Evening star., 1928-09-11
Another Badly Hurt in Crash
Before Thousands at Los
Angeles Meet.
GOVERNMENT LIKELY
TO CURB LOW FLYING
Stunting Borders on Violation of
Service Rules-Aviation Elk.
hibits Draw Crowds.
BY FREDERICK r. NEELY.
staff Correspondent of The Star.


MINES FIELD, Los Angeles, Septem-
Der 1l.-Their thrill-hunger unap-
peased by two plane crashes one fatal.
on the airdrome to date, thousands
turned out again today for the third
day of the 1923 national air races and
| the aeronautical exposition here. Sun
! day and yesterday we're true Roman
holidays and the public was treated to
the CHASTITY spectacle of speeding planes
flying into the ground, and cut and
broken airmen being lifted from the
smoking wreckage.
Lieut.. J. j. Williams of Rockwell
Field, San Diego. 25-year-old youth
who had spent almost five years flying,
died early this morning in Culver City
Community Hospital. A faltering en-
gine yesterday sent him crashing to
the ground as his fast Boeing pursuit
ship hurtled across the field, flown
upside down by the daring pilot.
Williams had won reputation as
one of the Army's most brilliant avia-
tors. AS leader of the Three Mus
keteers," trio of Army flyers known
for their stunting ability and hair
raising stunts, Williams had become
famous for his air feats. But yester-
day his motor failed as he flashed by
the grandstand, and in full view of
$4,000 persons he dashed into the
ground.
First Fatality.
His death marks the first fatality
among the hundreds of flyers appearing
in the air races here. For time it
was believed he would recover, but at
+ idnight he suffered relapse. Will
liamS' home was in Detroit.
In the case of Lieut.. George Hassell-
man of the Navy. who few his Boeing
s,-,gle-seater fighter into the ground
while turning the home pylon in
vertical bank Sunday afternoon, it has
been "doped out" by experts. that he
was the victim Of propeller wash
from the preceding plane ana that this
turbulent and bumpy air caused by the
plane ahead caused it to plunge to the
earth, the pilots efforts to right the
plane being futile
When Lieut.. Williams crashed his
two formation partners had just COM
! pleted three-quarter outside loop.
/ They were Lieuts. l. A. Woodring and
| w. L. Cornelius, also of Rockwell Field.
They say the accident that befell their
leader, but they continued to loop and
roll for many minutes thereafter.
| When both landed they showed the
strain and grief they were under while
| carrying on above. Their first ques-
tions were as to the safety of their
| friend and when told he was still alive
| they uttered cheer and struck out for
the hospital. There Williams died early
today.
AS to the prevention of future crashes
before the end of the meet. that is en-
tirely up to the Army and Navy. The
Army team has been broken up badly
through the loss of it's leader. Low fly:
ing may be curbed. The flying INDUCED
in both by the Army and Navy in the
past few days has been In more or less
contradiction to the rules within those
| services. They have been in direct vio-
lation of the Department of Commerce
regulations, but those regulations gov
| ern and affect only civil aircraft. which
to date have not yet had much of a
part beyond dashing in from New York
at the end of transcontinental race.
Drilled for Stunting.
The spectacular stunt-formation fly
ing of the Three Sea Hawks" and the
Three Musketeers" was special stuff
These six Navy and Army airmen had
been we'll drilled in their respective
acts. They gave the public the biggest
kick" of the meet. They had been
flying plus-perfect. but flying which the
older and wiser birds do not particular
ly care to see exploited. Upside-down
flying with Navy ships, equipped with
air-cooled engines and special carbu-
retors, is simple from the standpoint OF
engine reliability. Upside down flying
with the Army water-cooled engines
and no special carburetors usually pro-
duces a sputtering while in the inverted
position that must put the pilot on the
alert to half roll out before too much
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