Evening star., 1949-09-16
Power Failure Blamed in Crash
OfB-36Into axe at Fort Worth
BY the Associated Press

'|OfB-36IntoLo
BY the Assoeiotsd Press
;. FORT WORTH, Tex, Sept. Is.
"A giant B-36 bomber hurtled
into Lake Worth last night at 100
miles an hour. killing at least one
of its crew of thirteen. Four were
missing and eight injured.
A mysterious power failure as
the plane roared down Carswell
Air Force bases long runway was
blamed for the accident. first
major mishap since the big
bombers started flying year and
a half ago.
T1Sergt. William G. Seymour of
Fort Worth was fatally injured.
j First 1t. Richard L. English,
flight engineer from Sartell, Mimi.
said he stood on the fuselage of
the cigar-shaped ship after the
plane hit and took a hasty roll call.
He said every man answered.
Crash Boat in Rescue.
! Crash boats picked up survivors
from the wings, fuselage and the
water as the six-engined air mon
ster stayed partially afloat for
awhile.
The eight known survivors were
rushed to the base hospital for
treatment of minor injuries. Last
night they slept in semiquarantine,
unavailable for questioning.
A Navy-trained diver. M. r.
Best Of Arlington. Tex, early this
morning probed the murky depths
where the multimillion- dollar
craft crashed. He gave up after
As minutes.
"It's hopeless to do anything
this morning. I couldn't see my
hand in front of my face"
The huge tail section Of the
bomber stuck out Of the lake to
mark the spot. g
The plane smashed into the lake
"a short distance from the end
Of the runway-at approximately
8:45 pm. It was one OF the planes
Of the Seventh Squadron. Seventh
Wing, Eighth Air Force. scheduled
for a routine training fight.
Fisherman Saw Flames.
A fisherman said he saw flames
shooting from one of the engines.
II watched it coming down the
brunway," he said. The middle
engine on the left side was on fire.
THE pilot tried to stop, it looked
like, saw he was too close and then
gunned it. He jumped right into
the lake."
The fisherman was casting from
| a dock directly across the lake
from the scene Of the crash.
M/Sergt. Kenneth McKellip, in
charge of a crash boat. told Max
Ewing, Dallas News photographer,
that all of the men he picked up
were in a daze and that one was
seriously injured.
Light Load Of Gasoline,
The plane was carrying q light
load of gasoline. It is capable Of
holding 21.116 gallons of fuel
enough for a nonstop flight Of
at least $500 miles. That's the
distance Air Force officials an
nounced one B-36 travelled in a
mock bombing mission.
1t. English said the plane mys-
teriously lost its power as it was
travelling down the runway at
about 100 miles an hour for the
takeoff.
Maj. Joy B. Husband of Wood
lake, Calf, was the pilot. CO.
pilot was Maj. John H. Keene OF
Miami, Fla. They survived
Four Missing Flyers.
The names of the four miss
ing airmen-who may be at the
bottom of the lake or in the shell
of the bomber-were announced
today. They are:
Capt. Harold Kernodle. 80,
spare pilot, son Of Mr.. and Mrs.
Joseph M. Kernodle of Hampden
Sydney, Va. His wife and two
infant daughters live in Fort
Worth. -
Maj. Joseph L. Lemming, jr.,
radioman navigator bombardier.
son of Mrs. Joseph L. Lemming,
ST., of Dayton, Ohio. His wife
and son live in Fort Worth.
M/Sergt. John G. Stanko, re-
lief flight engineer. Apollo, Pa.
1t. Herman s. Styles, jr., radio
man-navigator- -bombardier. a ma
tive of Lunch, Kans., whose par
ents live at San Antonio, Tex.
Survivors besides Maj. Husband
and Maj. Keene were:
Other survivors beside Maj.
Husband and Maj. Keene were:
T1Sergt. Harry Holloway, jr.,
Monongahela, Pa.
TiSergt. j. r. Shumake Of Red
Springs. Tex.
SfSergt. Quentin Freed Of
youngstown, Ohio.
i SSergt. James Bradshaw Of
1ElySian Fields. Tex.
i S/Sergt. Jack Allen of Weather
ford, Tex.
Eleven Injured by Explosion
! While Removing B-50 Tanks
/ SEATTLE. Sept. 16 P. IA
! gasoline tank Of q B-50 bomber
exploded on a ramp near the Boe-
ing Airplane Co.'S plant No. 2