Evening star., 1941-03-01
Loss Of Safety Board
Looms as Big Issue
In Air Crash Probe
Branch, Chairman of
c. A. B., Cites Tightening
Under New Setup
By JOSEPH S. EDGERTON.

bdlC III llllC aIN1dCllt Ill
six months. congressional leaders
today are clearing the way for
congressional investigation into the
broad question Of Federal control
of civil aviation.
One of the primary aims of the
probe will be TO determine whether
last summers Federal reorganiza-
ton plan which transferred the
independent Civil Aeronautics Au-
thority into the Commerce Depart
ment and abolished the Air Safety
Board has contributed to the re-
cent series of accidents.
A special Senate subcommittee,
headed by Senator Clark, Democrat,
of Missouri, has been named to
study airline accidents. 1t was. ap-
pointed last fall as a result of the
crash at Lovettsville, Va, in which
Senator Lundeen of Minnesota and
"a other persons were killed. The
worst accident in air transport
history, that crash brought to a
close a period of II months of per-
feet safety for American air trans
port lines.
Senator Clark's committee wants
to know whether it is just coinci-
dence that nearly a year and a
half of perfect safety under the
old c. A. A. has been succeeded by
major crashes at rate of nearly
one a month under the new Com
merce Department control.
Sees Prediction Coming True.
the opinion that c. A. A. transfer
and abolshing of the Air Safety
Board has come back ito haunt
the Senate and the President" as
he predicted at the time that 1t
would.
Il think may say for every
member of the committee that the
investigation will be started with
out any preconceived idea Of guilt
or responsibility on the part of any
one, but in an effort to find out
what the situation now is in regard
TO this most important method of
transportation" Senator Clark said.
Chairman Harllee Branch of the
Civil Aeronautics Board, which
functions jointly with the Civil
Aeronautics Administration as
part of the new authority in the
Commerce Department, said today
that he fails to see how the recent
accidents can be blamed on the
reorganization.
.Erov, INV our, roarcopol kpou,l-
edge" Mr.. Branch said, 81 can't
see how anything that is being
done in the way of Federal regu-
lation can be held responsible for
these accidents. There has been no
drastic change in any of the regu-
lations which were in effect under
the old setup, but we have tightened
up on the Interpretation of the
regulations and on the enforcement
of safety requirements"
Weather Flying frightened.
Charles I. Stanton, assistant ad-
ministrator of civil aeronautics, ex-
planned that the G. A. A has CO.
operated with the operations de-
partments of all of the airlines in
Tightening up on the Interpretation
of regulations governing bad
weather air transport operations,
particularly as regards minimum
visibility in making landings and
flying under conditions tending to
formation of ice on the airplanes.
The result has been the arrival
at mutually satisfactory in
depreciation which has tended to
increase safety" Mr.. Stanton said.
He explained that minimum CELL
ing and visibility regulations have
been established for each air trans
port airport depending upon local
conditions of terrain and structures
which might constitute obstacles.
The lowest of these minimums, he
said, calls for at least 300 feet of
ceiling" or open space between
the ground and the lowest cloud
layer, and for visibility of l mile.
For another airport the minimum
might be 400 feet and visibility
mile and a half.
The Interpretation Of ceiling"
also has been changed by mutual
accord in the interests of safety, he
said. 1t formerly was considered
the bottom of the first solid layer
of clouds. The new Interpretation,
however. takes into account the
presence of scattered or "scud"
clouds underneath the solid layer.
1t provides that the pilot must ac-
tually be able to see the airport
from the minimum prescribed dis
tance when he breaks through the
ceiling on an instrument approach
in bad weather. If there is inter-
vening scud he must pull up, either
trying again or proceeding to
safer airport.
More Care on Icing.
Under the new Interpretation Of
regulation governing flights under
icing conditions, no flight may be
dispatched into known or suspected
icing conditions, Mr.. Stanton ex-
planned. This would prevent pilot
descending for a landing through
known icing conditions above the
minimum ceiling and minimum
visibility requirement for the air.
port at which he was trying to
land.
These interpretations, which are
designed to increase safety and
which are the result of investi-
cations of specific airline accidents
since last fall, have been incorpor-
ated into the operations manuals
of the airlines, which govern actual
operations and which must be ap-
proved by the Civil Aeronautics
Board.
The new interpretations are de-
signed to throw more responsibility
upon the airline pilot concerning
safe operating procedure in bad
weather, especially in making bad
weather landings, according to
Jerome c. Lederer, chairman of
the Safety Bureau of the Civil
Aeronautics Board, which succeed
ed the former independent Air
Safety Board.
"As another safety precaution,
Mr.. Lederer explained, sit has been
ruled that the minimum visibility