Imperial Valley press., 1933-03-27
CRASH
UNAVOIDABLE
Dead Pilot Of Liner Which Kill
ed Is Held Blameless After
Investigation.

OAKLAND, March 27 ,U.Pl-An
air disaster in which 13 persons
were fatally burned in the splin-
tered wreckage of house and plane
reached the concluding phases of
an investigation today.
Department of commerce Off
cials completed a confidential re-
port of the crash Saturday night of
Varney Speed Lines airliner
which, before burying it's blazing
nose In a nearby orchard, drove
through two houses, leveling them
in flames to the ground.
Twelve victims, including mo-
ther and her four children, were
burned byeond recognition. The ia
ther died last night.
Two houses were fired by the
hurtling plane which Pilot Noel B.
Oittle Jackie) Evans was attempt
ing to bring through a binding rain
to Oakland airport. Riding as pas
sengers were Miss Lavelle Miller
and Herman L. Brown, both of Los
Angeles, southern terminus of the
route. All were killed.
Cropping for an emergency land
ing, Evans swooped low over the
thinly settled district between Hay
ward and San Leandro, Oakland
suburbs. The roar of his stricken
ship brought frightened residents
to their windows. Among them was
Joe Arisa, 40, whose family and
four guests preceded him in death.
Before dying, Arisa told his sto-
ry:
Everybody else was downstairs.
/ was up in the bedroom. 1t was
raining like everything, rain beat
ing on the roof.
Then I heard a bigger roar. 1
jumped to the window to see what
it was. Then the whole house jump
ed just like it was hit by shell
from big gun.
II didn't think the house would
stand. I wanted to be out of it
before it collapsed, so I jumped.
Just as hit the ground there was
a flash of light, everything was on
fire, and my clothes were burn
ing too."
Before striking Arisa's house, the
low winged monoplane crashed
into the adjoining home of Joseph
Jordan. Blazing gasoline fired the
residence but the occupants es-
capped injury. except a guest, Mrs.
Tony Tochero, who was struck by
a falling timber.
Victims Trapped
Continuing its wild plunge, the
plane bored through Cne Arisa
house and buried itself, a mass of
flames in nearby orchard. So
great was it's speed that the en-
gine, torn from its fastenings,. was
hurled $50 feet into a tree. Pilot
and occupants were burned beyond
recognition.
The terrific impact brought the
second house down on the heads of
Arisas wife, four small children,
and four youthful guests, seated in
the living room. Trapped by flames,
they burned to death before the
eyes of helpless spectators.
The dead included Mrs. Arisa,
80; her children, Michael, A; Anna,
10; Joseph, Jr., IL; and Juanita. l;
and Tony Serrano, 18, and brother,
Joe Serrano, 90; George Jeanzott,
18, and Flores Fontes, 10, all of
Hayward.
In an official statement, E. E.
Mouton, district supervisor for the
department of commerce. indicated
he would exonerate Evans, vet
eran of coast airways, in his report
to Washington. Mouton said the
storm was so local Evans possibly
could not have had any previous
warning before he struck it,
THE pilot apparently came in
under the clouds, ran into wind
switch. became confused, doubled
back on his course and crashed
while flying too low, probably in an
effort to make forced landing. )"
The storm also was blamed in
the preliminary reports of other
investigators.