Evening star., 1945-05-06
Defective Motor Part
Caused Fatal Crash
AtAirport, CAB Is Told

Hearings on the crash at Ma
tional Airport April 27, which cost
six lives, will be continued tomor-
row following testimony at yes
terday's session which traced the
accident to motor failure caused by
a defective washer.
Appearance of John w. Decker,
Flushing, N. Y, pilot of the IA
place transport operated by Page
AirWays. Rochester, N. Y, was
scheduled yesterday at the hearing
conducted by the Safety Bureau of
the Civil Aeronautics Board, but was
postponed until he can be released
tomorrow or Tuesday from Emer-
gency Hospital, where he has been
under treatment since the accident.
Witnesses for the CAB testified
that failure of the right motor
which had stopped when the plane
was about 40 or so feet off the
ground on the fatal takeoff. was
due to the breaking of defective
washer on valve spring which
permitted the valve to slip down
into the cylinder.
Washer Tested for Defects.
K. c. Sonner, power plant spe-
cialist for the Civil Aeronautics Ad-
mlnlstration, said that a quantity of
these washers had been proved de-
fective and the Army had issued q
technical order to remove all of that
special issue from motors on Army
planes. The broken washer is un-
dergoing tests to determine whether
it Is one of the defective issue, he
said, since the plane formerly be-
longed to the Army and had been
declared surplus.
A recommendation that a low
fence be placed at the edge of the
bank at the end OF the runway to
warn of the ditch into which the
plane plunged was offered by Rus
sell F. Holderman, of Rochester
who had flown the plane on several
round trips between the Page home
airport and Miami. Admitting the
end of the runway was we'll marked
he pointed out that when the plane
ran over the bank it was some dis
tance off the runway. He said the
pilot might have started a ground
loop sooner had he known exactly
where the edge of the bank was. Two
persons were burned to death when
the plane caught fire at the bottom
of the ditch and four others died
later of burns.
Will Call Pilots.
Why the pilot attempted a land
ing instead of continuing on the
left motor, which was functioning
satisfactorily, awaited explanation
by Mr.. Decker. William R. Andrew,
head of the CAB Safety Bureau
investigation section, was is con-
Quoting the hearing, said Mr..
Decker and the co-pilot, Edwin San
ford, would be called to testify as
soon as they were able to leave
the hospital.
Philip Schleit, of the CAB gen.
eral counsels Office, sought to bring
out testimony concerning the pro-
cedure followed in leasing of the
plane to the Page firm by the De-
fense Plant Corp and questioned
closely Mel Benner regarding his
dual capacity as mechanic for Page
Airways at Miami and a trans
portation employe of the Versailles
Hotel there, where the passengers in
the plane at the time of the crash,
all returning vacationists, had been
staying.
However. Mr.. Andrew sustained an
objection by Albert Beitel, counsel
for the airline. who pointed out that
James Wilmot, president of the Page
Co. had testified earlier that the
plane was obtained to transport
war-essential officials and employees
between Miami and Rochester on a
charter contract which permitted
carrying of other passengers when
seats were available.
At Fridays hearing, Miss Evelyn
Spicer and Miss Grace Klar, both
Government employees, who left the
plane at the airport just before the
crash, testified they had paid $84.50
for their passage from Miami, and
Meyer Seigel, restaurant operator of
Aberdeen, Md, said he had paid $50.