Connecticut western news., 1920-05-06
AVIATOR'S COMPANION TELLS OF ACCIDENT
Further Details Regarding Death of Lieutenant
 John Greer
Kelly Field, Texas April 14th, 1920

Mir. John E. Greer, Millerton, N. Y. My dear MT. Greer:
 have your letter of a couple of days ago, and if can be of any assistance in giving you any more light on the death of Johnny, shall do my best. It is very difficult thing to tell just how things happen ed, especially since John was a mighty good friend of mine and his death affected me very much. This much want to say first: I have flown with him many times and I always felt confident of his ability to handle a ship. Now, as to just how the accident occurred, it is hard to say. We all have some opinion on the subject, but no one actually knows how it really happened.
 For about half the distance we kept pretty we'll together and I. could see Johns ship bobbing up and down, but in splendid control. It was exceptionally bumpy that day, though when we left Kelly Field the weather was all that one could de- sire. I don't know if they had any information at Kelly Field concern ing the storm. If they had I am of the opinion that they wouldn't have let us start. It seems that at San- derson they knew about the storm very early in the day, but they didn't know that we had started out. If they had, they would have warned us.
 We began to hit the storm at about Del Rio, which is about half way. After a short while we began to draw farther and farther part, and at Pumpville, it seemed that the ships that we could see were heading too far north. We followed them for while, but decided that either they were flying off their course, or they had short cut of which we knew nothing. We decided that we would do better to stick to the rail- road, so we headed south again and just did manage to- pick up the rail- road. We stuck pretty close to 1t, for if wsfwere going to crack up we thought it best to crack up near a Fasikoad. :G's, |'. After flying for over three and a half hours, and the storm getting worse, and the sun pretty nearly below the horizon, we turned. back, determined to land at Dreydon, which we had passed about ten miles back. We just were lucky in that we, had seen a possible place to land there. We just happened to be lucky that we landed safely. had every expectation -of-eraeking up. If the fesd had been B bit rougher we probably would have done so. We knew nothing of three of the pther ships. One ship we had seen heading for Sanderson just as we landed. We proceeded to telephone Sancerson to tell them of our safe Handing at Drcyden when we heard In on the wire that one ship had ,crashed at Watkins, and that the fPHot was dead but that the Mexicans tcouldn't extricate him. They did not fatnow who he was, but from their description, I surmised it was John. tAH automobile truck was sent down From Sanderson to pick us up and then we went out to the wreck. When we got there, we identified hin. The ship was pretty we'll smashed up, but we could see that it crashed head on into the side of a I ravine or gully. 1t was also appar- sear that the wind had driven 1t into the ground. Now, I imagine that John was trying to land somewhere In the vicinity, and in turning with the wind, he lost control and crashed. I don't think he had any | motor trouble, for if he had had a bad motor it would have developed long before. He probably thought he was running out of gas, and not knowing where he was he decided to land. Perhaps his motor did go bad on him and he had to get down. In that event nothing in the world could have prevented a crash. l don't remember seeing any available landing field in the vicinity of the accident, so it is just possible that his motor had gone bad. However, all that purely surmise on my part.
 I needn't tell you that it was a terrible shock to us all. Your boy wae fine fellow, a perfect gentle man and we'll liked by all who ever came in contact with him. It is a pity that he couldn't have been spared. But we all in the Air Ser vice, realize that ours is dangerous calling and that no one knows whose turn it will be next. For you, his mother, his widow and baby, we all have the deepest sympathy.
 If there is anything else I can do, just let me know and I shall feel honored to do it.
 Very sincerely yours,
 Benedict Fox l Regular meetinp of Esther Chan