The Waterbury Democrat., 1946-07-23
Pilot s Death Tobe Due to Self
 EorI J. Bertrond
 Was Responsible,
 Coroner Reports

1erryVllle, July 23-The death Of Earl J. Bertrand, 20, of Litchfield, who was instantly killed April 14 at the Plymouth Airport, Mount Tobe, Plymouth, when the airplane he was operating crashed, was due to his own act, omission or carelessness, according to report and finding issued by Coroner Jonathan F. Els in Winsted.
 The coroner found that Bertrand and Albert Maiga of Thomaston, CO., owners of Stearman (Boeing) PIT IT tandem dual control biplane, took off from the airport which was oper- ated by MT and Mrs. J. E. Alaben on April IA with Bertram in the front seat piloting the plane. The weather was clear with only light east, northeast wind blowing.
 Coroner ELS also has completed a hearing in connection with the deaths in an airplane crash at Mount Tohe airport of Robert Haynes and Raymond Emmons, two local youths and the findings in these will be issued next week.
 The coroner states that any les son to be learned from the deaths of these three young men would in- clude the desirability of law or reg ulation providing:
 l. Persons managing an air
 port to see that pilot intend
 ing to use the airport is proper
 1N 1innnsnI if
 ed, to deny him the use of the
 airport,
 ?. Such managers to have the
 further duty of warning the
 pilots against illegal flying in,
 out or around an airport, after
 one violation and denying the
 use of the airport to those who
 fail to heed the warning,
 3. Employment of at least one
 skilled mechanic, at least 2l
 years of age, to service or over
 see the service of planes and to
 handle or oversee the handling
 of planes on the ground, Airport
 license to be subject to suspen-
 sion or revocation for violation
 Of any law or regulation.
 At the time of the Bertrand death he and Maiga, both veterans of World War II were practicing bomb- ing. The plane would ascend to a height of about 800 feet and then dive at the field, pulling out of the dive at a few feet from the ground and Maiga would throw out a paper bag filled with lime in an assimilat- ed bombing. The plane would then pull up from the field in a chan dele, maneuver which takes the plane into an inverted or partly in- verted position heading back in the direction from which it came, the plane then rolling back into an up- right position once more and con- tinuing.
 These maneuvers were repeated several times, with Maiga throwing out a lime filled paper bag each time the plane dove at the field.
 On the last pass" at the field, Berthrand pulled the plane out of the dive few feet off the ground and holding the plane at a very low level, proceeded up the field. AS the plane went northerly Maiga raised his hands in a bomber's salute to persons on the field. The plane started to climb and when it reach ed about 75 feet, the pilot put the plane into a slow roll
 The plane went into an inverted position, and as it continued this roll into an upright position again, wing fell oS and the plane crash ed. The plane was completely wrecked and did considerable dam age to the utility installations along the public highway. The crash oc- cured less than 50 feet off of South Street which passes the airport.
 Bertrand was killed instantly and Maiga was badly injured being con- fined in hospital for several weeks