Evening star., 1945-02-24
Investigation Opens
Into Plane Crash in
Virginia That Killed II

Federal officials today opened
an inquiry into the crash of an
American Airlines transport in
the mountains of Southwest
Virginia early yesterday which
killed II persons and injured
five others, including a promi-
nent Washington matron.
The latter, Mrs. Francis (Violet)
Ulen of 1000 Cathedral avenue NV,
wife of naval captain, and buyer
for Kann's department store, walked
barefooted down a steep mountain
in the freezing cold to bring aid to
the other injured who had been
stunned by the crash and were un-
able to help themselves.
Husband Goes to Scene.
Mrs. Ulen's husband, Capt. Fran
els Ulen, a dental surgeon attached
to the Navy Department here, and
sister, Mrs. Opal Stephenson of 5000
Thirty-ninth street NV, left Wash
mgton last night for Marion, Va,
where the survivors are hospitalized
Capt. Ulen did not learn that his
wife was among the survivors until
late yesterday afternoon, after the
plane had been missing some Is
hours. Mrs. Ulen was believed to be
only slightly injured.
Officials of the Civil Aeronautics
Board left Washington late yester-
day for Marion to investigate the
cause of the accident to the trans
continental plane, which was bound
for Los Angeles from New York and
had left Washington Airport at mid
night yesterday.
Injured Announced.
Names of those injured and
brought out of the steep, wooded
mountains by police and volunteers
were: Stewardess Sally Padgett of
Nashville, Tenn; Ensign Leonard j.
Ricci of the Bureau of Aeronautics,
Washington, whose family lives at
Meriden, Conn; Marine 1t. Erwin
Schwartz of Syracuse, N. Y; Mrs.
Ulen and Ensign F. L. Middaugh of
Los Angeles.
Most of the dead were Army, Navy
and Marine Corps personnel whose
names are being withheld pending
notification of their survivors by
military authorities.
The known dead whose identities
have been released include Capt.
James E. Stroud, 36, pilot Of the
plane, of Nashville, whose parents,
Mr.. and Mrs. w. E. Stroud, live at
2700 Connecticut avenue NV, and
First Officer r. M. Brigham co-pilot,
who was based at Nashville.
Among the dead whose relatives
were notified was 1t. Harry F.
Young. At, U. S. N, whose STEP
moth%r, Mrs. Mary Young, lives at
927 Ingraham street NV. 1t.
Young, whose wife and two children
live in San Diego, Calf, was re-
turning to the West Coast after
visiting Washington on official
business. The body will be taken to
his native Frederick, Md, for burial
His step-brother, Ralph A. Young,
lives at Ala Brandywine street Sc. q,
For several years 1t. Young was
stationed at the Navy Department
here and lived in the 400 block of
Mellon street, Congress Heights, Md
He moved to San Diego about six
years ago.
Expected to Recover.
All the survivors are expected to
recover, it was said. They were
taken to the hospital at Marion,
Va, from the desolate mountain
section where the crash occurred.
Discovery of the wrecked plane
on the side of Glade Mountain late
yesterday afternoon ended search
by 500 persons which started soon
after the pilot had reported motor
trouble to the emergency landing
field at Chilhowie, Va, according to
an Associated Press dispatch from
Cedar Springs, Va.
1t was more than IL hours after
the pilots report before farmer,
one of the searchers, met Mrs. Ulen
who had started out at daybreak
to summon aid for her more
seriously injured companions lying
without shelter on the mountain
side.
Even after the farmer succeeded
in telephoning for help, it was
several hours before stretcher-bear-
ing State police and forest rangers
were able to ascend the almost per-
pendicular slope and reach the
plane.
Cause Undetermined.
Airline officials said so far they
have not determined the cause of
the crash of the twin-engine plane,
known as the Mercury.
A doctor Sat the Marion Hospital
quoted one of the injured as saying
that the plane "hit a terrific storm"
shortly before it plunged to earth.
He said several of the survivors
told him they were asleep at the
time and didn't know anything was
wrong until after the accident
He was told, he said, that the
stewardess and Mrs. Ulen were
thrown clear of the wreckage and
the others were not.
OF those aboard only three were
civilians. In addition to Mrs. Ulen,
they were listed by the airlines as
Maj. Carlos Audifred, identified as
a member of the Mexican Purchas-
ing Commission in New York, whose
home is in Mexico City, and Clyde
j. Pinney of the Baldwin Locomotive
Works, Philadelphia.
Several of the injured were said
to be suffering from cold and ex-
posure. Hospital attaches said 1t.
Schwartz had a broken collarbone
and possible hip fracture and that
Ensign Middaugh had a compound
fracture of the high hip.
Exposed IL Hours.
The injured remained in the freez-
ing weather for about IL hours from
the time the plane plunged into the
trees of Glade Mountain at 2:30 M
until about pm.
A reporter who reached the plane
said wreckage was strewn along the
mountain slope for about 100 yards
and q trail of SlaShed trees marked