Archie Twitchell

Twitchell was born in Pendleton, Oregon, on November 28, 1906. He made his first solo flight in 1923. Two years later, he began an acting career that took him through over 100 movies and television shows. His six-foot, one-inch stature with his grey eyes and brown hair suited the camera.^[1] He was sometimes billed as Michael Brandan/Brandon/Branden.^[2]

Twitchell was also a pilot. Between making pictures, he flew. He toured air shows across the country in 1936, and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Air Force in 1942. According to the Associated Press, during the war he tested fighter planes in North Africa and flew transports. In 1951, he tested planes in Israel for the Israeli Air Force. Beginning in February 1955, he had become a production test pilot for the Douglas Aircraft Co.^[3]

On January 31, 1957, Twitchell was co-pilot on a test flight of a new Douglas DC-7B four-engine airliner over Southern California. The four crew failed to see a Northrop F-89 Scorpion fighter, also on a test flight, in time to avoid a mid-air collision. The Scorpion, coming out of 90-degree turn, struck the DC-7B almost head-on at 11:18 A.M., approximately 1–2 miles NE of the Hansen Dam spillway in the San Fernando Valley. With some 8 1/2 feet of the end of its port wing severed, the DC-7B continued on a westward heading for about 4 miles before breaking up 500 feet (150 m) to 1,000 feet (300 m) above the ground; its wreckage impacted in the courtyard of the Pacoima Congregational Church, across the street from Pacoima Junior High School near the corner of Laurel Canyon Boulevard and Terra Bella Street in the Pacoima area of Los Angeles; debris killed three students and injured some 74 others. California, killing all four crew.

The CAB accident report states that "At 1118 activity in the Douglas radio room was interrupted by an emergency transmission from N 8210H. The voices were recognized by radio personnel familiar with the crew members. Pilot Cart first transmitted, 'Uncontrollable,' Copilot Twitchell then said, 'We're a midair collision – midair collision, 10 How (aircraft identification using phonetic How for H) we are going in – uncontrollable – uncontrollable – we are ... we've had it boy – poor jet too – told you we should take chutes – say goodbye to everybody.'"^[4]