Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-09-21
TWO FLYERS KILLED
IN CRASH OF FFONCK
PLANE TAKING OFF
Charles CIavier, Radio Man.
and Jacob IsIamoff, Me-
chanic, Die in Flames.
FRENCH ACE AND CURTIN,
NAVY AVIATOR, ESCAPE
Wreck Caused by Buckling of
Wheel on Landing Gear in At
tempted Flight

BY the Associated Press.
WESTBURY, Long Island. Septem.
ber 21.-Two men lost their lives this
morning when the transatlantic air
plane of Capt. Rene Fonck crashed in
flames in an attempt to take off on a
S,6O0-mile nonstop flight to Paris
They were Charles Clavier. French
radio operator. and Jacob Islamoff.
Russian mechanic. They were trapped
in the closed cabin of the huge three
motored biplane.
Capt. Fonck, the French ace in COM
mand of the flight. and Lieut.. Law
renee w. Curtin, u. S. N, American
alternate pilot. leaped to safety be-
fore the plane burst into flames.
Igor Sikorsky, Russian designer
and builder of the plane, could not be
located Immediately after the tragedy.
He was reported to have begged in
tears last night that the flight be
postponed because of a cross wind
that endangered the take-off.
SikOrsky Is Overcome.
Mr.. Sikorsky, overcome by the
tragedy, left the field and sought the
SecluSion of his home at Mineola.
The bodies, badly charred, were re-
moved from the debris three hours
after the crash, following a visit by
the coroner. and taken to an under
taking establishment.
The ruins were scarcely cooled be-
fore souvenir seekers descended upon
them, picking up rivets, scraps of
wing covering and other fragments.
Employees of the Sikorsky Co. sal
vaged a few parts.
A shift in the wind was blamed by
some of the officials present for the
collapse of q wheel, which was given
as the direct cause of the crash.
Bad Place i'm Field.
Residents declared several planes
had come to grief in the same hollow
on previous occasions. The taking-off
runway comes to an abrupt end a.
this hollow. and unless sufficient speed
has been attained to rise at this point
machine must drop over the brink
The S-35, witnesses agree. never rose
from the ground, but crashed into the
hollow at speed or 60 or more miles
an hour.
AS news of the tragedy spread, a
solid line of automobiles bearing thou
sands of curious poured onto the field
An attempt was made to take off
last Thursday, but had to be post
poned because of a gasoline leakage
discovered at the last minute. After
ward Partisan friends of Capt. Fonck
urged him to make the fight for the
honor of France. even at the risk of
death.
The crash was caused by the buc-
king of q wheel on an extra landing
gear that was to have been dropped
into the ocean as soon as the plane
got under way.
Il knew the wheel had crashed" D."
said FOnck, but could neither stop
nor rise"
Lieut. Curtain said: 1.-The plane was
driven full power, accelerated slowly.
reaching a ground speed of 65 miles.
Three quarters of the length of the
runway it seemed that the outboard
auxiliary wheel collapsed, carrying
away the left lower rudder
Tried to Land Normally.
"The plane veered TO the left. but it
was impossible to head it again on a
straight course. and the plane went
over the brink at the end of the run
way al a speed of about go miles
When passing over the brink Capt.
FOnck pulled back the controls to Of
feet normal landing. at the same
time throttling down his motors.
"It seemed to me that the right
wheel collapsed when the plane cart
wheeled on the right wing. The gas
tanks were apparently ruptured. in
view of the fact that live gas poured
down over the still heated exhaust
pipe
The plane burst into flames an in
stant after the two pilots leaped from
il. Heavy clouds of black smoke roll
ed upward. and the nearly 900 spec
tators crowded forward. An airplane
circling overhead sounded a fire siren,
and telephone calls brought the West
bury Fire Department within 10 min
utes. They used small fire eXtinguish-
ers on the flames, but these were
futile There was no water available
in the middle of the field, and firemen
said 1t would have been useless fight
ing a gasoline fire. There We're 1900
gallons of gasoline in the tanks.
Plane Heavily Loaded.
The plane weighed more than 2s.-
900 pounds loaded at the take-off.
There was low hanging mist and "A
light north wind, but no rain. The
plane was taking off toward the west.
An hour earlier Carl r. Schory
chairman of the contest committee oil
the National Aeronautical Association
had sealed the gasoline tanks and
the barograph as d check at the end
of the flight on whether the plane had
taken on more fuel or landed during
the voyage.
approximately 1000 persons had
gathered to watch the start of what
was to have been an epic voyage
When the plane crashed the crowd
rushed forward, but could not get
within 80 yards of the plane. The
grass was burned back for so feet
around it.
Women screamed and tainted, and
one soldier, said to have been she'll
shocked, went into Mysteries.
The fire ragged for more than an
hour afterward, and it was impossible
to rescue the bodies of the trapped
airmen. Clavier had a wife and three
children waiting to welcome him III
Paris.
Another Attempt Planned.
Officials of the Sikorsky Aerial En-
gineering Corporation, builders of the
plane, exonerated all participants
from blame, and indicated another at
tempt would be made at a non-stol
flight
w. A Barry, vice president and gen
eral manager, and l.. A. ShoumatOff
secretary and treasurer. signed &
statement that said:
THE Sikorsky Co. is most extreme