Crash of a Beechcraft AT-7 Navigator near Lafayette

The pilot was with a navigation instructor and navigation students on the night leg of a day mission out of San Angelo, Texas. After flying 3.7 hours, he was told to make a right turn into their destination. After turning he never saw the destination but saw a light line which was the line along Lake Charles, Lafayette, etc. instead of the supposed Shreveport-Monroe line. The pilot flew up and down the line several minutes and never identified the line code, nor could he see any familiar lights. Since he had but one hour of fuel left at this time, he decided to fly the only beam he could receive, the Lake Charles. After flying approximately 14 minutes on the beam, he picked up city lights and identified the cities. Just then he realized that he had 50 miles more to fly in order to reach Lake Charles with only 2/10ths of a fuel tank. The pilot gave the order to adjust parachutes and prepare to abandon the aircraft. After putting on a parachute himself, checking chutes and procedure for abandoning aircraft, the 2/10ths were about gone and he flew the aircraft at 110 miles per hour and then gave the order to jump. The first man jumped and the location was eight miles south of the town of Rayne. After all had cleared, the pilot trimmed the aircraft and jumped as the fuel warning lights came on. All parachuted safely; the aircraft augured into a farm field some 16 km east of Lafayette.
Source: Joe Baugher