Evening star., 1935-12-04
WIND SMASHES
PLANE, KILLING z
AT BOILING FIELD
Landing Accident Costs
Lives of Maj. Rice and
Lieut.. Godfrey.
BOARD SUMMONED
FOR INVESTIGATION
Craft Had Circled Scene in Eff.
fort to Side-Slip Into Place After
Trip From Long Island.

Two Army fiyers-Maj. George e.
Rice and Lieut.. Harry H Godfrey
were killed today when their plane, en-
route here from Mitchell Field, Long
Island. was swept into hillside by q
sudden gust Of wind as they were at
tempting to land at Boiling Field.
The ship, a Douglas O-43, was
crushed in the center of the fuselage
and the right wing was badly crum-
pied. 1t did not catch fire.
Although the exact cause of the
crash could not be learned inmedi-
ately, it was believed the plane got out
Of control Just as the pilot, Lieut..
Godfrey, was dropping down for the
landing. Witnesses said the plane was
about so feet up when caught by the
wind. It veered to the left and was
then swept backward into the woods
bordering the field.
The plane apparently dropped almost
straight down through a small OPEN
ing in the trees, since only one small
sapling had been broken.
Propeller Blade Buried,
When nearby soldiers reached the
scene the plane was turned toward
the open field, some 35 yards away.
One propeller blade was buried in the
ground. Officers at the field said the
motor was running when witnesses
reached the plane, but the ship did
not burn.
Lieut.. Godfrey, who was plotting
the ship, lived for a few minutes after
he was removed from the wreckaee.
His body was mangled when thrown
against the instrument board after
the crash.
The crash occurred shortly after
10 o'clock Boiling Field officials said
25-mile-an-hour wind was blowing,
Visibility was good at the time.
First Sergt. Harry Burke said he
was driving near the scene when he
saw the field ambulance coming.
Realizing there must have been
an accident" he told reporters, 'I fol.
lowed the ambulance to the plane.
Lieut.. Godfrey was screaming in
agony as he was being removed. He
must have died on the way to the
hospital"
Had CircIed Field.
Other witnesses said the ignition
switch had been turned of before
the plane crashed. A laborer work.
ing near the scene told Boiling Field
officials the plane had circled the
field once and was trying to side-slip
in for landing when a gust of wind
swept 1t into the hillside.
Maj. Rice was dead when the first
witnesses reached the plane.
A board of Army officers was sum.
moned to conduct an investigation.
while Coroner A. Magruder Mac
Donald and eleventh precinct police
also were making study of the acci-
dent.
Lieut.. Godfrey was native of st.
Paul and his family still resides there.
He was born December 10. 1906, and
was appointed to the Military Acad-
emy in 1925. He graduated in 1890,
being commissioned directly in the
Air Corps.
Maj. Rice From Wyoming.
Maj. Rice was born in Basin, Wyo..
January l8, 1898, but claimed Their
mopolis, Wyo., as his home address.
He entered the Army as an enlisted
man in the Signal Corps during the
World War, transferred to the Air
Corps when it was first organized and
was commissioned a second lieutenant.
He recently attained the temporary
rank of major.
The latest addresses of the two men
were given as Hampstead. Long
Island, near Mitchell Field.
picture on Page A-5J