Evening star., 1949-12-13
Survivors Who Aided
Many on Plane Can't
Recall Own Escape

Recall Own Escape
1t happened so fast that sur
vivors able to talk about the Capt.
tai Airlines plane crash find it
hard to remember even how they
escaped.
Il don't know how we got out,
for sure" said jeff c. Buchanon.
He was one of three young men
aboard the plane who helped
many others Of the 10 survivors
to get out before rescuers ar
rived in crash boats.
MI. Buchanon, Is. a Navy ships
serviceman, first class, of Laurel,
Miss, and his shipmate, Seaman
Third Class Robert Hensley, 26,
of Abilene, Kans., boarded the
plane at Norfolk.
They and Joseph w. Buell., jr.,
5711 Third street NV. flight at
tendant on the plane, remember
helping other people out of the
twisted wreckage onto wing
after the crash last night.
Can't Remember Escape.
Like Mr.. Buchanon, Mr. Buell.
couldn't remember how he himself
got out.
Mr.. Buell. was sitting in the last
seat on the right side of the plane.
He felt the plane pull up, heard
the motor sputter, and then it
struck something.
"The next thing I remember"
he said, Il was standing on the
wing. There was a big hole in
the side of the plane and I started
helping a few people out
Mr.. Hensley and Mr.. Buchanon
were sitting opposite Mr.. Buell..
Said Mr.. Hensley:
II knew we were getting ready
to land. We were told to fasten
our belts and the no smoking
light flashed on in the plane.
"Then the plane made couple
Of jumps. and felt a slight
swerve before we struck.
"The left side was split open
and my buddy and I got out on
the wing. We saw we were on
water but it was shallow. and
there didn't seem to be any dan
ger Of sinking"
He added that he saw gasoline
on the water and feared fire, so
he started helping other people
out of the plane. He said it
seemed like 10 to 20 minutes be-
fore the first crash boat arrived.
I'VE could hear them and shouted
to them. but it was hard to find
us in the fog" he added.
Helped Is Out of Plane.
Seaman Hensley thought he and
his buddy helped at least is per-
sons from the inside of the
crashed plane to the wing or to
shallow water.
Some of them couldn't get out"
he said. Il held a tourniquet on
the leg of one man whose foot
was cut off,"
Mr.. Buchanon recalled:
THE plane started a normal
glide. Then, all of a sudden. the
plane veered to the left-the tail
swung around to the right-and
about S seconds later we hit.
1--WE hit so quickly that I really
didn't know anything was wrong
until the crash.
Il Many Aboard Screaming.
i II unsnapped my safety belt
or else it was torn of. + was lying
down on my face. I don't know
what angle the plane was. There
was a lot of screaming and yelling
in there. and there was a lot of
wreckage in the plane.
MY buddy and I started help
ing people out. I'm not too clear
on the details. There were about
four people in the plane, I think,
when we got out-I don't know
how we got out for sure
II remember wading or tread
ing water-it didn't seem too
deep"
The three men talked to re-
porters last night in the Boiling
Air Force Base Hospital, where
they were reported in good con-
dition. Doctors cut short the in
terviews. however.
Bound for Boston.
Mr.. Buchanan said he was
bound for Boston on leave. His
mother lives In Newport, r. I.
He had q patch over his right
eye, but said he thought he was
all right.
Both Mr.. Buchanan and Mr..
Hensley are stationed aboard the
U. S. S. Worcester.
Then there was Yeoman BIC
Charles r. Stott, %, Of Lowell,
Mass, who remembered stripping
to his shorts last night on the
wing of the plane and then putting
back on his bell bottom trousers
because it was cold.
Mr.. Stott, thinking he would
have to swim for shore, threw of
his jumper, trousers and shoes. He
stuffed a wallet with $3.50 in the
top of his shorts. 1t didn't stay