The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-06-12
Army Officer and Profes- sional Aviator Killed at
 Washington
THEIR NEW WRIGHT
 MACHINE COLLAPSED
Made Dip and Turned Too Sharply. The Aluminium Wings Crumbled. HazIehurst Third Army Of
 ficer Claimed by Air

|
 W. Hazlehurst Jr.. Seventeenth infantry. U. S. A, and Alfred l.. Welch. a profess sional aviator in the employ of the Wright ], brothers. were taken from under tho debris of a collapsed aeroplane. The ac- oident occurred while they were attempt- l ing to make the tests required by the government In d machine contracted for by the war department.
 Although an army board was inme- diately appointed 10 determine the cause of the accident 1t is probable the real cause of the machines failure never will be known The crash came so suddenly and unexpectedly that the two men met their death without being able to make q single move to arrest their fall. Seven army airmen were among the score of spectators, but they cannot explain the accident
 Had Stiff Climb to Make It was shortly after t o'clock that the Wright machine was run out in front of the long line of hangars. For several days Aviator welch. whose home is in this city, had been busy demonstrating the aeroplaDe All of the war depart ment's requirements had been met except a climb of 2OO0 feet within 10 minutes. carry ing load of 45O pounds. Welch knew the machine was capable of meeting the test for 1t had been accomplished at Dayton. O.. by Crville Wright before 1t was taken to College park. and he had been made | impatient by several failures.
 I'm going to make that climb tonight, or know the reason why" he said as he began to tune up. T am tired fooling." l lie added.
 l A few minutes later he announced that he was ready. Lieutenant Hazlehurst fol- lowed Welch Into the machine, taking the passengers seat. The aeroplane moved off steadily. and flew the length of the field, rising POO feet. As it was turned to- ward the group of army officers before the hangars welch dipped sharply to in- dicate to the official timer that he was I ready for the stff test climb.
 Turned Too Sharply
 The dip carried the machine to within about 75 feet of the ground and 1t then straigl1tened out sharply. too quickly the observing army flyers thought. Without warning the aluminium wings crumpicd, or collapsed upward so that they almost met above the engine. The machine dropped then turned her nose toward | the earth. and dived.
 The accident occurred about 1000 feet from the hangars. and when the first witness reached the wreck it was seen that both of the men were dead. welch was buried In the debris but the body of Hazlehurst had been catapulted fully 20 feet away after the machine strucK. Welch's clothes were practically all torn from his body. which was bruised and battered Hazlehursts skull was frae- tured. and his head badly disfgured. 1 Death to both Of the men probably l had been instantaneous. Their bodies were rushed in army automobiles to Walter Reed hospital In this city. Five minutes after the flight began the flag | over the aviation field was al half mast.
 Board of Inquiry
 Capt Charles D. Chandler, command Ing the army aviation corps. at once convened board of inquiry consisting of seven army officers who had been witnesses to the catastrophe A pre- liminary inquest shed little light upon the cause of the tragedy, as nightfall made 1t necessary to postpone the in- yestigation until tomorrow.
 The officers who are making the in- yestigation are Capt F. B. Hennessey. president Capt. Paul w Beck. Lieuts. Harry Graham. R. C. Kirtland and T. D. Milling: Lieut.. William C. Sherman of the engineer school Washington, and Lieut.. B. D. Fouls. an army avia- tor, will be among the important wit I nesses As the gathering dusk made impossible careful examination of the wrecked machine, 1t was kept intact to- night in the hope that fuller examina- ton tomorrow might partly reveal the cause of the accident.
 New Features in Machine Many new features were embodied in tho machine. evolved as a result of Or vile Wrights experiments at Kill Devil Hill, N C., last summer The Wright
 brothers always built comparatively slow craft. but the government required that the new machine should make 45 niles an hour. In speed trials several days ago 50 miles was attained. It was estimated that 1t was making about 45 miles an hour when the fatal plunge came. The wings of the craft were of aluminium instead of canvas
 but in appearance it was much like the earlier machines. II was narrowed by one foot, but with a vertical rudder, Q little larger The six cylinder engine . was of 50 horsepower instead of 30 , The opinion was expressed tonight that
 the engine was in no wise responsi- ble for the disaster.
 The Dead
 Lieutenant Hazlehurst was in his 26th
 year and was unmarried. The family
 home is at Macon. Ga. but he was ap- pointed to West Point from Mississippi. being graduated and commissioned a second lieutenant in 1908 He had been with the aviation corps since last , March, when he was detained to 1t at Augusta, Ga, the winter camp. MT welch. for several years a resi- dent of Washington. had for three years been with the Wright brothers. con ducting many of their exhibitor flights } He had made number of public ap- l pearances and after the wrights aban- doned exhibition flights, became one of their instructors. He Is survived by his wife and s-year-old daughter. Lieutenant Hazlehurst is the third army officer to die in an aeroplane plunge. Lieut.. Thomas F. Selfridge met , death in a machine which fell with him and Orville Wright at Fort Myer. Va. in september. 1908. and Lieut.. G. k.