Miles Rapley Hunter, Jr.

Graduating Class
1942

Major
Pre-Medicine

Activities at Clemson
Private; Corporal; First Sergeant; Lieutenant Colonel; Tiger Brotherhood 2, 3, 4; Scabbard and Blade, First Lieutenant 4; Rifle Team 2, Manager 3, Captain 4; Minor "C" Club 2, 3, Vice-President 4; Sigma Epsilon 2, 3, Secretary-Treasurer 4; Kappa Gamma 1, 2, Secretary 3, President 4; Y. M. C. A. Council 4; Commencement Marshal 3; Pershing Rifles 1, 2, Regimental Staff Sergeant 3, Major 4; Sophomore, Junior, Senior Platoons, Alternate Senior Platoon Commander; Master Cadet, Expert, R.O.T.C. Camp, Clemson, SC

Hometown
Gray Court, SC

Family
Mr. and Mrs. Miles R. Hunter, Sr.

Service & Rank
Army Air Force, Second Lieutenant

Unit
Instructor - Spence Field, Georgia

Date of Birth
Sep 27, 1921

Date of Death
Jul 13, 1943

Details of Death
Lieutenant Hunter was killed in a plane collision in full flight with another aircraft while in a routine training flight about 3 miles south of Omega, Georgia, 12 miles NE of Spence Army Air Force Base, Georgia.

Barrow Stone Location
SE

Additional Information

Organization:Location Spence Army Air Field,Georgia;    Group:20th SEFT;    Type of Mission: Training;      Date: 13 July 1943;        Location of Crash: 14 miles NE Spence AAF Base;     Reason Aircraft was Lost: Collision in full flight with another aircraft while in formation.

Narrative: This accident was caused by inexperience and lack of pilot ability.  A/C Wilson had joined on a strange airplane after losing his leader in a formation flight.  Lt. Hunter was following A/C Wilson in trail trying to attract his attention and get him back into formation.  Lt. Hunter was following on the outside left turn and slightly in trail.  A/C Wilson discovered he was following the wrong airplane and turned up and away from the airplane in front.  This turn brought him directly in front of the airplane flown by Lt. Hunter.  Lt. Hunter attempted to avoid collision by pulling up. His attempt failed and the two airplanes hit.  A/C Wilson went down with his airplane.  Lt. Hunter jumped but evidently hit the tail.  A/C Loosen parachuted safely out of Lt. Hunter’s airplane.

1. This accident could have been avoided had A/C Wilson looked behind before turning or could have been avoided if Lt. Hunter had gone down instead of pulling up.
2. It is recommended that all pilots be warned of the necessity of knowing the position of all airplanes in formation and of looking before making a turn out of formation.

Other: After graduation from Clemson, Lieutenant Hunter was commissioned in the infantry in May, 1942.  He received his pilot wings at Spence Field flying school in Moultrie, GA.  While he was there he took second place in aerial gunnery.  He was an expert in both aerial and ground gunnery.  He had just returned from Randolph Field, TX where he attended the Central instructor’s school in preparation for a flight instructor at Spence Field.  He received his pre-flight training at Maxwell Field in Montgomery, AL; his primary training at Lakeland, FL; and his basic training at Shaw Field.  The Lieutenant Miles Rapley Hunter Scholarship Award at Clemson is given in his memory.

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