The New York herald., 1922-04-18
Lieut.. D. NJ. Lewis's Voight
Hits Fokker Piloted by
Lieut.. Il. M. Randall.
LATTER HAD PASSENGER
One Airplanc Falls Into Net
] work Of Wires and Other
Strikes Barracks.
Special Dispatch to THE New YORK HERALD
New York Herald Bureau.
Washington, ID. c., April IL.

Washington, ID. g., April IL.
Two Marin. Corps airplanes got
into collision while engaged in battles
practice 4,0fc feet above the flying
Field at Qua7uco, Va. to-day and three
aviators were killed.
One airplane, single scatter. ran
Snto the other, carrying two men, and
the wings of both machines were
smashed. The aviators tried desper-
ately to save themselves, but their
crippled machines carried them to
death, one into a network of telephone
wires and the other into "a section OF
the barracks.
The officers killed were Lieuts. Earl
M. Randall of winchester. Mass, and
Duncan NJ. Lewis of. Memphis. The
other victim was Private Joseph
Dooghe of Chicago.
Lieut.. Randall was flying a Fokker
and Private Dooghe was "a passenger.
Lieut.. Lewis was in Wight. one of
the fast and easily maneuvered types
in the military service. Lieut.. Lewis,
according to accounts ran into Lieut..
Randall
Preparing for "Dog Fight"
Both airplanes were preparing to en-
gage In what is known in military
flying circles as ae'.doS fight" that
is. combat between two machines.
Both were fast and OF the so-cslIed
pursuit type. as distinguished from
bombing airplanes. the Fokker took
off first and was circling the field. pre-
pairing for a climb to the prescribed
altitude for the contest. in which each
airplane was to seek to outmaneuver
the other.
Just as Lieut.. Randall was returning
from the first lap around the field
Lieut. Lewis took off. His machine
climbed rapidly. overtaking the ma
chine of Lieut.. Randall jus. ahead 1t
is doubted whether Lieut. Randall knew
Lieut.. Lewis was going toward him.
Lieut.. Lewis was seen shooting his
airplare upward in desperate effort
TO avoid collision. but II was no use
The wings of the Voight machine tore
through those of the Fokker and both
iungcd to the side, fatally crippled
Many See Struggle for Life.
There were near the hangers one hun
dred or more Marine Corps officers
and enlisted men. together with a few
civilians, who saw the crash. Instantly
they realized that the pilots OF both
machines were fighting for their lives
and for the one chance in thousand
that they would be able to make some
sort of landing without a crash.
Lieut.. Randalrs machines upper wing
was so badly crumpled that the air
NJ
the direction of some telephone wires
strung along one end of the field. Had
the wires not been there Ii liz possible
he would have accomplished land.
ing. crashing up the airplane, but per-
haps escaping with his life and that of
his passenger.
When the airplane hit the wires.
which were torn away. the machine
crumpled to the ground, the occupants
under the wreckage. Lieut. Randall
was living when taken out OF the tam
gled mass, but died within half an
hour without rcgaining consciousness.
Private Dooghe was killed instantly.
Meantime, at another corner OF the
field, Lieut.. Lewis was fighting for his
life. his voight also fatally crippled,
the left wing hanging limp, like that
Of a bird which had been shot Itl
was impossible for him to get the ma
chine on a straight line. At terrific
speed 1t shot forward and into sec
tion of the barracks occupied by the
personnel assigned to the flying field
Crashes Into barracks.
Lieut. Lewis was killed instantly.
The machine was a total wreck. That
portion of the barracks which he hit, of
finsy wood construction. crumpled
under the force of the airplane. which
was going 100 miles an hour.
The accident happened just before
o'clock, almost at the close Of day
passed with the most intensive battle
practice. Both pilots had been up be-
fore during the day In the same ma
chimes. They had been engaged In
the same sort OF practice they we're
starting out for when the accident
brought them to the ground.
The story Of what happened was re-
lated to. THE NEw York HERALD cor
respondent in Washington by telephone
tonight. Quantico is Marine Corps
cantonment about fifty miles south OF
Washington. Within the last year II
has been the scene of three serious
accidents. costing FIVE lives. 1t was not
far from Quanticp that the army air
service hospital ,,irplane crashed less
than year ago during a storm while
flylng from Langley Field 70 Washing
ton, killing It's seven occupants. four
army officers. one enlisted man and two
civilians
Washington learned Of to-day's ac-
cldent by telephone at once. MaJor-Gcn.
lie Jeune, commandment of the Marine
Corps. upon receipt OF the Information.
conveyed II Immediately 10 Secretary
DENLY, at the Navy Department His
first report. however. was meager in de-
tails. All that was known for several
Continued on Page Nine.