Evening star., 1946-10-12
5Die, 26 Escape
n2AirCrashes
Near District
Army Bomber FoIIs;
All Aboard AirIiner,
Including Body, Saved

the crash OF an Army BIS
bomber in nearby Virginia
shortly before midnight while 26
other persons-including a 10
|month-old baby-escaped in the
|crackup of a commercial air.
liner about miles from the
scene of the other accident.
The two crashes occurred in dense
fog a few minutes apart
The only persons injured when the
commercial airline crashed and
burned were the pilot, Capt. Joe S.
Morris of Miami, and co-pilot j. X.
Zeppernich, also of Miami. They
were reported in poor" condition
lat Alexandria Hospital.
The bomber, attached to Andrews
Field, Md, apparently crashed as
the pilot circled preparatory to land
ing. The twin-engined craft fell a
mile and a half west of Cameron
Depot at Franconia, between Alex
andria and Fairfax.
Names of the dead servicemen
were withheld by military author
tiles until next to kin have been
notified.
Crawled From Flaming Wreckage.~
Those who cheated death crawled
from the flaming wreckage Of a big
Eastern Air Lines DC-4, which
crashed near Groveton, about
miles south of Alexandria.
The infant rescued was the son
of Mr.. and Mrs. Marvin Edwards
of Sweetsboro, N. j., who also were
unharmed.
Eastern Air officials placed the
time of the DC-4 crash at approx
imately 1920 pm. The Army
bomber was last heard from at 1925
pm. and was reported down in
flames at HAS pm.
The bomber, stationed at Andrews
Field, Md, apparently crashed as it
circled for landing in the dense over
cast.
Among those in the commercial
plane crash were David Lawton,
"a, 1922 Connecticut avenue NV,
director of personnel for the Civil
Service Commission; Mrs. W..
D. Wildman Of Bradenton, Fla,
who was hurrying to her mother.
Mrs. Iva Smith, who is critically
i'll in George Washington Univer-
sity Hospital, and Mrs. Carl Van of
the Mayhower Hotel.
Plane Burst Into Flames.
En- route from Miami to New
York, the Eastern DC-4 hit a ZOO
foot high hill as the pilot CROPPED
through the overcast for a land
ing at National airport.
The ship careened against a farm
er's wellhouse, ripped through a
high voltage power line, Topped on
its back and burst into flames.
Debris was strewn over half mile
of the muddy, wooded terrain.
"It was almost unbelievable that
anybody got out alive" Mrs. Wild
man said. "I remember a big bump
and that's all. A man helped me
unfasten my safety belt and I
crawled out door with the others.
There was no panic. Maybe that's
what saved us. I just thanked God
I got out"
Stewardess Aided Passengers.
A heroine of the crash was Miss
Betty Camera, 26, stewardess, of Al
lentown, Pa. AS passengers emerged
from the wreckage, she checked
them off, one by one. Then she
herded them to the top of a hillside
for safety in case of an explosion.
Most of the passengers were ex-
amined for injuries at the Alex
andria Hospital. Their baggage was
burned. Many of the passengers
were willing to fly on to their desti-
nations, but the fog grounded all
flights. Five of those bound for New
York left by train early today.
When all passengers were clear,
Capt. Morris stepped dazedly from
the wreckage and said:
I'm all right. I was right on the
BEAM"
Then blood gushed from his
mouth and he was led away.
Could Feel Heat in House.
Parts of the burning debris
stopped $50 feet from the home of
C. H. Profitt, whose family was
asleep.
when I heard the crash, I looked
out the window and thought the
whole countryside was afire," Mr..
Profitt said. I'VE could feel the
heat inside the house"
He summoned ambulances from
Alexandria and also called the fire
department. 1t was nearly three
hours later before firemen had ex-
tinguished the flames.
The airliner fell on the farm of
E. L. Popkins. Mr.. Proffitt, neigh
Dor, hurried to the Popkins home
to see if it had been struck. The
plane came so close that it knocked
down a pumphouse behind the Pop
kins residence.
Mr.. Lawton said: "It seemed like
nothing more than a rough land
ing at first. Then everything went
haywire and the next thing I knew
I was hanging upside dowr by my
safety belt" :.
He confirmed the absence of
panic.
"We Just filed out like kids in a
fire drill" he said.
The BIS, Army officers said, left
Richmond for Andrews Field at 1890
last night. The bomber first con-
tacted National Airport at IL pm.
(see CRASHES, Page A-3o