Cornelia Clark Fort (February 5, 1919 – March 21, 1943) was an American aviator who became famous for being part of two aviation-related events.

She and her student narrowly escaped a mid-air collision with the Japanese aircraft and a strafing attack after making an emergency landing.

She was involved in a mid-air collision and crashed ten miles south of Merkel, Texas, in Mulberry Canyon.

She showed an early interest in flying, ultimately training for and earning her pilot's license in Nashville.

On December 7, 1941, Fort was in the air near Pearl Harbor teaching takeoffs and landings to a student pilot in an Interstate Cadet monoplane.

Fort saw a military airplane flying directly toward her and swiftly grabbed the controls from her student to pull up over the oncoming craft.

Stationed at the 6th Ferrying Group base at Long Beach, California, Cornelia Fort became the first WAFS fatality.

[11] On March 21, 1943, while flying in formation en route from Long Beach to Love Field in Dallas, the left wing of her BT-13 was struck by the landing gear of flight officer Frank Stamme Jr.'s plane.