Evening star., 1926-10-31
L|EUT.F.H. CONANT,
CRACK NAWFLYER,
IS BELIEVED KILLED
His Plane Found Wrecked
and Sunk 80 Miles North
of Norfolk, Va.
IDENTIFIED BY NUMBERS;
NO TRACE OF THE PILOT
Schneider Cup Race Aviator Set
251 1-2.Mile Record in Tests.
Lived With Mother Here.

Lieut. Frank H. Conant, ir.. Navy
Schneider Cup race flyer and one of
the Navy's outstanding young pilots,
is believed to have been killed yester
day afternoon when his plane crashed
and sank in shallow water near Ma
thews, Va, about so miles north of
Norfolk.
Lieut.. Conant, who has been prac
ticing for the speed races to be held
over Hampton Roads November II,
left the naval air station at Anacos-
tia yesterday morning at 11:4o, bound
for Hampton Roads. He was due to
have arrived there about 1:30.
Last night an Associated Press cor
respondent at Mathews telephoned
here that a Navy plane numbered
A-697O crashed suddenly in shallow
water and sunk. Efforts to raise the
craft were futile and no trace of the
pilot was found. Navy officers here
said Conant was flying a Curtis plane
which bore the numbers described in
the message. Conant was unaccom-
panied.
Crashed Mile OFF Shore.
According to information received
at Norfolk from Mathews over long
distance telephone last night the
crash occurred about mile ofshore.
The weather was murky and there
we're no eve witnesses of the smash.
A man on shore heard the engine OF
a plane, then heard it stop A mo
nent later there was a crashing sound
and all was still.
A party went from shore and found
a considerable amount of Wreckage
and oil floating on top of the water
at a spot about l mile from the
shore and about 8 miles north OF
Viewpoint Light and near Winter
Harbor.
On one of the wings of the plane
were found the numbers "A-6910,
which identified it as Conants ma
chine. The plane itself was sub
merged in about Is feet of water, and
for lack of facilities efforts to raise
the machine or to recover the body
were futile.
Comdr. a. c. Reed, comma ndant of
the naval air station at Hampton
Roads, at da yhreak today was to send
planes. and the Sandpiper, naval tug,
will leave for the scene to salvage the
WreCkaEe.
Too Late TO Search.
Word that Conant crashed reached
the Hampton Roads station last night
after a message had already been sent
to Anacostia that Conant was missing.
but darkness had fallen then and it
was too late to send out a plane to
search for him. Conant crashed about
1:30, according to word from Ma
thews.
Conant, a junior grade lieutenant,
was considered one of the NaVy's
ablest stunt flyers. He was % years
old and was stationed here at the
Bureau of Aeronautics. He lived with
his mother here at the Dresden apart
ments.
Lieut. Conant's comrades a the
Navy Department and the Naval Air
Station at Anacostia, d. c., refused
late last night to give up hope that
he had managed to eXtricate himself
from the sinking machine. His moth
er also maintained a hopeful vigil
bearing in mind that he had escaped
on several previous occasions from
perilous situations.
Lieut.. Conant broke the world S
speed record for a Seaplane twice
within the past week. The new rec
ord was unofficial. Lieut.. Conant keep
ing the time with a stop watch.
At Port Washington, n. Y, last
Tuesday he piloted his plane twice
over a four and-a half mile course at
a speed of more than go miles an
hour. The next day, over a four-and
a-quarter mile course, he attained a
speed of PSI Il miles an hour at
Mitchell Field. He also held speed
records for flights from Philadelphia
to Washington and from New York
to Hampton Roads.
Lieut.. Conant was designated one
of the three representatives of the
Navy for the Schneider Cup races on
October is, on recommendation by
Lieut.. Comdr. Homer c. Wick. COM
mandtng officer of the naval air sta.
ton here. Lieut.. George T. Cuddihy
of the naval air station and Lieut. c.
F. Schilt of Brown Field, Quantico
Va, were selected with Conant
The choice of the three airmen
followed a series of grueling tests
which were held at Hampton Roads,
Va, on October Is.
Lieut.. Conant has an enviable rec
ord as an airman. He was assigned
to the Bureau of Aeronautics here
following a period of service with the
fighting plane squadron on the Pa
cifc Coast. Last year Lieut. Conant
had some experience with Navy
training ships and since that time
Continued on Page 6, Column A.