Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1921-05-31
BOARD To PROBE
PLANE ACCIDENT
HAS BEEN NAME D
VIII Endeavor to Determine
Whether the Crash Rer
suited From Any Defect
or MiSmanagement.

Washington, May 30--Appoirt-
ment OF a board of three Officers
OF the army air service to invesi-
gate cirCumstanC surrounding the
accident i'm which five army men
and two civilians lost their lives
when big army Curtiss- Eagle
ambulance ahplane crashed in 9.
severe storm Saturday night. was
announced TO-DAY by Major NJ. T.
Scanlon, commandant at Boiling
Field
The Officers named are Captain
w. c. Ocker, who was caught in
the storm while flying from
plane; Lieutenant p. c. Wilkins,
who was the first army officer to
go to the scene of the crash, and
| Lieutenant Leroy Wolfe. They VIII
! endeavor to determine among 9TH
err things, whether the crash re-
suited from any defect in design or
equipment Of the airplane. or from
! anymistake or mismanagemen. by
| the pilot. Lieutenant S. NJ. Anes,
and whether the five army menmet
| death in line of duty.
! AmTS Good Pilot.
Flying officers asserted their be-
| lief chat Lieutenant Ames had not
lost his head" and therefore had
| been, in Il measure at least, re-
sponsible for the accident. He
was one of the best pilots in the
! service, they declared. They we're
also inclined to discredit reports
that the wrecked machine wal de-
fec:ive, Major Scanlon declared
he had piloted a similar olane
without the ambulance equipment
F.! to New York with eight passengers
recently and found it satisfactory.
The board visited the ,wresk to-
day and took the testimony q per-
sons nearby. They made Il study of
the wreckage and had it turned,
as it was considered unsanitary.
No part of the plane was sAlvage-
able. officers said.
Watches Stopped at $40.
1t seemed probable that the de-
tails of the accident would never
be known. An examination of the
personal effects of the victims
showed six of the seven watches
had stopped at $40 p, M, fixing
the time of the crash, lit was be-
| lieved. The seventh watch stopped
at 6:25. The board was expected
to report tomorrow. ..r.,rss..'. .s.
Major r. C. Turner, IN charge of
marine corps aviation it became
known today. had a narrow escape
in the storm which caused the
wreck of the Eagle, as well as send
, ing a Fokker plane, piloted by Cap
| +rf, yXTntuht Et1inE down
| at Rock Point, Md. and giving
Brigadier General William Mitchell,
assistant chief of army aviation and
Captain Ocker, his aide. some
thrilling moments He was flying
from Langley FIELD to Boiling
Field and ran into the outer edge
of the storm. He headed for
the river. thinking 10 make the
marine landing field at Quantico,
Va.
Wind Reduced Speed.
"When the storm hit me. I was
flying at about 1100 feet" he
said 81 was in a two-seat plane
with Lieutenant Sanderson as a
passenger. When we caught the
direct blast of the wind our speed
was cut to five miles an hour and
almost before we knew what had
hit us we were knocked down
from HOO feet to about 400 ir
one drop. The ship was out OF
control.
"The wind changed almost in
stantly and the resulting cross cur
rents and air pockets We're terrible
1t rained harder and the wind went
down as we came in sight of Guam.
tico and as we ciroled over the field
there the sun came out few min
utes and we made. a landing"
After he had made his landing
Major Turner found the propeller
of his plane badly split.