SAM SCOTT 1954 - 1980 PILOT ACF GSW DAL DFW Anyone know the real story concerning Sam Scott picking up a load of ice on a DC-3 and unable to hold altitude. Barely made it into Springfield, MO. It would have been Central Airlines and before we started serving SGF. -Flip Stallings (1/27/00) I was a non-rev passenger on that flight. I think it was Dec 59 or Jan 60. Not sure but think Frosty was F/0. -Larry Thomas (1/27/00) I have some rather vivid memories about the ice incident since I was Sam's co-pilot and it was my leg to fly. And fly for my life, I did! Sam was great about splitting the flying and leaving the co-pilot alone unless he was getting things badly out of whack. We had started out that winter day in 1960 from ACF in DC-3/C-47 #794 with the usual stops at DAL, PRX, FSM, FYV, HRO and STL. Weather was winter IMC all the way but no ice. Fuel and de-icing alcohol were serviced at STL and we launched with 15 passengers into a rainy night at 6000' for HRO, FYV and an overnight at FSM. We started picking up ice after about 20 minutes in cruise. Turned on the prop alcohol and cycled the de-ice boots but airspeed started dropping off even though power was being added. We tried to get a higher altitude to get out of the icing but traffic prevented it and besides, Delta had to go to 12000' to get on top and out of the ice so that was out of the question. I would cycle the props to high RPM and back and ice would bang on the fuselage and speed would improve for a few minutes. But pretty soon there was no spare RPM to cycle with! After awhile we found ourselves trying to maintain the minimum enroute altitude (MEA) with max. continous power on both engines and 70 knots on the airspeed indicator. (Stall speed was usually about 60) Sam relayed to ATC through an AAL DC-6 high over FYV that we were declaring an emergency and we were heading for SGF but couldn't maintain the MEA. He also called the stew up and told her to get everything secured cause we might just have to go down short of SGF. So for 20+ minutes we ran those Pratt & Whitney's at full take-off power and I slowly descended to maintain the 70 knots. Finally I could maintain about 600' above the ground and 70 knots with full power but we were still in the clouds and waiting for the trees to start banging on us. We broke out of the clouds in moderate snow about 15 miles east of the city. I flew a easy turn in to land north-east and had full power on the engines all the way to the runway to maintain 65 knots with the gear down. The landing was firm and the right engine kept dying while taxiing in but we made it. Sam got out of the right seat and went inside to talk to the authorities. I just sat in the left seat for 10-15 minutes, shaking and too weak to get out of the seat. There was 5" of ice on the aircraft's nose and landing light lenses when we got it to the gate! The cause of our travail was a plugged filter screen for the prop alcohol which let ice accumulate on the prop blades spoiling their efficiency. They were not much better than clubs. And there was no flowmeters on most of our 3's so we couldn't verify alcohol flow. The next day we tried to ferry the airplane to ACF but the right engine failed on the first power reduction after take off. After the engine was changed another crew ferried it to ACF. The other engine failed enroute about the time the crew called FYV and changed the ACF estimate by an hour! Later this same aircraft was involved in two more close calls due to icing. Bob Lockett ran out of altitude at the same time he reached the runway at Gage OK and Bob Brooks had a similar scare at Stillwater OK. Bill Lassiter and I spent alot of time and energy on the safety committee but we finally got prop flowmeters on all the CEN DC-3's. The first news that the Dispatcher (Gene Owens) got that we had a problem was when the local FTW radio station he was listening broke in to report that a CEN DC-3 had crashed in southwest Missouri. They told Gene they had gotten their info from an Air Traffic Control land phone line. -Jack "Frosty" Frost (1/27/00) Do you remember who the Stew was? She quit not long after that when she walked out of the hanger at GSW for her trip and saw the airplane which was coated with ice from freezing rain the night before. She later married Danny??? (Danny Johnson) who was the Station Manager at MKO and I believe, AMA. -Jack "Frosty" Frost (1/27/00) I can still hear the ice hitting the fuselage; sounded like someone with a hammer hitting the fuselage. -Larry Thomas (1/29/00) Jeff Hutchinson came thru yesterday and spent the night with us. He mentioned that Teddy Pierce passed away sometime earlier this year. He'd gotten the news from Albert McKenzie (ex-FAL agent now working for Travel Agency out at Ft. Sill.) Teddy was a DUC agent for CN that went to LAW as Asst Mgr. He was struck by lightning on the ramp while dispatching a flight in a thunderstorm. He would have died that day except for the quick thinking of Agent Jim Stafford who administered CPR immediately and the Capt. (I think it might have been Sam Scott but I'm not sure) brought his oxygen bottle down and theygot him to breathing while the first officer radioed the tower and told them what happened and to get an ambulance. -Ray Hall (10-24-01) CN morale was good and it was a great bunch to work with. Most of the pilots were WWII vets and had very distinctive characters. You've already heard about Emmett Spinks. There was Max Gardner who was notoriously grumpy and Sam Scott who was very sensitive about weather conditions. Ice had forced him to make an emergency landing in SGF once. Leonard Pratt was a world record sail planer and could get more out of an aircraft than anybody I ever saw. He could leave DAL nearly an hour late and get to MKC on time. Most of our south bound flights went to FSM. The flight was scheduled for 16 minutes. One night Pratt and another CN DC-3 captain were in FYV operations and got to jawing at each other about how fast they could fly. Next thing we knew we had a race on our hands. They were scheduled to leave about the same time and did so - jockeying to get to the taxiway first. Pratt got to the FSM gate 9 minutes later and won that argument. When the CN/FL merger occurred, FL phased in the CV580 and adjusted the flight times for the faster speed of the aircraft. There were several times when maintenance problems causd a CV600 to be on a CV580 flight schedule thus it would get later and later - except when Pratt was flying. He could make 580 times flying the slower 600. -Dave Nichols Airliners Magazine article, Feb 2004 Sam retired Sep. 30, 1980 with 26 years per the October 1980 FL NEWS. -Jake Lamkins (11/28/04) Service Awards Ten Years Sampson Scott Captain, Fort Worth Article in CN Skywriter, Oct 1964 -Jake Lamkins (8/26/06) S SCOTT JR Pilot seniority date of 10/18/54 on the 9/1/72 FL/ALPA seniority list. -Jake Lamkins (4/30/09) My Daddy, Sampson Scott, died last night at the age of 88. He was in the Veteran's Hospital in Temple, Texas. He had suffered for many years of leg infections and bacteria eventually spreading throughout his body. He refused to go to a nursing home, and spent all but the last month here at his house in Belton, Tx with me taking care of him, and our 6-8 cats. He was absolutely himself until the very end-complaining, telling me to not have a bad attitude, and calling the fat nurses "fatbuckets". He did inform the nurse that he was going to die on the night of the 5th March. I stayed with him all night until the morning of the 6th of March, at which time he refused to eat any more. I came back to see him about 1700 and tried to make him drink some tea and eat lemon pie. He barely did either one. He MEANT to die on the 6th of March, but eventually after a few reviving sessions via my request, he passed at 0050, 7th of March 2010. I was exhausted for many years taking care of him and taking him to the hospital once a week. But I have no regrets. His graveside service is pending with the military here in Central Texas. He loved Frontier Airlines, and he loved aviation. Of this I am sure. Thank you for preserving the memory of brave pilots. -Gayle Scott (3/7/10) Dear Gayle, Thank you for letting me know about Sam and accept the condolences from all the Frontier family. I posted your email at the Frontier Club so all his old friends and co-workers would know about his passing. I'll build a memorial webpage for him too at the Frontier website. I could use a photo and his obituary when it appears. I knew Sam clear back to the Central Airlines days. In sympathy, -Jake Lamkins (3/7/10) I have things arranged for Dad's funeral. He will be having a graveside service next Monday, the 15th of March 2010. It will be at the Central Texas Veteran's Cemetary in Killeen TX @ 1300 (1pm). Dad wanted me to bury him the next day after he died, but he did not take into consideration me dealing with the federal government, so things run a little slower than desired! Also, Heartfield Funeral Home in Belton will be handling all of Sam's comings and goings, along with a military chaplain. I am still learning the specifics on flowers for the VA cemetary; the rules are strict. But I am in no need of anything- just if anyone wants to attend please feel free! To some of my friends just receiving this, my Dad passed away early Sunday morning a little before 0100 at the Temple VA hospital. His body was overcome with osteomyelitis and his heart beat as long as it could on its own. He informed the nurses and I twenty-seven hours prior to his death that he would be dying within a day. So, as usual, I was ready for his orders. -Gayle Scott (3/8/10) Deepest sympathy on your Dad's passing. Knew Sam for many years at FL. A good man. Live in FYV (Fayetteville AR) so w/be unable to be w/you but keeping you and family in our prayers. -Ken Stewart (3/8/10) I so remember really enjoying flying with Sam. He was one of a kind and a great pilot. I remember so vividly working a flight I think out of Fort Smith or Fayetteville maybe when a young fellow (maybe 20-22) was boarding the CV-580 flight. He was wearing a shirt designed with U.S. Flag Stars and Stripes, and oh, Sam didn't like that one bit! He was furious that this guy was desecrating the flag by wearing it as clothing and proceeded to climb, boots flying, out of the cockpit and down the stairs to meet him before he could step one foot on the stairs. He let him know from this way to Thursday that he wasn't going to allow him to board the aircraft with such an un-Patriotic display. It was all kind of shocking to me, but Sam was adamant about it. Unfortunately, the guy told him that his father was a lawyer, and that he better get out of his way before he called his dad to file a law suit against him and Frontier. Oh well, I don't remember beyond that what ever became of it, but it was pretty spectacular at the time. All in a day's work? Not usually. Just one of the stories from "back then". Gayle, please accept my sincere condolences on the passing of your Dad. He was a great man and a great American Patriot. God Bless! -Donna Harrison, F/A DEN/DAL/DFW/DEN '70-'86 (3/9/10) Thank you Mr. Lamkins for all you have done for my Dad. I found the Old Frontier Website a few years ago and read Dad the names of lost pilots. I even printed off some of your presentation for him and he kept it. I HAVE to tell yall that there are two mistakes on his obit published via funeral home @ Heartfield's...and I wrote it wrong. He earned his wings in North Carolina NAS and came to Corpus NAS as the 3rd duty station in 1942. I was also (from Dad's orders) supposed to put down that he had 21 duty stations while in Regular Navy. I found a letter today he had written me stating very clearly that I was to put "21 Duty Stations USN" in his obit, but I was in a hurry to get things done. So, I am telling Frontier instead! Here are a few pictures I had on my computer. Please feel free to email these to anyone. Again, thank you for your efforts and interest. -Gayle Scott (3/10/10) Thanks for the additional info and pix. I should have Sam's webpage ready to go in a few days. I'll email you when it's up and running. -Jake Lamkins (3/10/10)