Evening star., 1945-08-06
Hawaii Mars Sinks
After Crash-Landinq
In Chesapeake Bay
One Crewmon Injured;
Section of Vertical Fin
Brooks Away in Air

ISS tilt hSoOSIulcu fICos'
ROCK HALL, Md, Aug. 6.-The
1917 ton flying boat Hawaii Mars
crash-landed and sank off Love
Point in Chesapeake Bay yester-
day about 10 miles northeast of
Annapolis. No one was killed,
but one man was injured.
The largest flying boat in opera
ton, the plane could carry 1873 pas
sengers and was the first of 20 super
cargo carriers ordered by the Navy
from the Glenn L. Martin Co. for
use in the war against Japan.
Launched only two weeks ago, the
Hawaii Mars was on a routine test
flight over the bay when, a crewman
said. the upper section of the
planes vertical fin broke away at
an altitude of 5000 feet.
Ship Began to Flutter.
''The ship began to flutter imme-
diately and went out of control" the
crew member added. "The pilot
cried, Prepare to abandon ship.
But 1t. Comdr. william E. Coney,
the pilot. Navy flyer on loan to
the Martin firm, regained partial
control of the giant craft and about
10 minutes later ordered, Stand by
for crash"
The plane struck the water about
500 yards off shore. The impact OF
the 120-mile-an-hour blow ripped
open the metal hull, and the plane
sank until only part of its tail and
left wing remained visible.
Instrument Panel Went Out.
Comdr. Coney said his instrument
panel blacked out because of vibra-
ton after the ship lost its vertical
stabilizer at 1000 feet.
I'VE decided the ship could be
landed" Comdr. Coney said, land we
tested the plane for 80 minutes at
partial engine power. We finally
brought the ship down, but had to
land at speed of 100 miles an hour,
far too great for the huge craft"
Martin officials said the normal
landing speed of the Mars is 80 miles
an hour, or slightly less.
Two crew members trapped in the
flight deck were rescued by COM
panions who ignored the danger of
gasoline explosion. Small boats
that sped to the crash scene took
them and eight others aboard to
shore.
r. S. Noble, a flight test engineer,
was taken to South Baltimore Hos
pital with cuts, bruises and possible
internal injuries.
A Navy announcement in Wash
ington said the plane would be
pulled out and taken to the Martin
plant.
Sister Ship of Mars.
The Hawaii Mars is a sister ship
of the original Mars, which Travelled
1926, 900 miles in $500 flying hours
between Alameda, Calf, and Pearl
Harbor.
The crew member said that after
the flying boat left the Martin plant
about II am. for the flight that
everything functioned perfectly far
down the bay, after we had been in
fight several hours. Examination
showed the fuel tanks were running
low and it was decided to turn
about and head for the plant to
refuel
1--WE were cruising at about 5000
feet when the upper section of the
vertical fin broke off. The ship be-
gan to flutter Immediately and went
out of control. e.,
"The pilot cried out, Prepare to
abandon Ship
1.-THE command was never given.
The next command we heard was
given maybe 10 minutes later, sew
eral minutes before the ship struck
the water. 1t was stand by for
crash
THE pilot managed, after stiff
fight during which he certainly kept
his head, to get control. Neverthe-
less, the ship acted queerly and we
figured he was steering by his en-
gines.
The ship had taken list to port
and we all knew the pilot was
fighting her down.
"A terrific noise made known to
us we had landed.
Almost Immediately water began
1See MARS, Page AID