Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-07-11
FLYER IS KILLED
WITH PASSENGER
Plane Wings CrumpIe in
Landing in Sight of Fam
lily in Maryland.
BY a STAFF Correspondent OF The Star.

By staff Correspondent OF The Star.
LAYTONSVILLE, Md, July 11.-With
his sweetheart, mother, sister and
brother watching him as he prepared
to land, Leonard Orville Sabin, "a years
old, was killed instantly last evening
when a wing of his plane came off in
midair and he crashed to the ground
at terrific speed. His companion, Myron
L. Bennett, % years old, of 95 New
Hall street, New Haven, Conn, also was
killed
Death came in the manner in which
the young pilot had repeatedly told his
family he wanted to die. But a few
months ago, when his father had at
tempted to dissuade him from a career
as an aviator, he had replied: IF die
flying, I'll die happy"
Near Sweetheart's Home.
The accident occurred within a half
mile of the home of Miss Eugenia War
field, to whom he was engaged to marry.
The Warfield farm is on the Gathers
burg-Laytonsville road about miles
from here, and the dairy farm of Mr..
and Mrs. Leslie r. Sabine, the aviator's
parents, is about miles farther on the
road to Gaithersburg.
Young Sabine and Bennett were fly
ing from the Hamden Airport at Ham
den, Conn, where Mr.. Sabine was an
instructor and chief pilot, to the Sabine
farm for short vacation. They had
telegraphed Miss Warfield the time
they would fly past her house. The
plane arrived 90 minutes ahead of
schedule, but the young woman was
in the yard waving as it went by. 1t
was less than 100 yards beyond the
house that the wing came off. George,
9-year-old brother of Sabine, sighted
the plane and called his mother and
13-year-old sister Eleanor out of the
house to watch just in time to see
the crash.
Was Flying Low.
According to several residentS of the
neighborhood it was dusk and Sabine
was flying the plane at an altitude of
about 200 feet, confident in his knowl-
edge of the terrain.
Coming into sight of Miss Warfield
and her parents, Mr.. and Mrs. John
Warf1eld, and their younger daughter
Rachel, he SWerved near to the house
and then Zoomed up and away.
Both wings on the right side of the
plane suddenly buckled, were whipped
back against the side of the plane and
torn off, falling into q field owned by
j. o. Williams. Then the top wing
on the other side of the biplane cracked
and was ripped off.
AS the plane dropped, twisting crafty
in the air, Mr.. Sabine apparently put
the engine into top speed in an attempt
to make three-point landing. He
managed to bring the ship down on its
wheels and tail skid, but was unable
to check the speed OF the disabled craft
in time to prevent it crashing into q
stout wire fence.
The terrific impact tore away a long
portion of the fence and hurled the
plane over on its back, completely de-
molishing it. The wreckage hardly
could be recognized as that of an air.
plane. The landing was on the farm of
E. E. Stup.
Mr.. Stup, j. o. Williams and his son
w. B. Williams, witnessed the accident
and hurried to the scene. They found
both bodies mangled and life extinct.
The wings were later discovered 500
yards from the body of the airshlp.
Was Tech Athlete.
Sabine was we'll known in Wash
ington several years ago as an athlete
at Mckinley High School. He was
graduated there in 1925 after winning
his letter In foot ball for three years,
in base ball his senior year. He also
was member of the rifle team, the
swimming team and the radio club.
After his graduation he worked on
the farm of his father, a well to do
dairyman and farmer, for two years.
When Col. Lindbergh made his trans
atlantic flight, the young man became
fired with desire to be an aviator and
dispite the vigorous protests of his
family went to Dallas, Tex, where he
completed the course in the flying
school.
Returning home, he bought a plane
with Jack Warfield, brother of his
sweetheart, and Harold Hargett, who
lived nearby. The y trio made many
trips together and Mr.. Sabine had be-
come an accomplished pilot when he
obtained q position at the Hamden
Airport.
The bodies were turned over to Roy
Barber. Laytonsville undertaken The
craft in which he met his death was a
e-cylinder bi-plane, 220 horsepower,
and belonged to the airport corporation
by which he was employed.
Surviving Sabine are his parents, two
brothers, Walter, 81 years old, and
George, 8 years old, and two sisters,
Eleanor, Is, and Elizabeth years old
Funeral services will be held at his
home at 1880 o'clock tomorrow after
noon. A reader of the Christian
Science Church will officiate. The body
will be cremated.