The New York herald., 1922-07-31
TWO BURN TO DEATH
AS ARMY PLANE HITS
GROUND in FLAMES
Lieut.. T. E. Lyons Had
Started Up at Port Jervis,
Carrying a Friend.
NOSE DIVES $50 FEET
Crowd at Clubhouse Sees
the Smash and Fights
Fire With Sand.
U. s. INQUIRY EXPECTED
Reserve Officer Had Flown
From Mitchell Field and Wis
tied Parents at Home.

Special Dispatch to THE NEW YORK HERALD
PORT JERvIs, July So.-Lieut. Tracy
e. Lyons. "a, ard Augustus A!tmeier,
21, son Of Mr.. and Mrs. A. P. Altmeier
Of this city. were burned to death this
afternoon when the army airplane
which Lyons was driving crashed to
earth in a nose dive and burst into
flames,
Several hundred persons along
Neversink road, at the beach and at
the Country Club grounds saw Lieut.
Lyons and young Altmeier take the
air a few minutes after 8 o'clock. The
machine went only short distance,
and was about $50 feet in the air. when
it suddenly turned slightly and then
fell to the ground. A dozen persons
reached the spot within few minutes,
but they could do nothing more than
throw sand on the burning plane in a
futile attempt to put out the fire.
Nearly an hour later, when the hames
had practically burned themselves out
the bodies were taken out Of the
wreckage.
Two officers from Mitchell Field were
expected in Port Jervis late tonight to
conduct an investigation of the acci-
dent. A broken propeller and engine
trouble have been put forward as pos
sible explanations. An army officer
said tonight that Lieut.. Lyons was
violating army regulations when he al
lowed Altmeier. a civilian, to go UP
with him.
Iieut Lyons left Mitchell Field. al
Mineola. early yesterday morning with
Capt. Walter Dodd to make a fina
his two weeks of training as a reserve
officer. He was under orders to carry
out certain studies In the trip prescribed
In training. He left Capt. Dodd al
Chester. twenty-five miles from here
and then proceeded to the golf links a,
the Country Club here. where he found
satisfactory landing place after he had
circled the links several times
He passed last night with his mother
and father, Mr.. and Mrs. James II
Lyons. His father is a conductor on the
Erie Railroad. This afternoon he agreed
that Altmeier should accompany him as
ldT as MluulctOIis WHcIc ne WdB " plCh
UP Capt. Dodd and resume his flight
back to Mitchell Field. He was due tc
arrive at the field late this afternoon.
When Lieut.. Lyons and Altmeier got
in the plane his father and mother were
on the porch of the club.
Lieut. Lyons mother had seen the
plane begin the flight. but the moment
that It was evident something was
wrong somebody pulled her back into
the club house. She was taken home
and did not learn that her son had been
killed until some time afterward.
The plane fell into patch Of canta-
loupes and the instant 1t struck the
earth flames shot up and enveloped the
plane and the two men.
The bodies were so badly burned tina;
Il was impossible to identify them, ex-
cept by the fact that Lyons must have
been in front In the pilots seat and
Altmeier in the seat behind him.
Altmeier. whose father Is postmastr
Of Port Jcrvis, was graduated from high
school here three years ago and since
then had been engaged in construction
work.
Lieut.. Lyons was In the aviation SER
vice during the war and was stationed
most OF the time at Kelly Field. San
Antonio. Since the war he had passed
most OF his time In Louisiana, where he
was interested In oil development. He
came back to Port Jervis recently. and
two weeks ago went to Mitchell Field to
take the two weeks training prescribed
for reserve officers.