Evening star., 1947-05-30
Crash
ontinued From First Page

thing he knew there were flames all
around him.
HE saw puddle of water in the
ravine. He climbed out of the plane
and was able to walk. His neck
hurt and some people came along
and helped him.
HE Is suffering from first-degree
burns of the face and neck, and
shock, and his condition is not
serious"
Theodore Alexay, 27, of Yonkers,
N. Y, died of his injuries early to-
day. His father told reporters that
his son, a former Navy lieutenant
who saw service in the Admiralty
Islands, had boarded the plane to
go to Cleveland to marry Miss Ruth
Santner of Cleveland.
Witness Says Engines Flamed.
William F. Riordan, a merchan-
disc manager of New York de-
partment store, said he watched the
plane take off and "it had just
cleared the runway when three of its
engines caught fire" Other wit
nesses, however, said they saw no
flames until the crash.
when it crashed flames shot
about 400 feet up in the air." Mr.
Riordan said within tive minutes
there were three explosions, ap-
parently from gasoline igniting." I"
Mr.. Riordan said he drove to the
scene, found ambulances and fire
apparatus already there and there
was pouring rain, with very heavy
thunder and lightning, but the
plane kept burning brightly"
The plane crashed near the Acad-
emy of Aeronautics and students
and instructors from the school
aided fremen, police and other vol
unteers in bringing the dead and
injured from the plane.
The dead first were laid under
blankets on higher ground near the
fuselage, then removed to the cafe
terra of aeronautics school.
Representative Ross, Republican,
of New York, told reporters he
planned to ask the House Committee
on Foreign and International Com
merce to investigate the crash, but
he did not state his reasons.
Twice, commercial plane crashes
IN this country took tolls of 27 lives,
in California and Virginia in the
spring of 1916. Worst international
commercial plane crashes were two
that occurred in Colombia, each
costing SO lives.
Had Trouble Starting Engines.
Walter r. Fritz of Annandale,
N. j., an instructor at the Aeronau-
tics Academy, said he saw the plane
bear down on the academy grounds.
1T hit fence, bounced to the
back of a marsh, skidded across a
back road and came to rest in
swampy ground dotted with shallow
pools of water Mr.. Fritz said.
Albert S. Ogden of Stormville.
N. Y. consulting aeronautical en-
gineer, said he watched the loading
Of the plane and said the crew
seemed to have dificulty starting
the two port motors.
"The two engines only ran on one
or two cylinders for considerable
time" Mr.. Ogden said. LAS the
ship TAXED away, the outboard port
engine began faltering again, and
the pilot stopped for about 10 or Is
seconds until the engine picked up
again"
Takeoff Seemed Normal.
The airliner then TAXED to the
north end of the Runway 10.
THE beginning of the takeoff
appeared normal" Mr.. Ogden con-
tinued.
Then, as the plane went behind
the American Airlines hangers and
out of my sight, I was not able to
see it until it re-emerged from the
shelter of the hangers and simulta-
neously broke into the 300-foot strip
OF flame that marked the crash"
Like MIR. Riordan, Mr.. Ogden
drove to the scene He said he had
witnessed many airplane accident.
and 'tile degree of intactness of the
plane was unusual"
The planes tail was intact, but
the fuselage appeared to be con-
sumed by fire as I approached. ]
should say that the plane was then
about two-thirds consumed by flame
1t appeared that the injuries and
deaths were apparently caused al
most entirely by the FIRE"
One of the rescuers. Edward Nc
Grath, 43. Of jackson Heights,
Queens, was injured and was taken