This black and white, animated U.S. Navy training film from 1945 was probably made by the UPA Studios. It is from the “Granpaw Pettibone” series. The toon features the sage title character, a retired pilot himself, recounting a fatal incident involving pilot mismanagement of fuel — the crash was caused by the pilot failing to select the correct fuel tank. According to Pettibone, out of 1000 engine failure incidents caused by pilots, 50% were caused by inattention to fuel tank status. At 2:53, a pilot discusses how his tank went dry at low level and by the time he switched over, he had lost too much altitude and crashed. Other pilots talk about similar mistakes — not turning on the fuel pump, or turning the selector to a non-existent drop tank. At 4:44 Pettibone summarizes lessons learned.

In 1943, U.S. Navy Commander Spencer “Seth” Warner created the “Grampaw Pettibone” character. Designed by cartoonist Robert Osborn, the character appeared in the Naval Aviation News and on various naval aviation safety posters. These often featured case studies of pilot mistakes that proved consequential if not outright fatal. The “sage of safety” campaign proved successful enough that the Navy commissioned a series of UPA studio cartoons.

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