The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1929-12-23
PROBE ia. 7.
plane Crash
FATAL TO ONE
Coroner Keever Indicates
Accidental Verdict in
Mars Hill Tragedy.
FILM EXECUTIVE VICTIM
Killed in Forced Landing as
Wind Blows Ship
Into Stump.

Testimony was being taken today
by G. Fl. Keever, coroner, in one OF
three Investigations opened into the
wrecking of an eaSt-bound Trans
continental Air Transport -Maddux
AairlineS plane at Mars Hill air.
port Sunday evening during snow
fall, in which one passenger was
killed and two injured.
Coroner KeeVer indicated he
would return an official verdict in
three Or four days, but that evl-
dence indicated the tragedy was &C
cidental.
Other Probes On
Other Investigations we're being
conducted by T. A. T. officials and
Inspector Charles Wethern of the
department of commerce.
D. w. Burford, %, chief pilot of
Columbus, testified before the COR
cner that the accident occurred as
he landed the plane at the south
boundary of the field. Visibility
was poor, he said, and a sudden
gust of wind, while the ship motor
was cut out, caused the plane to
float and strike a f1ve-foot stump.
He testified that he had had no
intention of landing here, but at
tempted it because weather condi-
tionS at Terre Haute were unfavor-
able and because reports showed
weather at Richmond and east was
unsuited for flying. He attempted
to cut the motor in again when the
guest of wind struck the plane, he
said, but was unable to lift the ship.
Cabin Torn Away
D. C. Law, Philadelphia, of the
Warner Brothers motion picture
technical staff, was killed almost in
stantly. Several feet of the lower
part of the cabin were torn away
The injured passengers were G.
NTahlon Kline, Philadelphia, presi-
dent of Smith, Kline, French 81 Co.,
wholesale druggists, and Miss Mary
FearnoW, secretary to the T. A. I.
assistant manager at st. Louis. Law
died in a city hospital ambulance
on the way to the T. A. T. office. He
was taken to city morgue.
The two pilots, courier and eight
other passengers were not injured.
The remaining passengers continued
their journey to Columbus by Penn
sylvania train. Because of weather
conditions here and Columbus, it
Y1lnvrnd holt fha shin
here and send all passengers on by
train.
First Accident
Burford, formerly of Mt. Clemens.
Mich, has been in employ of
T. "A. T. two years, previously pilot
.ing a private mail plane for the
Ford Motor Car Company. This
was said to have been his first ac-
cident.
Law and the two injured passer1-
gers occupied seats on the left side
of the plane. When the plane, un-
able to stop on the snow, hit the
obstruction, the stump ripped ten
foot cash in the fuselage, crush
ing Law.
He suffered q crushed left leg,
several broken ribs, internal injur-
les and it was reported, a fractured
skull.
Kline suffered a broken right arm,
broken left leg and severe body
bruises and internal injuries. Miss
Fearnow was suffering mostly from
shock. She refused at first to go
to the Methodist hospital, where
Kline was taken in an ambulance,
but later permitted Charles F. De
Voc, T. A. T. manager, to take her
there in his car.
The left motor was torn loose
from its mounting in the accident.
Two landing flares were released ac-
cidentally in the crash and their
glow at first gave the impression
the plane was on fire.