The Waterbury Democrat., 1937-03-26
Thirteen Met Death
 In Airliner Crash
Continued from Page D

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 Five miles away, something hap pened. What 1t was remained mys- tery which the federal investigators l oped to solve in examination of the wreckage. Eyewitnesses said the ship spit fire" and went into a Give creashing nose first into slop- ing field. The hands on the wrist watch of one victim read 6:42 p. m. EST.
 The plane was enroute from New. ark, N. J., to Chicago. It was to have landed in Pittsburgh to pick up two passengers.
 The crash was witnessed by the pilot of an eastbound T. w. A. plane, which was preparing to land. That pilot, A. N. wilkins, said:
 "At about 2,l0O feet his (Bohnet's) right wing dropped to about 30 degrees, then the nose dropped. He made two turns nose down before striking the ground"
 Ice on Wings
 Dr. John Mclean, manager of the airport, said he believed the crash was due to ice on the wings. Gov ernment investigators planned to in- cuirc into those and other reports today. The disaster was the first to occur on an airline since Fred D. Fagg, Jr., became director of the bureau of air commerce, succeed ing Eugene Vidal. He ordered Rus sell Delaney, and Bryan M. Jacobs, airline inspectors stationed at Kan sa5 City and Washington, respect lively, to Pittsburgh, where they joined Russell Young, general air line inspector here, who was on the scene last sIght. Young dispatched a preliminary report to Fagg. It's contents were not revealed. The fed- er&l Investigation began at dawn, with the agents poking through the SplinterS in raw wind on the side of the ravine where the wreckage la.
 Coroner w. J. McGregor announc- ed he would make an offical illves- tigation, and would take testimony from eye-witneSses.
 Hit With Terrific Force
 The big plane hit the ground with such terrific force that the cabin was split down its belly, the two motors were plunged into the 'rth. The wings were shattered. The tail was unright, the only part of the ship that was not damaged.
 Death apparently was instantane- ous for all occupants. Farmers who reached the field few minutes ~af- tc: seeing the plane start its fall re- ported that there was no screaming, no moaning. One man said it was deal quiet"
 Other members of the crew were Co-Pllot Howard Warwick of East Orange, N J., and Hostess Doris Hammcns, whose log book listed Orange, N. J., Leedy, Oklahoma, and Pampa, Texas, as her homes.
 List of Passengers
 E. '. Fleming, SOAP Broolside road, Kansas City.
 H. Haxli, Dianon Motor company, Chicago.
 c. R. Levers, 6115 Oake street, Kansas City.
 Miss M. Black, New York city.
 Miss Frances Reed, Wheeling, w.. w..
 E. G. Neill, Curtis Publishing company, Minneapolis.
 Miss Pauline Trask, William Penn Charter school, Germantown, Pa.
 Frederick D. Lehman, Metropoli- tan Life Insurance company, Har- risburg, Pa.
 John F. Herman, HOO E. Broad way, Lincoln, III.
 2. Brazelton, 200 South Kenil- worth street, Elmhurst, III.
 Il bodies were taken to the coun.y morgue in Pittsburgh.
 Bodies Badly Mangled
 Some were badly mangled. Pilot Bohnet, who had been in the em- ploy of the Transcontinental and Western since November, 1882, was decapitated.
 Warwick had been with VIVA. two and a half years. Both pilot and co-pilot were married. Each had a young son.
 Crash of transport brought the total deaths in major commercial air disasters in the last three months to more than 50. It was the sixth such disaster.
 Tn the Pittsburg area is was the third major air disaster since last April, when the VIVA. transport, Sun Racer, crahsed in the moun- tains near Uniontown. Pa. Twelve persons were killed
 Last September a sigl. l.tseeing ship crashed at the county airport. kill ing nine passengers and the pilot.
 As Bohent headed into the Pitts burg district last night. he encount- cred stiff winds, temperatures were dropping rapidly into the low twen- ties. but weather conditions gener- ally were reported good and the at- riosphere was clear. There Was . ceiling Of 24O0 feet.
 First at Death Scene
 Men and women who lived In the vicinity were the first Co reach the