Evening star., 1938-11-30
Plane Crash Victims
Bodies Hunted in
Churning Surf
Too Good Rodio Coused
AirIiner to Lose Way
And Lund at Sea
By the Associated Press.

- inc AS6OClAteO EItSS
SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 3O.-In
the churning surf of Point Reyes
the gloomy search was resumed to-
day for the bodies of four men
and a young woman who met death
yesterday through strange, new
hazard to aviation.
Oficials gravely studied the queer
phenomenon of "too good" radio
reception, which so confused the
pilot of a Seattle-San Francisco
United Airlines plane he became
lost and had to bring the transport
down on the sea when it ran out
of gasoline One said the phenome-
non had occurred just three times,
and never before had caused an
accident.
Added to the grief of the five
victims families was the knowledge
that had the plane occupants re-
manned in the cabin instead of
scrambling to the top of the fuselage
"for safety" they probably would
have reached shore without injury.
The cabin of the wrecked and bat
tered airliner was dry when it was
finally washed ashore. The pilot
and one passenger survived.
The dead:
Philip Hart, 50, president of the
Pacific Bridge Co.. Portland, Oreg..
and graduate of the Massachusetts,
Institute of Technology.
Ivan B. Hefebower, San Francisco
bond broker.
Sydney L. Shonts, San Jose, Calf :,
w. P. A. engineer, whose daughter,
Martha. said tearfully he had prom
ised her never to fly" His widow is
visiting son in Baltimore, Md.
Co-Pilot Lloyd Jones, 80, of Seattle.
whose wife, Mrs. Eleanor c. Jones
hoped a plane and few to Oakland
as soon as she heard of the crash,
only to be met by word all hope of
his safety was gone.
Frona Clay, 24-year-old steward
ess, who helped everybody out of the
fuselage and made her way to shore,
only to be swept back into the sea
when she lodged the careening plane
wing as it swept by.
Only Two Are Saved.
The survivors:
Capt. Charles Stead. AZ. veteran
pilot. who gave full and narrowing
account of the tragedy.
Passenger 1sadore Edelstein, 81.
paroled Washington State convict
bound for Honolulu to begin a new
life.
Edelstein was hoisted up the cliff
at Point Reyes by stretcher. after he
and Pilot Stead had somehow fought
their way to shore and then COL
iapsed into Inconsistencies from ex-
haustion. He was taken to Stanford
Hospital here, to be treated for ex-
posure and shattered knee-cap.
Dispatched to the scene by the
Civil Aeronautics Authority in
Washington was Board of Inquiry
headed by Thomas O. Hardin, men,
Der of the G. A. A. Safety Board.
It's task, as United Airlines
official, expressed it. will be Ito
make formal findings about what
everybody now already knows was
the cause of the accident"
The poor pilot just got so many
short-wave stations he couldn't sort
them out" the official said. The
Oakland Airport did send out in
structions to clear the air until the
plane got it's correct bearings, but it
was too late then. for he was al
ready far of his course, with gaso-
line fast dwindling"
Hodge -Podge of Signals.
o. C. Richerson. assistant West
ern divisional manager of the air.
lines, said he knew of only three
times in the history of commercial
aviation that comparable atmos-
pheric conditions had confused pi-
lots But pilots who were confused
twice before managed to escape
without accident, he said.
1T was one of those perfect nights
when every radio signal was coming
in strong" explained Pilot Snead.
You could have called friend in
Australia and recognized his voice.
Portland and Salt Lake were COM
ing in stronger than Sacramento
There was such hodge-podge of
radio-beam signals we couldn't pick
out our own to follow
The record of short wave messages
at Oakland Airport tells a laconic
story of the prolonged efforts of the
plane pilots to get their position, of
their failure until so late they we're
out at sea, with but 20 gallons of
gasoline left. and the plane burning
these up at the rate of ll2 gallons
q minute
The airport gave last-minute ad-
vice trying to direct the flyers to
sandy beach, but their last desperate
message before communications were
snapped at 5:22 am, was:
1--WE pulled a flare and the shore is
too rough for landing. Give us the
wind"
Keeper Saw Plane.
The keeper of the Point Reyes
Lighthouse, H. j. Pf1eghaar, saw the
plane about that time. watched it
circle toward frelghter, drop flare,
circle again and then skim to rest
on the sea- The vessel plowed on
its way, unheeding.
1T was perfect landing, just like
plane landing on the ground Mr.
Pf1eghaar said.
Only few minutes before did the
passengers learn they are in any
danger. Stewardess Bobby" Clay
told them they were about to make
an emergency landing on the water
and advised taking off coats and
shoes.
{ I'VE all went through the hatch"
related Passenger Edelstein, "and 1
helped some up onto the top of the
ship. I sat alongside the pilot. He