Cornelia Fort
Cornelia Clark Fort (February 5, 1919 – March 21, 1943) was an American aviator who became famous for being part of two aviation-related events. The first occurred while conducting a civilian training flight at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, when she was the first United States pilot to encounter the Japanese air fleet during the Attack on Pearl Harbor. She and her student narrowly escaped a mid-air collision with the Japanese aircraft and a strafing attack after making an emergency landing.
Cornelia Clark Fort | |
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Cornelia Clark Fort, resting on her plane | |
| Born | February 5, 1919 Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Died | March 21, 1943 (aged 24) near Merkel, Texas, U.S. |
| Education | Sarah Lawrence College |
| Occupation | Aviator |
| Years active | 1940–1943 |
The following year, Fort became the second member of what was to become the Women Airforce Service Pilots or WASP. 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. She was involved in a mid-air collision and crashed ten miles south of Merkel, Texas, in Mulberry Canyon.