Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-03-07
TWO PARTIES SENT
TO WRECKED PLANE
Discovery of W. A. E. Flyers
Dead in Mountain Made by,
Woman and Fellow Pilot.
ny the Associated Press.

ny the Associated Press.
LOS ANGELES, March Climaxing
l2-day search, two automobile parties
today were en- route to a canyon high
up in the San Bernardino Mountains
above Lake Arrowhead, where the
wreckaFe of a Western Air Express
transport plane and bodies of its crew
were sighted yesterday by Mrs. Juanita
Burns and Dudley Steele, aviators.
The plane. piloted by James E. Doles
and carrying Co-pilot A. w. Bieoer ana
Steward John w. Slaton has been the
object of an extensive search since IL
became lost in a storm after leaving
Kingman, AriZ., on the morning OF FED
rIiary IS. en- route to Los Angeles.
Mrs. Burns. licensed pilot, Is years
old, had been flying over the mountains
several days looking for the lost plane.
'I called Mr.. Steele and told him l
anew could find the plane if he would
take me out and handle the controls,
90 could be free to look" she said. Il
had reasoned that Doles had flown into
the mountains, and then when he saw
he was being forced down from the
higher attitudes he turned to make back
for the open desert.
Wreckage Is Discovered.
with Steele at the controls, we took
OF from the Alhambra Airport shortly
after noon in an open cockpit plane.
We were flying along over the country
when / saw a piece of a wing. We
swooped lower and there, scattered for
100 yards along the canyon side, were
pieces of wing. Near the bottom of the
canyon, all burned except the tail, was
the fuSelage. One cupboard motor was
sticking in the side of the canyon.
I'VE descended to within 400 feet of the
wreck and I could see with my field
glasses the crumpled bodies of two of
the men. They looked like they had
been burned.
1T looked to me as if Doles had
struck the top of the ridge with one
wing as he was trying to turn back and
that this is the wing the broken pieces
of which are scattered down the hill
side. Another five feet and he would
have cleared it,"
Steele said he could see the wreckage
plainly and that the "W A. e. initials
and number could be made out on the
tail. The plane, he said, apparently had
landed rightSide up.
Others Verify Discovery.
None Shelton, Western Air Express
pilot and his mechanic. H. Stages, later
new over the spot and verified the find.
The place where the plane was sighted
- In the same GENERAL area where u. i :.
Barber, rancher. last Sunday reported
he had seen a wrecked plane on a
canyon side. A posse searched the
country with Barber, but failed to find
the ship.
Doles. pilot of the Inflated air liner.
was % years old, married and had one
small son. He had been flying since
1918. Last Winter he disappeared while
flying from Los Angeles TO Albuquerque
with loaded passenger plane, but later
brought his ship in safely, after a "a
hour forced desert landing to await the
passing Of storm.
Western Air Express oficials said he
was considered one of the most reliable
pilots In the service
RiAher was 20 years old and recently
Was married. Slaton, IS, and married.
recently entered the W. A. z. service
he came here from Albuquerque, N. M.
Mrs. Burns, who first sighted the wreck
age, has been flying for about a year
She came here from Fl Paso, Tex, where
she was an operative with the Federal
prohibition force.