Biography
Born 1/11/1915 in Holbrook, NE, to parents Charles W. Van Cleave and Sarah Daisy Whitney. After his father’s death in 1920, his mother moved the family to Boulder, CO, so her children could attend the University of Colorado. Francis graduated from CU in about 1937, enlisted in the Army in 6/1941 and earned his pilot wings 3/16/1942. He was married to Elizabeth S. Brandt, a Boulder resident and CU student, on 2/6/1942 and made their home at 769 University Ave in Boulder. 2nd Lt Van Cleave was assigned to Boca Raton AAF, Florida, which was noted for its development, testing and training of airborne radar, at the time a top-secret and experimental technology.
Circumstances
Take-off accident. 2nd Lt Francis Van Cleave, with 325 flying hours, was the pilot of a Douglas RA-20A Havoc flying a student training mission (radar operator). From the official Report of Aircraft Accident, plane mushed into the ground approximately 250 yards beyond the end of the runway, then climbed steeply to an altitude of from 200 to 500 feet, made a complete roll, hit the ground at a vertical angle of approximately 45 degrees. Due to fatality of all personnel involved (2nd Lt Van Cleave, Sgt Joseph A Whitmore, Jr., Sgt Allen W. Du Bois, Cpl Charles H. Franks) and the distance of all eyewitnesses from the accident it was impossible to determine the actual cause of the accident.
