Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1921-05-30
An Army CurtisS- Eagle AM
bulanCe Is Dashed to
Pieces in Maryland, Forty
Miles From Washington.
VICTIMS BODIES
BADLY MUTILATED
Accident Was the Worst in
the History of Aviation in
the United States, Say
Army Officers.

Washington, May 29 (by the AS
sociated Press) Seven men, five
Of the army and two civilians, were
killed in the wreck OF an army
Curtlss- Eagle ambulance alrplane
near Indian Head, Md. forty miles
southeast of Washington. yesterday
evening in terrific wind and cleo
trical storm.
The dead
Lieut.. Col. Archie Miller, L. S. A.
NJ, H., Washington. d. c.
Maurice Connolly of Dubuque,
Iowa, former member of the house.
A. G.. Batchelder of Washington.
D. c., chairman of the board of
the American Automobile associa-
ton.
Lieut.. S. NJ. Ames of Washing
ton. pilot.
Lieut.. c, w. McDormott, Lang
ley field. Virginia.
Lieut.. j. NJ. Pennewill, Langley
field, Virginia.
Sergeant Mechanic Richard
Blumenkranz, Washington. D. C.
Army air service officers said the
accident was the worst in the his
tory of aviation In the United
States, and that 1t was one Of the
few in which all of the passengers
in a plane had been killed almost
instantly.
Ship Strikes Nose First.
The ship struck nose first and
the force of the impact was so
great that the 400 horse power LIB
erty motor was thrown back into
the cockpit on top of the pilot and
| the passengers, AN bodies We're
badly mutilated.
The Curtiss- Eagl was returning
| from Langley field. near Newport
News, Va. and had just crossed the
Potomac river when it ran into the
storm. The exact cause of the ac-
cident probably never will be
known, as those in the machine
were dead when witnesses from
Morgantown. a village near Indian
Head reached the scene.
Probe VIII Be Ordered
An official investigation will be
ordered. at which it is possible an
, inquiry will be made into the de-
sign and practical use by the army
! OF such a machine, the only one
of it's type in the army service
fitted with ambulance equipment.
Air service officers said that when
the plane left it was apparently in
perfect condition.
Captain De Lavergne, military
attache of the French embassy,
who went in the Eagle from Wash
| ington. said tonight in his opinion
! the Eagle was unbalanced.
1T has a small motor" he said,
"of only 400 horse power. The
weight was too much; the pilot
could not control it, 1 declined to
return in it and came back by
boat"
Two Return by Train
Representatives Campbell Of
Kansas and Walsh of Massachu-
setts, who went to Langley field in
the plane, also returned by boat.
| Mr.. Campbell said that the element
OF safety had not entered into their
decision not to return in the Eagle:
that both of them were seasick
"On the way to Langley field the
air was rough and bumpy" he said.
I'VE had d wonderfully good pilot.
He would run into an air bank like
it was a hillside and then the ma
chine would drop sometimes more
| than 100 feet"
Ames Was a Good Pilot,
Brigadier General Mitchell, as
sistant chief of the army air serv-
ice, who accompanied the Eagle to
Langley field and who had battle
with the storm during his return.
said Lieutenant Ames, plotting the
Eagle, was considered a very good
! pilot.
I'VE felt no concern for his
| tContinusd on PaRs Two