Evening star., 1928-06-07
TWOFLYERS MEET
DEATH IN CRASH
Employees of Flying Service.
Caught in Tail Spin, Die
as Plane Strikes.

| The first fatal accident in IA months
/ Of active flying az Washington's COM
nercial aviation center, south of the
Highway Bridge, occurred just before
dark last night when two employees of
the Potomac Flying Service, Keith r.
Keeling, 30 years old. pilot. and Clay
Goodrich, % years old, mechanic, met
death in a crash of their plane on the
Agriculture Department experimental
farm, short distance from Hoover
Field.
Caught in a loose tail spin at an
altitude of 800 feet Pilot Keeling made
a valiant effort to level off, and in the
opinion of witnesses would have sue
ceeded had there been about 200 feet
more altitude available. The shin
crashed nose first, killing Goodrich
who was in the front cockpit, instantly.
and mortally injuring Keeling. who
oled a few minutes after being re-
moved from the wreckage The force
OF the impact broke the gasoline tank
ana the plane was enveloped in flames.
both men being badly burned.
Inc plane was a three-passenger
monoplane and was built by the Ber-
liner aircraft factory at Alexandra
va, several months ago. Recently it
was modified with larger tail surfaces
ana balanced ailerons and had been
Ilylng at Hoover Field for about a week
as an experimental plane.
OFF on Third Flight.
Prior to the fatal flight. the Mono
plane had been taken aloft bv two
other pilots for short flights. Lowell
Harding. operations manager of the
FIylng Service, said today that he took
mrs. Harding aloft for a few minutes
ana upon landing, Paul Charles, an
otler pilot, went up. When Charles
lanoed and started to cut the engine
heellng motioned to him to keen II
gong Goodrich asked to accompanv
Keeling and the ship took off for its
third flight. A''
Keeling circled the field, made slight
dlve toward the center of the ground
came out OF the dive at about 100 feet
and, at full speed, zoomed to about 900
1eeI, dardlng said. HE fiattened ont
ana Immediately began to make a fiat
.I, tIIn, Telated the operations manager.
dhen tne nose went down to an angle
OF ABOUT 40 degrees and the plane an
peared to be in a cross between a spiral
and a spin. 'hAA %
1t made two turns, but still I didn't
feel worried. 1t almost straightened
out once, but at 200 feet 1 saw things
were happening that I did not like
AGAIN ne almost Strengthened out and
heard him using the motor in an ef-
Tort to get level. The plane made an
other half turn and then hit the
ground
Henry A. Berliner, president of the
fiylng service and builder of the plano
invited an inspector from the Depart
ment OF Commerce to view the re-
mains of the craft.
Keeling Able Pilot.
Harding said the flights INDUCED in
last evening by the pilots were made
frequently at the end of busy days. as
on these trips they were free from the
strain OF straight, routine flying with
passengers. Harding regarded Keeling
as an intimate friend.
Keeling, prior to joining the Potomac
Flying Service, operated, with partner
two flying boats from Arlington Beach
last year. He has been with the Hoover
Field organization for about three
months and recently made flight from
Miami to Washington with a Curtise
Seagul flying boat. Keeling had
flown continuously since 1918. His rel
atives live in Kansas City.
Goodrich, who has been with the flv-
ing organization almost from it's in
ception, was student in the special
Naval Reserve aviation course at George
Washington University, but was not
pilot. His parents are dead, but a
brother is said to reside in Cleveland
He made his home here at 1917 street
with George r. Blake and K M Eek
man. Keeling lived at the Annapolis
Hotel
The bodies today were at the District
morgue. Berliner today was making an
effort to locate the relatives, and pend
ing word from them, plans for the dis
position Of the bodies were incomplete.