Evening star., 1949-11-11
Rios Story Of Seeing
Plane Land Before
Crash Is Disputed
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three minutes before the accident
mo, sir" he replied.
Did you see this phantom
B-25,' which has been referred tx
In previous testimony" the con.
troller was asked.
He was referring to an Arm,
B-25 that had made a simulated
landing at National Airport a few
minutes before the fatal crash
The BIS after sweeping down te
200 feet above the airport. ther
climbed and went on, landing al
Boiling Air Base a few minutes
later.
Didn't See Bomber.
Mr.. Zaco replied that this plane
had been cleared to make the
simulated landing on the main
north-south runway and had been
recorded as having left the air
port at 11:43. He said he did not
see the medium bomber in ques-
ton.
Following the control tower
witness. 1t. Ray H. Deem. jr., %,
pilot of the BIS that made the
practice run over the airport, said
that his plane cleared the field
at least 13 minutes before the
midair collision.
The airport tower controllers
have testified that there was only
about 4 minutes separation be-
tween the practice flight and the
crash. 1t. Deem, who is attached
to Boiling Air Base, is a combat
veteran Of the last war.
He said the log he kept on the
flight, as confirmed by the Boiling
control tower, convinced he
cleared National Airport by 1888
am. The crash occurred at a1:46
IS near as can be determined.
1t. Deems testified that after
olearing National, he made q left
circle and passed 10 or IL miles
south Of Alexandria before enter
ing the traffic approach to Boiling.
He touched down at Boiling at
11:48.
John Rydstrom, q traffic con-
troller at National who followed
Mr.. zaco to the stand. said that
the B-25 passed over the airport
at least 4 minutes before the
crash. He said he was giving a
Navy pilot instructions on the
ground when he saw the B-25 lly
over. The exact time on his rec
ords OF the communication to the
Navy plane was 11:42.
The investigators are exploring
the possibility that Capt. Rios,
who was instructed to follow the
Eastern plane onto the field, could
have mistaken the bomber for the
plane he had been instructed to
follow.
Chief Controller Questioned.
Stanley Seltzer, chief traffic
controller at the tower, was ques-
toned about Capt. Rios state
ment that he had visited the
tower a number of times and
had told controllers that he
planned to test fly a P-38 and was
worried about the fighters radio
equipment. The Bolivian pilot said
he had suggested. in event his
radio equipment proved faulty,
that the tower should give him
light signals for clearance to take
off and land. Mr.. Seltzer said
he could not recall ever having
seen Capt. Rios in the tower or
hearing the other operators say
he had been present.
Mr.. Seltzer, asked If it would
have been possible that a COM
munication "blackout" would oc-
cur If the tower was trying to
get the P-38 and at the same time
the P-38 was trying to get the
tower. replied this was possible
In theory, but that he doubted If
such a condition would last any
appreciable length Of time.
The 10,000-word deposition,
sworn to by Capt. Rios in Alexan-
dria Hospital, where he is recover
ing fro ma broken back and other
injuries, was read into the record
late yesterday.
Capt. Rios own story of what
happened was in sharp conflict
with previous testimony Of other
airport traffic controllers.
Reported Engine Trouble.
The Bolivian test pilot, in his
statement, said he notified the
control tower at the airport that
he was having engine trouble
with his fast two-motored pursuit
ship Immediately after it was air
borne and asked permission to
land.
He received no response to his
call until he circled the control
tower at an altitude Of $500 feet,
Capt. Rios told investigators. and
then he was cleared to land
Immediately behind another
plane which was in the landing
pattern ahead of him. The tower
did not identify the other plane
to him, Capt. Rios said.
AS he circled the field with hi.
right motor faltering. Capt. Rios
related, he saw a plane with .twir
tails land on Runway 3 and tax
of the landing strip.
II was sure I was then No. l.
Capt. Rios said, and told how hi
began the descent that was tt
lead him into the side Of the four.
motored airliner which had beer
given priority to land ahead o1
him.
Heard No Turn Orders.
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