition)> Monday, April 17, 1978
- "Frank Tallman, Top Movie Stunt Pilot, Dies in Crash" This article
has a photo of him posing in an old biplane replica that has a large
round "yoke" like the steering wheel of a car..

2. <Anaheim Bulletin, Monday, April 17 1978>
- "Famed stunt flier killed"

3. <Los Angeles Times, May 11>
- "Air is Crowded at Services For Frank Tallman" Has picture of the
funeral showing planes flying overhead.

4. <Business and Commercial Aviation, August, 1978> In "Cause and
Circumstance", apparently a monthly column, they blame scud-running in
marginal VFR.

Just about all of these have some degree of speculation about the
cause of the accidentPerhaps you can find an internet archival source
for these articles. If not, email your address to me and I will send
photo-copies.

- Brett

[drke...@gmail.com]

Frank Tallman told me that he lost his leg because he tripped over his grandchilds bike or scooter in his driveway. This was during a visit he and his wife made to Australia where he and Sir Douglas Bader were invited to join the last Great Australian Air Race organised by Malcolm Mclean.

During the flight from Perth to Sydney everyone landed in a small town where the spent the night sleeping in tents. When Frank heard Douglas trying to get up to relieve himself he sat up and said in his unique American drawl, "hey Bader, make sure you don't pick up the wrong leg" to which Douglas said, "yes sir I don't want to fall over". Frank Tallman was over six foot tall and only had one false leg and Bader being so much shorter and losing two it was very funny and heard by all and the next thing was hearing the entire camp breaking into laughter. The two men made the trip extremely entertaining but it was Bader with his two tin legs who had the last laugh because he went on to dance with the ladies while Tallman sat watching. It was too difficult for him to balance and being so tall he'd need supporting.

The race was won by Australian Army Aviation pilots who we're pretty chuffed at being presented their prizes by such heroic aviators as Frank Tallman and Sir Douglas Bader. Dr Jacqueline Kerr