The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1921-05-30
PROBE FATAL CRASH
OF ARMY AIRPLANE
COSTING SEVEN LIVES
(Rv Associated Pressl

1
official investigation of the crash dur
ing storm late Saturday near In
dian Head, Md. of the ambulance
| airplane in which seven men. five
| army officers and two civilians met
death. The fact that every occupant
of the machine was willed, making it
! necessary for a board of inquiry to
depend largely upon the observations
of distant eye witnesses in forming its
conclusions, made it appear doubtful
that he exact cause of the disaster
could ever be developed.
! The plane, a Curtiss Eagle, which
| had been Invested Of its ambulance
equipment, was making return
flight from Langley field. Virginia, to
! Washington, when it encountered
| severe electrical storm accompanied
by winds estimated to be blowing al
hundred miles velocity
Eye witnesses said the plane, IN
able to make Roadway in the face
of the wind, descended apparently in
an effort to make a landing, but after
dropping TO within a few hundred
feet of the ground approached
clump of trees and swerved upward
The trees were cleared, but as the
i plane started for the open field. il
was seen to culver, turn over and
dive vertically to the earth.
Find Seven Dead.
, Those who reached the wreck first
found all seven men dead. All the
bodies were closely grouped together.
some of them badly mutilated by the
| engine which had been torn from.
its bed and being thrown backward.
cutting the men down like a scythc
as 1t plunged through the narrow
passenger compartment of the plane.
A watch found later, had stopped at
6:25 O'Clock, showing the exact time
of the tragedy.
Army officers who later visited the
wreckage, said it was the worst they
had ever seen and were at a loss TO
understand how it could have resulted
from such short fall. Several Of
ficers killed were decorated for ser.
vice IN the world war and both of the
civilians were widely known in public
life.
Won Medals.
| Lieutenant Colonel Miller served in
the Spanish-American war, Philippine
llnsurrection, where he won the con-
gressional medal of honor and in the
world war. He at one time was in
command OF Mitchell field, Long Is
land. Lieutenant Stanley NJ Ames.
who had been married only about
three weeks. served in both the Can
adam and American forces overseas
and suffered a severe bayonet wound
while with the Canadians He was re.
garded as an expert pilot as we'll as
an authority in aero engineering Both
he and Lieutenant Miller made their
home in Washington
Lieutenant Cleveland W Mcner
mott, whose home was in Syracuse,
n. Y, was stationed at Langley field
He served in both the Cana dian and
American flying forces and was deco
rated by both governments for valor
in the world war. He was officially
credited with bringing down two Ger
man planes. Lieutenant John NJ.
. Pennewell was stationed at Langley
field. having recently been sent there
from Kelley field, Texas, for the aer-
ial bombing operations to be held next
month. Little was known here of his
record. Sergeant Richard Blumen-
kranz, an expert mechanic, was sta
toned at Boiling field here.
Civilians Killed
Maurice Connolly. one of the civil
ians, native of Dubuque, Ia, wa
sales manager of the Curtiss Airplane
and he served in the air service dur
ing the war with the rank of major
He was a graduate of Cornell and the
New York Law school, and was active
in state and national politics. A. G.
Batchelder. the other civilian killed
was former newspaperman and one
of the organizers of the American Au-
tomobile association and chairman OF
its board of directors. He was a ma
tive of Attica, N. Y.
The bodies of all the victims were
/. brought to Washington and taken to
Walter Reid hospital, where they
were being held pending advices from
relatives. Other mechanics returning
, from the Langley field maneuvers
were caught in the sa me storm that
sent the big ambulance plane down.
and several filters narrowly escaped
death One of these was Brigader-
General William Mitchell, assistant
chief of the a rmy air service. who
finally bested the elements and es-
capped the storm area by going out of
his course before landing at Boiling
field
Captain B. S Wright, flying a FOX
ker machine, did not fare so well. He
was caught in the wind and forced
down. In attempting to land his plane
5 bad shaking up and bruises, although
his craft was completely wrecked.
: Members Not Named.
: Members of the inquiry board had
= not been named today and ii was ex-
: pected the investigation would not be-
gin before tomorrow. although air
service officers were busy gathering
7 matters to be presented to the board
Maj Gen. Charles T. Menoher. chief OF
the air service. was out of the city
: over Decoration day, having left Sat
, urday night before word of the smash
: was received.
? Members of the senate military com
A mittee indicated today there was M
intention to seek congressional inves-
= tigation of the accident. as the in
| ouiry ordered by Gen. Mitchell was
= expected TO bring out all known facts.
5 The accident was most regretable.
I but it seems was clearly unavoidable"
1 said Senator Capper. Kansas, a Re
I publican member of the committee 81