Evening star., 1934-03-01
BOILING AIR CRASH.
PROBED BY BOARD.
Army Corps Seeking Cause
of Death of Capt. Wendell
H. BrookIey.

An Army Air Corps board today is
seeking to determine the cause of an
airplane crash at Boiling Field late
yesterday, in which Capt. Wendell H.
Brookley was killed and Capt. Merrick
G. Estabrook, jr., was injured seriously.
Capt. Brookley, the pilot, apparently
jumped from the plane at low altitude
after a mechanical failure in the
propeller or engine is believed to have
crippled the ship. He was found dead
on the ground with his parachute
unopened. The rip cord had not been
pulled. Capt Estabrook rode the plane
to the ground and was injured when
it crashed in snow-filled ditch on
an ungraded portion Of the new
Boiling Field. He was taken to Walter
Reed Hospital suffering from a COM
pound fracture of the right thigh,
severe shock and possible internal in
juries. His condition was described as
serious but he Is expected to recover.
Propeller Loss Blamed.
Although the cause has not been
determined, eyewitnesses of the crash
were inclined to believe that part of
the propeller carried away and the
resulting vibration tore the engine out
of the nose of the plane.
The airplane, a two-seater BT-2
training plane. had been flown to
Boiling Field from the Air Corps
depot at Middletown, Pa, shortly be-
fore the crash. Capt, Brookley, with
Capt. Esterbrook as observer, had
just taken OF on a short local train
ing fight when the crash occurred
Although ambulances, the fire rescue
squad and the police squad were dis
patched to the scene soon after the
crash occurred. officials of Boiling
Field denied repeatedly that there
had been an accident. Newspaper
photographers were greeted by
sentinel guarding the wreck who
threatened to arrest them If pictures
were made. One who made shot
was detained until an officer ordered
him released.
Both officers have served in the Air
Corps since the World War and both
were on duty here in the Office of
the chief of the Army Air Corps
Capt Brt okley, who lived at 329 West
Bradley lane, Chevy Chase Nd. is
survived by his widow and three
children. Capt Estabrook lives at Is
Newlands street. Chevy Chase, Md.
He also is married and has one child.
test pilot and trophy winner in the
Pulitzer races and other flying events,
was born March 81, 1896, at Juanita,
Nebr, and enlisted in the aviation
section Of the Signal Corps at the
beginning of the World War He
served in the 68th Construction
Squadron and as sergeant in the
89th Squadron before being appointed
Flying Cadet and sent to the Uni
versity of Texas, Austin, Tex. for
ground training He took his flying
training at Kelly Field. Tex, and
was graduated as a reserve military
aviator and commissioned a second
lieutenant in April, 1918 He served
at various Texas fields until the
close Of the war
Served in Manila.
In May. 1919, he was sent to the
Philippines. serving as detachment
commander at Manila, and in July,
1921. returned to the United States
to serve as operations officer and as
sistant in charge of flying at Post
Field, Fort Sill, Okla.
From July, 1922. to July, 1925, he
served at McCook Field. Dayton. Ohio,
then base of the Air Corps Material
Division as a test pilot. During this
period he engaged in Pulitzer and
other competitive flying. capturing
second place in the Pulitzer high
speed classic at Dayton in the Fall of
1924 He was liaison officer Of the
Air Corps to the Navy Bureau Of
AeronauticS.
Capt. Brookley was credited with
1850 hours of flying time in virtually
all types of Army airplanes and was
regarded as one of the outstanding
pilots in the service. He was COM
missioned captain June 5, 1882.