Evening star., 1947-03-12
CAB Opens Inquiry
I0n Loss Of Navigator
From AirIhler at Sea
BY Tho Assoeiuied Press

~ tHS AesOSt0I0o ff&St
NEWCASTLE, Del, Mar. 12.-The
freak disappearance OF an airline
navigator miles above the Atlantic
Ocean held the attention of Civil
Aeronautics Board investigators
today-but the only crew member
who could have witnessed the acci-
dent insisted. ~ never actually saw
him disappear
Dick Trischler OF Pittsburgh, flight
engineer on the New York-to-
Geneva Trans World Airline Con-
stellatfon, told a reporter he was the
only one in position to see the
navigator thrown out.
II saw George Hart (the navi-
gator from Sag Harbor, N. "
standing iu the astrodome shortly
before the accident" Mr.. Trischler
said. Then heard q loud noise
and ,thatswas all there was to 1t.
II saw him and then I didn't. I
never actually saw him disappear" !"
The strange mishap occurred
Monday night 500 miles east of
Gander, Newfoundland. The nine,
man crew landed the plane at
Gandar. patched up the broken
astrodome--a plastic bubble atop
the plane-and flew here last
night without the 81 passengers 1t
had carried. TWAS international
maintenaace base is located at
Newcastle
Passenger Tells Story.
Mr.. Trischler said the flight engi-
neer's station is next to the navi-
gators compartment. Both are
separated from the passenger and
pilot compartments by doors.
One of the passengers-Arthur D.
Holman, SO, of Boston, World
War II Navy commander-told the
Boston Globe the navigator was
standing on a stool with his head
in the astrodome when the accident
occurred. Mr.. Holman said the
pilot, purser and stewardess were
nearby.
Mr.. Trischler said, however. he
was the only man in a position
to see Hart. The passengers didn't
see him disappear and none of the
other crew members knew there
was an accident until the plane
started to drop"
CAB Investigator George Gay of
New York asserted there has never
been another accident like this In
domestic flying" ~.
Mr.. Gay declared that Mr. Hart
apparently had been pulled out of
the astrodome as he was sighting
on the stars by the combined sue
ton of the outside air and pressure
from inside the plane.
Meantime, TWA moved swiftly to
prevent possible recurrence OF the
tragedy.
Flight Ceiling Lowered.
TWA ordered: Cd Plexiglass astro-
domes strengthened on all planes,
ca navigators to wear a safety
harness while taking observations in
the astrodome and CD Constella-
tions to fly at $4,000 feet or less
and thus use only normal air pres
sure.
Mr.. Holzman's story was that
quick action by the purser, c. E.
Smith of Arlington, Va, prevented
the stewardess, Marjorie Page of
Washington, from following Mr.
Hart in his plunge. Al i' III" Ia
The passenger said the navigator
was standing on stool with his
head in the astrodorne when the
accident occurred.
Suddenly there was q terrific
noise in the blister and a terrible
rush of air." he said. "a dense
vapor formed in the cockpit. za
Hart shot up and disappeared.
Ship Veers Sharply.
"The pilot yelled, Where's the
navigator But he was gone.
1.-THE ship veered sharply and
every loose paper and article was
sucked up through the hole where
Hart disappeared.
''The stewardess fell toward the
hole as the ship veered. The purser
tackled her and then rushed to shut
the outer cockpit door to stop the
escape of air"
The passengers caught a glimpse
of Miss Page after she had been
grabbed by Mr.. Smith when the
violent rush of air smashed one door
and forced the other open between
the passenger compartment and
flight deck, Mr.. Holman said. Miss
Page suffered slight face injury.
Mr.. Holman reported several of
the 81 passengers tainted from the
sudden thinning of air, but Miss
Page and Mr.. Smith administered
oxygen from emergency tanks to