Evening star., 1949-11-07
CAB Probers to Quiz Rios
Today on Part in Air Crash

Civil Aeronautics Board investi.
gators today were to question
Capt. Eric Rios Bridoux closely ir
preparation for the official hear
ings into last Tuesdays air dis
aster here In which IS persons
were killed.
Capt. Rios, 30, director of avia-
ton for Bolivia, was the pilot OF
a P-38 which crashed into an
Eastern Air Lines DC-4 near Ma
tional Airport. The only survivor
OF the crash. he is in Alexandria
Hospital, and has recovered sufn-
ciently to permit extensive ques-
tioning. 1t was learned. Capt
Rios suffered a broken back, frac-
tured ribs and later developed
pneumonia.
Meantime. it was learned that
the radio communications between
the traffic control tower at Ma
tional Airport, the air lines plane
and the P-38 will be Investigated
thoroughly at the hearings which
will begin Wednesday morning in
the Departmental Auditorium.
Radio communications may
have played an important part in
the crash, the worst in the history
Of commercial aviation. a Civil
Aeronautics A dministration
spokesman indicated today.
At the same time, he indicated
that the presence Of an Army
BIS over National Airport some
minutes before the crash had no
bearing on the disaster. He also
denied reports that Capt. Rios,
who was to fly the Pisa to Bolivia,
was not licensed to fly the plane
In and out Of National Airport.
Ever since the disaster, It has
been known that Capt. Rios either
disregarded instructions from the
airport control tower, to turn
left" to avoid ramming into the
air liner or did not hear the
instructions.
It was pointed out that radio
instructions to planes within the
airport traffic pattern are broad
cast to pilots over fourtfrequencies.
Instructions to military aircraft
are broadcast over one frequency
and to commercial aircraft over
another.
The, hearings ARE expected to
go into the radio frequency angle
thoroughly. particularly In view of
the fact that Capt. Rios had a
new radio installed In the P-38
prior to flying the plane to his
native Bolivia.
Orders Heard at Boiling Field.
: Whether or not the new radio
functioned properly throughout
the time he was in the air has not
been determined, but CAA officials
know that the control tower oper-
ators were not speaking into a
dead microphone" because the
frantic instructions Of the tower
operators to the Pisa pilot were
heard In the Boiling, Air Base
field tower.
The wreckage of the P-38 cock
pit has been lifted from the water
into which 1t crashed and CAB
examiners now are studying it for
any clues that might unlock the
secret Of the disaster.
It was pointed out that unfor-
tunately there is no recorded tran
|scription Of the conversations
between the control tower and the
two planes involved. Instructions
are recorded only when planes are
landing on instruments, 1t was
said, because Of q lack Of money
for additional equipment and per-
sonnel needed In order to record
all radio communications between
the tower and the planes.
Capt. Rios was operating on a
ferry permit" which had been
issued to him In Indianapolis at
the time he took over the airplane,
the CAA spokesman said.
This permit entitled him to fly
the plane from Indianapolis here
and to make check" flights here