The Washington times., 1921-05-30

REPORT I
CLEARS
THE PILOT
Board Finds Lieut.. Ames Was
Not Responsible for Boiling
Field Crash.

An investigating board comprised
Of three flying officers from Boiling
Field today completed an examine
ton Of the wreckage of the Curtiss
Eagle army plane and the circum-
stances leading up to the fatal acci-
dent which cost seven lives near
Indian Head. Nd, Saturday night.
PILOT ExONERATED.
Tho official report, which will be
made to the army authorities, will,
II Ia understood, set forth that the
giant plane was not detective in any
respect: that Lieutenant Ames, the
pilot. waa/An exceptionally aeis flyer
and In no way Responsible for the
fatal crash. and that the entire blame
for the tragedy must be laid to the
electrical storm of unprecedented
sharpness and violence. W
The board was composed Of Capt.
w. B. Ocker. Lieut.. Paul T. wilkins,
and Lieut.. L. ". Wolf.
Secretary Of War Weeks annsaneea
today that he believes the Aisaster
was unavoidable and was due entire
to the sudden storm.
PROBE UNDER WAY.
In addition to the official investi-
Lieutenant Wolf and Captain Ocker.
all OF Boiling Field-Glcnn II.
Curtiss, manufacturer OF the ship.
has assigned men from the Curtiss
plant to learn whether the crash was
due in any way to failure of the
ship. The manufacturer issued a
statement today in which he pointed
| out that tho Eagle had up to this
time maintained 100 per cent record
in bot. official and civilian use.
Centralized control of flying was
advocated by Brigadier General
Mitchell, assistant chief of the army
air service, as means of preventing
| more deaths in storm crashes.
Mitchell declared that Ames could
have been warned that he was head
Sg into a storm, and would have
been able to turn from II In safety.
had there been a radio service to
inform him Of the storms area aad
intensity.
Mitchell faced the identical condi.
tions with which Ames was confronted
in the giant Eagle Saturday after
noon. Flying alone in a single-seater,
Mitchell himself was sent twisting
and spinning In the gale. and only By
lodging between stor :mareas did he
finally reach Boiling Field in his re-
| tion at Langley Field.
Lieut. Paul c. wilkins, who was
sent from Boiling Field to the crash
spot yesterday morning, was advised
by an eyewitness that the ambulance
plane was proceeding evenly in the
air until the storm broke. The win
was blowing a gale and rain was COM
ing down in torrents. The plane had
descended to an altitude OF hfty-fest
and was near the end OF q feid where
the pilot had evidently intended to
land. pending the passing OF the storm.
A sudden sausll struck the ship. an
| eyewitness reported. and the ship was
turned over as 1t plunged to earth.
Pilots BRIDE ON FIELD.
Lieut.. Stanley Ames. who piloted
the ship which crashed, was held in
the highest regard as flier by his
| colleagues at Boiling Field here. Of
ficers stationed at the field declared
that Ames was a most competent pilot
and that II any one could have brought
the giant ship through me storm
Ames could have done so. He had
been married only few weeks, and
his bride was waiting for him at Boil
ing Field at the hour when he met
his death.
Congressman Campbell OF Kansas
and Walsh Of MASSACHUSETTS,, who
went to Langley Field Saturday in the
! ill-fated ship. but who returned home
by boat, declared that they had not
failed to make the return trip through
fear Of danger. Both men said they
had been in the air good part of the
| day, having observed bombing expert
ments in a Martin bomber after reach
| ing Langley Field, and they had found
the air in the closed plane bad on the
| trip down.
Congressman Campbell stated that
the plane had been efficiently pilotsd
| on the trip to Norfolk and that though
the air was bumpy the pilot had han
died the great machine competently.
Although the crash happened st
$50 Saturday evening. so far -
could be learned. nothing whatevsr
was done to ascertain II the occu-
pants were all dead until Lieut.. Pasi
c. wilkins, of Boiling Field. fro0