New-York tribune., 1922-05-06
Lieutenant and Ensign
Fall With Machine Into
Potomac When The Tin
of a Wing Is Torn OF
s'i'aer Two FLYERS
Make SAFE Landing
4
Propeller Being Tested
Near Washington May
Have Caused l|,e (rasl,

rom Inc frihprr'S va hunton Purcn,
WASHINGTON, May 5.-Two nsva
a7lators. Lieutenant Harold r. Soldcn
OF this city. and Ensign Frank Miller
native OF Indiana and ono Of the bcs,
propeller exports in the service. were
Nilcd this afternoon when their HYDRO
plane crashed into another plane ir
mld-alr over the Potomac River A few
miles south Of here. Two flyers in the
other hydroplanc, which was also from
the Anacosta naval air station, escaped
without injury. They we're Lieutcnanr
Commander Cecil Y Johnston, com
mandcr Of tho air station, and c, "
Jacobs, chief machinists mate.
Lieutenant Selden and Ensign Miller
were making p propeller test in PTC
plane. The other aviators were on an
ofi!clal fight test, As they snerved
toward each other over Gicsboro Point
Maryland, . short distance from the
flying field wing tip of Selden'a ship
was caught by one Of tho pontcons Of
Commander Jobnston's plane and shat
tered. The lower airshlp, with but
one whole wing, plunged straish. down
ward into the middle Of the Potomac.
Its two airmen, strapped in the fuse
lage, were carried undcr and drowned
Picked Up By Man In Roshoat
The other plane effected landing
opposite Bellevue Experiment Station,
2 milo from the place Of collision 1t
was Of the Elias type ana was badly
damaged in a)ighting Commander
Johnston and his mechanic were picked
Up by Edward II. Eaton, % Gieshoro
Point, in a rowboat.
The accident happened in the vicin-
ity of tho plant Of Tho Washington
Steel and Ordnance Company, about
two miles below the naval air station
at Aracosta. This is about four miles
from Washington.
Tho planes were about six hundred
feet in the air Neither pilot appa
rently eaW tho other
Lieutenant Selden had been in the
air about half en hour and was rcturn-
ing to the naval sir station. Commsn-
der Johnston was Just getting started
from the air station, on his way down
the river
The seaplanc piloted by Commander
Johnston was at higher level than
thar pi|oted By Lieutenant Seldom.
The IMPACT, as described by the few
on ahorc who saw the crash. was like a
clap Of thunder. III an instant both
seapl9Res started TO drop, that driven
By Commander Johnston remaining in
an upright position but that piloted
by Lieutenant Selden, It's wings com
plet"ly gone, turning over aud over.
Stuck in Rivers Bottom
Both crashed into the water. Lieu-
tenant Selden's seaplane kept right on
going until It's nose stuck in the mud
al the bottom. II was at the edge Of
tho river channel,
The Eagle, a scout boat from thf
Washington Navy Yard. d police patro1
boat and other craft were soon on the
scene of the accident using divers in
an effort 70 recover the bodies of the
aviators who fell IN the PIC plane.
Admiral Moffett, head Of naval aero
nautics, motored from Warrington Il
a Maryland point nearest the accident
as soon as he heard of tho collision
He said to night that Lieutenant Selder
was one Of the most careful pilots lr
the naval ar service and that the cause
Of the collision had not been asceI-
tanned An official inquiry has beer
ordered.
Ensign Miller is survived by his wife
3nd four children. He was thirtyfvt
years old and had been in the navy
since 1919 II o,as formerly connected
with the bureau Of engineering Of tbs
navy. The PIC was trying out a new
propeller in test and i is believed