The Washington times., 1926-09-21
SIKORSKY PLANE.
BURNS; Z DIE


Continued from First Page.l
biplane had descended. Nearly
a thousand spectators at the
field were horror-strieken.
There was a cheer, however,
when Fonck and Curtin were
found safe.
Walked to Automobile
Fonck and Curtain were able to
walk to an automobile, which
took them away.
Fire engines from the nearby
towns of Hampstead and Mineola
arrived in record breaking time,
followed a moment later by an
ambulance from Mitchell Field.
There was little that either doc
tors or firemen could do. Great
clouds Of white smoke shot into
the air a distance of forty feet.
with underlying sheets of flame
as the gasoline drenched ground
continued to burn. Two airplanes
circled overhead taking motion
pictures of the fire, which will
burn for hours.
Landing Gear TangIes
The plane started to make its
take-off run about $50 q. M, and
the accident occurred a few sec.
onds later, with the right side OF
the landing gear dragging on ths
ground, the plane ran off the end
of the runway, struck q shallow
gully, turned slowly over on its
back and caught fire. Fonck and
Curtin managed to get out az the
plane was turning over.
Collapse OF the right landing gear
while the plane was rushing across
the mile-long take-off path to gain
momentum for the rise into the air
caused the accident.
From a hasty survey Of the run.
way on which the plane had at.
tempted to make its hop to Paris,
1t is believed that contributing
factor in the accident was the
breaking Of the auxiliary landing
gear.
This gear, which was designed to
help the machine carry the tre-
mendous load of more than ID 900
pounds of gasoline, in some man.
ner became entangled just before
the take-off. 1t is believed.
The plane, with its load, weighed
2S,860 pounds.
In its run along the ground. the
plane had gathered such speed that
it shot out into space perhaps five
or six hundred feet <after' 1t had
cleared the edge Of the little cliff.
Bodies Not Recovered
AS the plane continued to burn.
with the wings of the master ma
chine lying like skeletons beside the
warped and twisted fuselage, there
remained no doubt in anyone's mind
but that both Islamoff and Ciavier
are dead.
1t will be some hours before their
bodies can be removed.
Fonck and Curtain went to the
hangar of the Sikorsky Company.
The French ace explained the &C.
cident.
"I noticed the auxiliary landing
gear had given way when we hit
a bump he said. ''The right
wheel went in an oblique dlrectlon,
and / could feel that 1t. had torn
the left rudder loose. AT first
tried to slow up. Then I knew 1t
was useless to do that because the
gully was so close. opened her
up again. hoping to get into the
air. But It could not be done, and
we smashed.
Crawled Out
Contrary to first reports, the pilot
and his assistant were not thrown
clear of the plane. Sensing the
danger of remaining in the plane,
Fonck and Curtain crawled out OF
the nose Of the plans. The motors
were still running and how they
managed to escape the whtrrfng
they do not know them
selves.
The adventurers had hoped TO
reach LIE Bourget airdrone, near
Paris, some time tomorrow eve
ming. II they had succeeded they
would have flown 3,577 miles, new
worlds distance record for a non
stop flight.
Lloyds, of London. had posted
odds of to 8 that they would not
succeed.
Ten. new Times-Herald subscrtp-