Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-02-21
QUANT|CO CRASH
PROBE IS OPENED
Bodies of Two Victims Are
Recovered From WreCkage
OF Planes in River.

Formal inquiry to determine the cause
OF the double crash which yesterday
cost the lives Of two Marine Corps pilots
at Quantico, Va, was begun today by
a board of inquiry, which is hearing the
report of witnesses of the accident.
The bodies of both pilots, Lieut..
Joseph Leon Wolfe of Coeburn, Va,
and Lieut.. William r. ostertag of Co
lumbia, Pa, have been recovered by
graphing from the wreckage of the
planes in which they we're tangled after
plunging into the Potomac River in a
power dive at 2:30 pm. yesterday.
The two lieutenants had been flying
close formation with four other planes,
divided into two flights of three planes
each. Lient. Wolfe was leader of the
hight in which Lieut.. Ostertag was n.y.
ing. The formation work had been
completed and the order given to break
formation and land.
Crash Almost simultaneously.
Lieut.. Wolfe, coming down in hurry,
made steep power dive over the river.
Lieut.. OStertag did not break forms-
ton, but continued in the dive after
his flight leader. Lieut.. Wolfe flew
headlong into the river at high speed,
Ostertag following him in almost at the
same instant.
Maj. Roy S. Geiger, in command Of
Marine Corps aviation at Quantico, said
unofficially today that he is inclined to
believe that Lieut.. Wolfe misjudged his
altitude above the surface of the water,
which was CLASSY smooth, and few in
while still thinking he had suff1cient
altitude to pull out of the dive. Lieut..
Ostertag, apparently relying on his
leader to pull out in time, few forma-
ton on the first plane so close that he
had no time to pull up when Lieut..
Wolfe struck the water.
One of the most difficult things for a
pilot to do, it was pointed out, is to
judge his altitute over perfectly smooth
water, unless there are floating objects
or the shore line is close enough to give
a reference point. Many accidents have
resulted from this cause, including a
fatal crash of Alexandria last year
during the speed tests of a civil trans
port plane, which dove into the river
channel
Planes Are Demolished.
Lieuts. Wolfe and Ostertag were flying
F7C-1 CurtisS Hawk single-seater flght-
ers. The planes were demolished.
Rescue operations were begun imme-
diately by detail of Marines headed
by Maj. Geiger After considerable Diff
ficulty line was made fast to Lieut..
Wolfe's plane, and it was pulled to the
surface, where the body Of the pilot was
removed.
Graphing for the body Of Lieut..
Ostertag continued far into the night
under the light of searchlights and
electric flares. Recovery Of the body
was reported to the Navy Department
early this morning.
The board of inquiry, appointed last
night, is composed of Col william B.
Sullivan, Maj. Louis NJ. Bourne and
Lieut.. George M. Tower. all of the
Marine Corps. The board is expected
to be in session all day today. The re-
port Of its findings will be sent through
the commandant of the Marine base at
Quantico to the Navy Department.
Lieut.. Wolfe was the son Of DR.. j. T..
Wolfe Of Coeburn, Va. He was q grad
uate of the Naval Academy at Annapo-
lis, Nd, in the class of 1926, and was
commissioned in the Marine Corps. He
served year in China, and then was on
duty at the naval air station, Pensa-
tico. n
Lieut.. Ostertsg graduated from the
Naval Academy in 1924, but resigned
after serving for a short time as q lieu
tenant in the Marine Corps. He re-
turned to his home in Columbia, Pa,
where he later was commissioned in
the Marine Corps Reserves. He had re-
turned to Quantico for q year of active
duty, though remaining on q reserve
basis.