Omaha daily bee., 1921-05-06
mail Flyer
Cren1atedin
Second Fall
Walter Bunting Is Burned to
Death When Mail Airplane
Noses Over and Catches
Fire
Left Hospital Recently

Walter NJ Bunting, air mail pilot,
was burned to death at Rock Springs,
Wyo., yesterday when his plane
turned over. Crashed to the ground
and caught FIRE lust after he had talk
en- off ior flight to Cheyenne with
the mail
Too early return TO his hazardous
work before he was thoroughly re-
covered iron, injuries sustained at
Ak-Sar- Ben !ield December "a may
have contributed to the accident.
Bunting was 20 years old and en-
tered the air mail service as pilot
November IS. 1920. On the day be-
lore last Christmas, while trying TO
make a landing during snowstorm
at Ak Sar-Bcn field here, his ship
nose -dived to the ground.
In Hospital Here.
The Young flyer was unconscious
when he was taken from the Cont
r'etely wrecked plane that time and
it was many hours later when he re-
covered consciousness i'll Nicholas
Senn hospital. His injuries consisted
oi fractured skull and brokca
hip.
During the many weeks that he
lay in the hospital bed, the young
mans thoughts were chiefly OF get
ting back to the service. Superln-
, tendcn, Votaw of Ak-SarBen field
and fly ers of the mail service visited
l;im often and checred him up. In
spite OF his narrow escape he was
Always talking of returning to the
air.
Back in Service,
He went back April 3. His plead
iugs hid availed to put him back III
his ship" at the earliest possible
time In spite of the injury to his
hip he insisted that he was quite able
70 take care of himself and his plane.
Eight sacks of mail were entirely
destroyed in the fire which also
burned the body of the aviator.
bunting is the second aviator killed
il The mail service within week.
The other was ]. t. Christensen
whose funeral was held in Blair,
Neb., Wednesday.
Second Mountain Crash.
Eunting's fatal crash occurred on
what IS considered the most danger
Gus stretch OF the trans-continental
i1a.I route. the mountain division"
belween Cheyenne and Salt Lake.
}ie is The second pilot killed on that
si;vision since it was established. The
olher was Pilot John Woodward,
lSlled near Laramie. last fall.
The wife OF Bunting lives at Car
ncys Point. n. J.. and his mother
lives in Camden, \. ].
In Omaha Sunday,
Bunting spent last Sunday in
Omaha He flew here from Chey
enne with mail last Saturday nd
few back to Cheyenne last Mord y.
FLYERS alternate on the Cheyenne
division, taking trip from Chev-
enne to Omaha and then trip nor
Cheyenne over the mountains.
Superintendent Notaw of .Ak-Sa--
Ben field said yesterday that Bunting
was in good physical condition n
recovered from the accident OF last
December except for slight limp.
He discredited report from Chey-
enne which said Bunting had to be
assisted in and out OF his ship and
but for his injury might have es.
capped from his plane before it caught
fire.
Notaw's wireless report OF the ac-
cident said the gas tank OF Buntinss
machine exploded.
Pilot Frank Wager took off from
Cheyenne at 1l:50 a. M. planning
trip to Rock Springs and return
Yesterday. He will return to
CHEYENNE with the charred mai
pouches carried by Bunting, He was
expected 10 return to Cheyenne at
$50 p. m.
Wager carried westbound mail
taken to Cheyenne from Omaha and
North Platte by Pilot Harry Z
Smith.