The Wilmington morning star., 1941-01-06
II NAVAL AIRMEN
\ PERISH IN CRASH
OF LARGE PLANE
Continued From Page One)

(OOlIlnuGQ FTOIH rage OllCI
Preston heard the plane about
Is D. m. The craft evidently was
in no mechanical difficulty, but
was flying low. A dense low fog
obscured the ground and the cell
ing was low.
State forestry officers who re-
turned to their La Mesa, Calf,
station from the wreck discounted
the report the plane was burning
before it crashed. The officers,
who declined use of their names,
said information they obtained at
the scene indicated the fire did
not start until after the crash.
The officers, who said they had
discussed the accident with navy
officials, reported the pilot evident
~ realized the transport was about
to crash into the rock-covered
peak, and gave the craft full throt-
tie in attempting to climb over
the mountain.
Ranchers said the planes
motors hesitated just before the
crash, and then roared with sud;
den power. Navy filters said the
motors always hesitate just before
full throttle.
After crashing almost at the top
of the peak the plane plunged down
the slope, some of the wreckage
being found a quarter mile from
the summit.
The bodies were thrown clear of
the plane, most of them being
found within $50 yards of tn e
mountain top.
William F. Percich, Is, of Fri
day Harbor, Wash, was killed
when he bailed out from the navy
bomber in Texas with four COM
panions who persisted in last
nights crash. 1t. Murray Hanson,
80, pilot, Alamogorda, N. NJ, and
Ems. Robert Clark, Is, Pomona,
Calf, remained with the bomber
and landed it undamaged on a
pond only three inches deep, 30
miles north of Edinburgh, Tex.
Navy officials reported the plane
overdue last night. A few hours
later Guy C. Haptonstal, a ranch
er, told of sighting a flash and
hearing a loud noise" after a
plane flew over his house. A
searching party was organized i'm
mediately, but the dense fog, rain
and rugged country impeded pro-
gress.
Reaching the scene this morn
ing, the searchers we're forced to
clear away brush to make a trail
up the almost inaccessible spot
where the transport crashed and
burned.
The dead:
Lieut.. Comdr. Joseph Henry
Gowan, 81, pilot, whose home is
at Lead Hill, Ark.
Lieut.. Comdr. Stephen Bland
Cooke, AZ, commander patrol
squadron 10, Harrison, Ark.
Lieut.. Victor S. Gaulin, "a, at
tached to patrol squadron IA, Lo-
well, Mass.
Lieut.. James Cyril Flemming,
So, attached to patrol wing /,
Reading, Pa.
David Everett Ferguson, 80, CO.
pilot, Neponset, W. Va.
Marvin Magee, 80, machinists
mate, Long Branch, N. j.
Frank Richard Naylor, Is, radio
man, Dayton, Kentucky.
H. d. Neff, "a, machinists, mate,
San Diego.
Frank Recke, Jr., 80, machinists
mate, National City, Calf.
A. M. Parry, 81, radio man, Los
Angeles.
L. j. Hughes, 80, radio man,
Grand Rapids, Mich.
In their Official announcement of
the crash and Identification of the
victims, naval authorities had no
further details, pending an investi-
cation.
Parry, Neff, Hughes and Recke
were the four who bailed out from
the storm tossed bomber near Big
Spring, Tex. The fifth man to take
to a parachute, w. F. Percich,
Friday Harbor, Wash, was killed
IN the jump.
Ihe constituent elements of a