Evening star., 1947-06-17
Board Meeting Today
10 Plan lnvestig ation
OF ; Air Disaster S

President Truman's emergency
board was to meet today I'd work out
a program for its investigation and
safety report on three disastrous
airline crashes which have cost 146
lives in the East since May %.
Prior to this afternoons opening
session in the Office of the chair
man, James M. Lands, head of the
Civil Aeronautics Board, Mr.. Lands
re-emphasized there is no evidence
|,of related structural defect in the
crashes of three. DC-4s of the same
type.
President Truman, in naming the
board OF experts two days after a
Capital Airliner rammed Blue
Ridge range near Leesburg, Va.
with the loss of all SO aboard, Or
dered the members to learn what
can be done to improve safety and
to report back as quickly as possible.
Pilot Switched Course.
Mr.. Lands told a press confer
ence here yesterday afternoon that
the big four -engined Douglas Sky
master crashed after the pilot had
sought to avoid an hours delay by
switching from an instrument ap-
proach to National Airport to a
contact or visual approach.
The pilot, Horace Stark, obtained
permission to switch to another
radio range and descent from 1000
feet to avoid heavy traffic around
National Airport on the more wide
ly-traveled route, it was said.
MIR. Lands later told an audience
in Baltimore that ''the public has
Jumped. to the silly conclusion" that
the three major airline disasters
were caused by a related structural
defect.
Referring to the crashes near
Leesburg. Port Deposit, Md, and La
Guardia Field, Mr.. Lands declared
there was mo obvious connection"
between the accidents, while de-
Iclining to draw any inferences as
to their causes"
Radar Equipment Sought.
Meanwhile, Representative Bent
der, Republican, of Ohio introduced
a resolution in the House yesterday
to require installation of radar al !
timeter equipment in all commer1
cial airplanes.
Mr.. Bender said the husband OF
his secretary and the daughter OF
one of his closest friends were among
victims of the Northern Virginia
crash. adding that "a score OF
Clevelanders" have been in such ac-
cidents in the last two and a half
weeks.
The Representatives. statement
accused the CAA of "dilatory man
agement' and declared the last three
crashes could have been prevented.
Representative Crawford, Repub-
lican, of Michigan told the House
that bad personnel" and too much
inattention and carelessness" among
those operating passenger travel IA
cilities has been responsible for the
recent accidents.
Mr.. Lands, referring to the Safety
Board hearing, said nothing would
be overlooked. including feasibility
of creating one authority to better
unity the work of the CAB and the
Civil Aeronautics Administration.
He drew no conclusions on what
caused the Leesburg crash, but
outlined progress of the investiga-
ton, which at present seems to rule
out structural defects and failure
of engines or flying instruments
Recording Device Checked.
Mr.. Lands called on a recording
device at National Airport for a
play-by play account of what hap
pened to the plane-up to the
point at which radio silence broke
into the story.
The story began at 6:53 pm
Friday, when the plane reported tt
Airway Traffic Control at Nationa
Airport that it was 1000 feet ovel
Flintstone intersection, radio
marker 88 miles southeast Of Pitts.
] burgh.
| A minute later ATC directed tht
plane to proceed along the Herndor
/ tVa) radio range to Herndon ane
I to hold there until further advised
1t looked as though there woulc
| be an hours delay flying arount
Herndon until the heavy traffic wa