Evening star., 1940-09-08
P. {. A. Dispatcher
Describes Messages
To Pilot Already Dead
Airline Officials Believed
Planes Silence Was Due
To Radio Failure
By BLAIR BOLLES.

BY BLAIR BOLLES.
A recital of messages radioed to
a dead air pilot, given in the routine
language of his Office by a calm
flight dispatcher who had thought
the flyer alive, yesterday turned the
Civil Aeronautic Boards LOvettSvllle
air crash hearing into scene ap-
proximating that of a tragic stage
play.
Far along in the long list of wit
nesses called before the inquiry
meeting in the Departmental Audi
torium. was H. A. Dugan. flight dis
patcher of the Pennsylvania Central
Airlines, operator of the transport
which crashed eight days ago in a
field at the foot of Short Mountain
in the Virginia Blue Ridge foothills.
Senator Lundeen and "a others were
killed-the worst civilian air accident
in United States history.
From Mr.. Dugan the board OF ex-
aminers wished to know what steps
the Pennsylvania Central headquar-
ters Office in Pittsburgh took when
1t failed to hear from the Pitts
burgh- bound transport on flight l9
at 2:47 pm. At 2:3l pm, shortly
after he left Washington. Capt.
Lowell " Scroggins, pilot Of the
plane reported from over Herndon.
Va. that all was we'll. He was sup
posed to check with headquarters
by radio again from over Martins
burg. w. Va. Is minutes later.
Given Blind" Clearance.
"At 2:48 pm" Mr.. Dugan testi-
fed. "the radio operator at Pitts
burgh advised me 10 had not report
ed over No alarm was felt. We
believed 19s transmitter had become
imperative. At 3:O2 the ship was
sent blind radio clearance TO Scott
dale PA by air traffic control (of
the Civil Aeronautics BoardD."
Since 2:41 pm. the captain for
whom the message was intended
had been lying dead in the field by
Short Mountain, near Lovettsville.
But it was almost pm. before the
PENNSYLVANIA Central dispatcher
learned of the tragedy through a
telephone call from Lovettsville. |
For more than two hours he con-
tinued to order instructions for the
pilot who could never act upon
them-instructions to circle the
Pittsburgh field before landing, in
Structions to proceed direct to
Cleveland, advice about the weather
and hints for putting the destroyed
ships radio transmitter back into
operation.
Mr. Dugan was but l of IA expert
witnesses who appeared before the
examining board in long session
which opened at $50 am. and did
not close until pm. 1t will be
resumed tomorrow, as the c. A. B.
seeks a solution of the crash of the
Douglas DC-3 plane. Among the
most important pieces of informa-
ton given the board yesterday we're
these:
Dan Beard. engineering pilot for
American Airlines and an authority
on flying type DC-3. advanced the !
theory that the plane might have !
been thrown into a dive by down
draft of wind from which it could
not recover.
Lightning Is Discounted.
Mr.. Beard discounted the sugges-
ton that lightning had caused the 7
planes mishap by testifying that
he had been in plane struck by
lightning and that its controls
suffered no damage.
Capt Joy McLaflin. P. c. A. pilot,
flying eastward over Lovettsville al
most at the moment the plane
crashed. said the rain in the vicinity
was not exceptional. He testified
that he saw no thunderheads in
the clouds.
William Coons, P. C, A. meteor
ologist. although he protested
against what he considered the
sloWness in the dispatch of data
by the United States Weather Bu-
reau, said that even if he had
been able to forecast the storm
around Lovettsville, he would have
advised the plane to make its flight.
Called Conscientious Pilot.
Two pilots who knew and have
flown with Capt. Scroggins-Trow
Sebree and Capt. Ralph Read
testified that Capt. Scroggins was
about the most conscientious pilot
We have regarding the weather.
Both said out of their own expert
ence that Capt. Scroggins proceeded
cautiously in rough weather and
tried to ride around storm areas
whenever possible.
The ship was loaded with 24,372
pounds, according to Willard
Greene, Washington passenger
agent. mot unusual" although the
top allowable load is 24,400 pounds.
Three pilots who few into Wash
ington from the west along the same
route trip 19 was taking from the
east, and at almost the same time.
reported no difficulties for them
selves. Apparently the noise of the
plane piloted by Capt. McLaf1in.
proceeding above the clouds, was
what attracted the notice of Low
ettsville residents who testified Fri
day about their bewilderment at
the sound of a second plane. after
the first crashed with a loud roar
and shrek.
Seeks All Information.
The order of the witnesses ap-
pearances was arranged so that the
board could gather every available
scrap of information about the state
OF the plane before the flight and
antil 1t was last heard from, the
meteorological conditions that might
have affected the planes progress,
the character and abilities of the
pilot and expert theorizing about
what insurmountable difficulties the
plane might have encountered in
its last trip.
The plane, 1t was brought out
. SPE
All tn