Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1946-08-12
.Navy,CAAProbe
Crash Killing ;
.Anacostia Flyers
Civilian Pilot
Is Fourth Victim
At Ohio Airport

\ NAVAL dutIlOTlJleS joined CIVIL
Aeronautics Administration off,
Gals today in an investigation
OF the midair collision of two
planes yesterday over the Chesa-
peake (Ohio) Airport which
killed four men, three OF them
from the Naval Air Reserve
training unit at Anacostia Naval
Air Station.
The three occupants of the twin
engined Navy Beechcraft plane,
which was en- route to Cincinnati
from the Anacostia Air Station on
"a training flight, were identified as !:
Lit. Comdr. Clark Lee Henderson.
lr, %, of Herndon, Va, pilot of the
Navy plane.
1t. q. g. John S. Row, jr.. IS, of
Huntington, w. Va. his co-pilot.
Cecil Ebert Written, jr., 81, of
Foster. w. Va, recently discharged
Navy aviation machinst's mate
Second class.
The pilot OF the other plane, a
single-engined Aeronca trainer,
also was killed in the crash. He was
j. P. Corkran, jr., "a. of Huntington,
w. Va.
Collide Over Airport.
The two airplanes collided a few
hundred feet over the Chesapeake
Airport, just across the Ohio River
from Huntington, and plummeted
to earth on the West Virginia side
of the river, according to the Asso-
ciated Press.
A four-man Navy board of in
vestigation from Anacostia, headed
by 1t. Comdr. Patrick F. Russell,
landed at the Chesapeake Airport
this morning and began question
ing witnesses, the Associated Press
reported. Comdr. Russell said the
names of the witnesses would not
be released until after they had
appeared before the board.
Assisting Comdr. Russell are 1t.
Cofndr. Mason Morris, 1t. w. F.
Viering and 1t. r. P. Wiegand.
Comdr. Russell said he expected to
complete the investigation today and
return to the Anacostia station,
where his findings will be reported.
At Huntington, CAA Official said
an investigator would be assigned
to investigate the crash.
Howard Mayes, owner of the air
port, told the Associated Press that
Mr.. Corkran, who was a student
under the veterans f1ight-training
program, had been practicing take
offs and landings at the airport
across the river froms Huntington.
He was circling to land when he ap-
parently was oyertaken by the
speedier Navy plane. Mr.. Mayes
said
All occupants Of the two planes
except Mr.. Written were dead when
witnesses arrived. Mr. Written died
in an ambulance on the way to the
hospital.
Small Plane Overtaken.
Mr.. Mayes said apparently the
Navy planes propellers chewed
through the tail of the smaller plane
after ploughing into 1t. The planes
fell within two blocks of each other,
the smaller craft landing between
the river and the food wall and
the Beechcraft crashing in a resi-
dental section, striking a garage
and missing several houses by few
yards.
Neither craft caught on fire, Mr..
Mayes said.
Another witness, Vary Mengler of
Huntington, told the Associated
Press he heard loud pop" looked
up and saw the Beechcraft spinning
earthward with one wing shorn off
On Training Flight.
The crash occurred at 10:37 am.
one hour and 46 minutes after the
Navy plane had taken of from the
AnacoSt1a Naval Air Station. Air
station officials said the three Re-
serve flyers were on the flight to
build up their monthly air hours to
meet minimum requirements of the
program.
Comdr. Henderson attended st.
Adams School for Boys here, Ken
yon College and the Harvard Uni
versity Business School. He was
separated from the Navy last March
with 1890 flying hours on his record.
His wife, Mrs. Hide Henderson,
lives at the Herndon address. The
Navy said that during the war he
was fight instructor for transport
type planes in Illinois. Before the
war he was pilot for the American
AirlineS.
1t. Row, credited with go combat
patrols in the Pacific theater during
the war, flew a Liberator in raids
over the Philippines, Admiralty and