Evening star., 1942-09-12
FbI Launches
Investigation
AT Buffalo Plant
Motor Examined;
List of Injured
Stands at 81
picture on Page A-2,
BY the Associated Press,

tf CLuFE ON FUgS A-II
BY the Associated Press.
BUFFALO, N. Y, Sept, 12.--
The Federal Bureau of Investi-
cation investigated today the
possibility of sabotage in the
crash of flaming pilotless Cur
tiss plane which ripped through
the roof of building at Curtiss-
Wright airplane division late
yesterday, killing IL persons and
injuring 81.
Special Agent Kenneth M. Piper
said the FBI sis making an inquiry
to determine whether or not there
was sabotage involved" He added
there is plenty of motor left" from
the plane to be examined by tech
nicians.
Test Pilot j. Bertrand (Jack)
Purnel, veteran of more than $500
hours in the air, parachuted to
safety two miles from the plant, but
suffered severe burns.
No Panic i'm Plant.
Eyewitnesses in the plant said
there was no panic as the plane tore
hole in the roof and smashed to
the concrete roof. Fellow employees,
doctors and nurses speedily rescued
victims.
Flying wild, the plane was said
by eyewltnesSeS to have done several
loops before it plummeted into the
| building with roar which one of
the workmen inside described as
| like bombing"
Killed outright were Francis
Ryan, 81, Kenmore, N. Y, and Sam
uel Shalala, Buffalo. Lester Glenn
OF Buffalo, civilian employed as a
United States Army inspector, died
six hours later in hospital.
! Paul Chase. 4l, OF GlenS Falls, N.
Y; Martin Till, Joseph Sciolino, Al,
Frank Warda, Salvatore Palmeri.
Norman Savage, Carlson Rauh. La
Verne Voelker, 20, and James E, Col
Inns, so, all of Buffalo, succumbed
today.
Flyer Cant Explain Fire.
Pilot Purnell, "a, said in a hos
pItaI interview he stayed up there
until couldn't stand the heat any
longer" then "bailed OUT 1t was
his first parachute jump.
I'm trying to figure out what
happened couldn't say definitely
Just that the engine caught fire."
| he asserted. Il certainly tried-I
certainly tried to put out the flames
before I jumped.
saw vapor coming up. I didn't
think the plane was on fire, though.
l tried to shut it down but it was
too late. The plane had started
to burn. The flames kept coming
up and hitting me in the face. I
couldn't stand the heat-I had to
jump"
Crash Sounded Like Bombing.
William Dayey, general manager
OF the plant, said Pilot Purnells
ship caught fire at high altitude
from an unknown cause.
An injured workman, Winston J.
Dandreau, "a. who was standing
almost under where the plane
struck. asserted the impact was
like "bombing-thats what we
thought 1t was at first"
First there was the crash of
the plane through the roof and
then, almost simultaneously, it
seemed, binding flash occurred
as the plane exploded" he related.
Just when it exploded I can't
say-whether on the floor or be-
tween the roof and the floor, but
I do know that the plane was torn
to pieces by the explosion. Bits of
flame and metal went shooting in
all directions
Mr.. Dandreau, who marveled at
his escape, said bit of metal struck
him in the arm.
Right near me man was knocked
against a ladder and had difficulty
extricating himself he continued,
I pulled him free and we both
beat it as fast as we could. Later
we came back to help the other in
jured.
Clothes Burned Off Several.
"One very badly burned man was
on his hands and knees and scream
ing constantly. Others had their
clothes burned off them
| Nearly ali the injured, many of
them in critical condition. were
burned by gasoline from the plane $
tanks.
Ambulances and station wagons
carried the injured to six hospitals.
lammlng emergency wards. The
entire afraid precaution disaster
unit of Curtiss was called into &C.
| ton.
| Pilot Purnell, who began flying In
Philadelphia at the age of 13, has
been Curtiss test pilot since Nav.
| He qualified as transport pilot
at 2l, helped found the Montgomery.
(Ala) School of Aeronautics. few
the first plane on the American
Eagle line between Omaha, Nebr
and Wichita, Kans., and was an in
| Structor at the MissiSSipni Tnstitute