Evening star., 1940-09-10
Radio Logs Disclose
Attempts 10 Contact
Airliner in Storm
Operators Tried TO Get
Ship Two Hours After 1t
Fell at loyettsyiIIe

From radio control room operators
and their logs, Civil Aeronautics
Board investigators learned today of
unsuccessful attempts made to PEN
citrate a storm-streaked sky and
contact the PENNSYLVANIA Central
airliner that crashed August 81 near
Lovettsville, Va, killing 25. includ-
ing Senator Lundeen of Minnesota.
Station logs were submitted show
ing repeated efforts had been made
by Pennsylvania Central radio op-
orators here and in Pittsburgh to
locate the plane after it took off
here.
The Washington log showed that
the flight plan Capt. Lowell v.
Scrogglns, pilot of the plane, called
for him to climb to 5000 feet. 1t
showed he was due over Herndon,
Va. 10 minutes after take-off. over
Martinsburg, W. Va, l6 minutes
after take-of, and that 10 minutes
later he was due to pass out of the
Washington traffic control area.
The record showed that after the
plane had been cleared and had
TAXED away from the loading ramp,
1t returned and the clearance was
Cancelled. At PIG pm. it again was
cleared and took off at 2:21 pm. At
2:30 pm. an American Airline plane,
approaching Washington from
*ttSburgh over the same route, re-
60 led in from Herndon that it was
flying contact" that the ceiling was
unlimited but that there were high
and low overcast clouds.
Plane Sent One Report.
One minute later Trip Captain
Scroggins' plane reported from over
Herndon. flying contact" which
meant that the ground was visible,
at an altitude of 1000 feet, climbing.
This procedure was in accordance
with the flight plan
At 2:37 an eaStbound Pennsyl-
vania Central plane reported in
from west of LeeSburg, also flying
contact"
At 3:03 pm. PENNSYLVANIA Gen.
trail Airlines notified the Washing
ton control Office that Capt. Scrig-
gins plane must have tranSmitter
trouble, since several efforts had
been made to establish contact with
the plane without success. An emer-
gency warning message that the
plane was unreported was received
from Pittsburgh at 436 pm, and
at 5:56 the first definite word that
the plane had crashed was received
at the local Office.
1vey Gregory, Pittsburgh air.
traffic controller. testified that the
flight plan for the trip was received
at 1:47 pm. but that there was no
word of the take-off until 2:25. At
2:57. when no report had been re-
ceived from MartinSburg, the Pitts
burgh Office requested report from
that station but was unable to get
any information. At 3:05 the air
line radio operator advised the con-
troll Office that the planes radio
transmitter apparently was out and
asked that instructions for ap-
preaching Pittsburgh be broadcast
on the Federal radio range fire.
quency.
Kept Trying to Find Liner.
At 3:19, Gregory said, traffic con-
troll again asked P. c. A. for in
formation about the plane, but was
told that no word had been re-
ceived. At 1923 the airline re-
quested that instructions be broad
act tn
Capt. Scroggins to circle the air
port at Pittsburgh and watch the
control light for landing directions.
AS late as Ala pm. nearly two
hours after the plane had crashed,
the log showed, the Pittsburgh traf-
fic Office still was attempting by
radio to locate the missing plane.
The first definite word of the acci-
dent was received shortly afterWard.
A coroner's inquest into the deaths
has been set for 10 am. tomorrow
in the court house at Leesburg, Va,
by DR.. John A. Gibson, Loudoun
County coroner. In event the c.
A. B. hearings are not concluded
today, 1t is possible postponement
of the inquest may be requested so
that witnesses and officials may
conclude the hearings Wednesday
before going to Leesburg.
Flew Into Storms.
Evidence that the big airliner flew
into thunderstorms which turned
back at least two other commercial
pilots was presented in affidavits
read into the transcript late yes
terday by the presiding officer,