Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-06-02

scarcely opened however before the lieutenant
found himself in the center of circle that the
burning plane was making. Three hundred and
twenty gallons of gasoline six bombs and 1000
rounds of machine-gun ammunition were aboard
the blazing ship.
Frankly, was alarmed" he said later 'T
reScrted to slipping, twisting and every maneu-
yer CT which I had heard. Little success was
met with, and resignedly I sat there and
watched the plane, hearing the flames quite
audbly as it passed me-
Luck was with him, though, and the bomber
suddenly turned nose downward and crashed
into corn field before an explosion occurred
Hutchinson landed short time later near his
wrecked plane, while Stanley dropped safely
into an open field short distance away.
A University of California graduate and his
flying companion were killed and two other
Army flyers joined the Caterpillar Club when
the Pan-American goodwill flight planes
Detroit and New York collided while circling
over PaIomar Field, near BuenoS Aires, Argen-
tina, on February g. 1927.
The California flyer who met his death was
Lieut.. John w. Benton. Benton was co-pilot
in the Detroit, which at the time of the crash
was piloted by Capt. Woolsey. Maj. Herbert A.
Dargue pilot, and Lieut.. Ennis c. Whitehead
relief pilot, of the New York, leaped to safety
a short time after the collision.
The flyers in amphibian planes, had landed
in the harbor of BuenoS Aires, where baggage
was unloaded and flight personnel given an
official inspection. The planes then took of
about 4 o'clock in the afternoon to fly across
the city to the airport at Palomar, on the
outskirts.
The Detroit took off first, as the landing
gear actuating mechanism was broken and IL
was the intention of its crew to go out on the
wing in fight and tie the left half OF the land
ing gear in the down" position with rope. This
apparently had been accomplished by the time
the other three planes into the air, and
the four ships Immediately assumed closed
diamond formation and started Tor Palomar.
The New York was leading the San Francisco
flying at the right the Detroit at the left, and
the St. Louis slightly behind and above the
Others About halfway across the city the
flight was joined by a three-ship formation OF
Argentine planes.
AS THE planes approached the heid the
4 Argentine formation broke up and gided
down steeply to a landing. short time later
Mai Cargue, flight commander, signaled for
the American flight to break formation.
The San Francisco and Detroit turned out
sharply and in steep climbing turns banked to
the right and left, respectively. The New
York continued, somewhat throttled, in the
general direction in which the flight had been
headed The ST. Louis climbed straight away
and very steeply. Thus the formation was
broken
The San Francisco continued to turn until
headed 100 degrees from the direction of APP
proach, completely clearing all other planes.
The Detroit, after pulling off sharply to the
left banked to the right, slightly diving. The
New York just started gentle turn to the left
when the Detroit approached at considerable
angle and the two planes struck.
The wreckage was entanged and the two
Ships fell together for an appreciate time be-
fore the Detroit broke free and fell with con-
siderably more speed than the New York. The
right wings of the Detroit had been crushed In
approximately to the inboard strut point, while
the wings of the New York were intact and
she was falling in a spin. Shortly after the
wreckage separated Maj. Dargue and Lieut..
Whitehead jumped, their parachutes function
ing perfectly.
The crew of the Detroit were not wearing
parachutes because of the fact that they had
gone out on the wings to fix the landing gear.
Lieut. Benton made a cool and desperate at
tempt to save himself by leaping at Dargue as
the latter drifted past LIMA attached to his
parachute Benton miss~d his dive and teu
to his death.
1t is the contention of parachute officers OF
the Air Service that parachutes will open in
fraction of a second, making jumps safe at 100