New Britain herald., 1923-06-08
FLYING ACCIDENTS
TAKE HEAVY TOLL
Annual Report Of kerOnautlcal
Chamber Of Commerce

New feFk, June S,=Fhe causes for
The aiTplaRe accidents on 1893, ana
recommendations fer the reduction Of
future accidents "a a minimum, are
found in the annual report Of the
AeHeRautieal Chamber ~ e0mmeTee
Of America to the secretary Of COM
meFee, The chamber says the gov
ernment must provide air Law and
exercise jurisdiction over all civil n.y.
ing II casualties are 70 be reduced,
Inc report indicates that most OF the
lasa accidents were due to the timer
ant pilot who has ma faxed base, Is unr
licensed and unnegnlsted by law, and
has 10 pTesumptive responsibility.
''of approximately i,sA0 civilian air
planes in operation In the United
states In 1884" says the report, "heE
tween $50 and s0A were owned among
$50 established operators, that IL, In
dividuNs aad aFga niEations with fixed
bases and conservative business poll
eies, an equal number were distribut-
Cd among itinerant pilots who have no
particular system and depend for a
living upon stuntins. transforming
tours. and extra hazardous assign
ments,
i22 Hurt IN 1922.
I'm 1919, there were isa accidents
among the itinerant pilots, or sypsies,
and only ~ among the fixed base
operators. These accidents resulted In
az fatalities among the gypsles and
only seven among the fixed base oper-
ators. one hundred persons were In
jured through accidents with so-ealled
gypsy planes and only seven were hurt
In planes operated from fixed bases.
"The isn established operators, hhv-
Ing definite financial responsibility.
helds. repair shops In majority OF
cases, and system of inspection Tor
their craft. demonstrated n degree OF
dspendahIlity unexcelled by older and
officially regulated mediums OF trans
portation. They incurred only IL ac-
cidents In 1922 as against - accidents
In 1921. And many Of these could
have been avoided had there been In
effect federal laws licensing operators.
Record OF Gyl,sies
I'm startling contrast Is the record
OF the gypsies. They have consistently
replaced their damaged equipment
with the obsolete surplus from gov
eminent stores remaining from war
production and available at prices so
cheap that youths with often a few
hundred dollars may. and invariably
do, acquire airplanes which they after
TO accommodate one or two paying
passengers. The passengers are led
10 ride in these machines through ig-
norance of safety factors controlling
fight, and the public generally seems
to accept all aircraft as airworthy, not
pausing to reflect that here Is the
only vehicle of Importance which the
operators are not compelled by law
to make and operate in manner CAL
cujated to safeguard the public.
Wandered For 2 Years
From 500 to 500 of these gypsy
craft have wandered from town to
town for at least two years. According
TO the most complete accounts oo-
tainable, in 1921 there were ia ac-
cidents involving itinerant f1iers In
1922 there were 1875 accidents, an in
crease of twelve. In 1921 the accl-
dents resulted in 40 fatalities and SO
nersons injured; in 1922, 81 fatalities
and 100 persons injured, an increase
of 10 deaths, or more than rs per
cent, and II injured, or more than
IL per cent
Among the gypsy fiers 81 acct
dents were due to lack of inspection OF
their equipment Government licens-
ing and other regulations would have
prevented this. Poor plotting caused
4s accidents, stunning caused 80 &C