Evening star., 1935-05-20
SOVIET To BUILD
:. :. 3 GIANT PLANES.
Disaster to Maxim Gorky,
Killing 49, Blamed on
"Air H00dIum."
nv thA Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
MOSCOW, May 20.-Despite the
calamitous crash Of the Maxim Gorky,
worlds largest land plane, with its
loss of 40 lives, the Soviet Is de-
termined to build three more planes
of the same type.
1t was announced today that the
new mammoth aircraft = would be
named Vladimir Lenin, Joseph Stain
and Maxim Gorky. after three OF the
Soviet Unions foremost heroes.
The newspaper Pravda, organ OF
the Communist party, asserted the
government Is in a position to con-
struct additional planes Of the Maxim
Gorky type in large numbers when
ever it should so desire.
I'VE have other powerful air dread
noughts," 1t said. "The strength Of
aviation Is not measured by one plane
alone. Furthermore, if it is considered
necessary, our country is able, in a
very short time, to construct as many
planes of the Gorky type as it de-
sires."
"Air H0odlum" Blamed.
The Soviet press blamed the dis
aster, which occurred Saturday when
small plane collided with the Maxim
Gorky in midair while stunting, on
the action of an ''air hoodlum."
Pravda said the behavior of Pilot
Blagin, the stunting pilot, who per-
ished in the crash, was an example Of
criminal lack of discipline" which
the government and the Communist
party "are removing from the air feet
with hot irons"
Blagin was officially reported to have
been warned not to stunt in the vi
cinity of the mammoth ship. which he
was accompanying to enable specta-
tors to observe the contrast in the
size of the two planes while they were
in the air.
Victims to Be Buried.
The 49 victims, a majority of whom
were workers who were being taken
on the flight as a reward for attain
ments, will be buried tonight at the
old Donskoi monastery at the govern
ment's expense.
The Maxim Gorky was torn apart
in maidair after the collision, but it
was officially denied that an explosion
had occurred. The terrific strain i'm
posed upon the craft after the smaller
plane crashed into the leading edge
of one of the huge wings was de-
clared to have been responsible for its
collapse.
Parts of the plane together with the
bodies of the victims, many of them
dismembered, were scattered over a
wide area over the village of Sokol,
over which the disaster took place.
Operator Becomes Crazed.
A desperate battle in motion pic
ture plane accompanying the Maxim
Gorky at the time of Saturdays dis
aster was disclosed as having almost
caused a second accident.
The pilot Of the smaller plane, v.
Rybushkin, said that after a Stunting
aircraft had crashed into the Gorky,
a motion picture operator lost his
head, leaped upon him and attempted
to strangle him and pull him away
from the controls.
Il lost command of my ship, it
went into a spin, and there was
nothing for me to do but to strike
my companion in the face" the pilot
said. This treatment finally Gained
him and he slumped into his seat,
remaining still until I managed to
get out of the spin and land"
1t was not disclosed whether the
operator filmed the crash In which
49 persons lost their lives before he
became panic stricken, but no pic
lures Of the disaster have been pub
lished. The official motion picture
agency declined to say whether it
had obtained any pictures.