Evening star., 1949-04-21
Representative Coffey
Killed in JET Fighter
Crash in New Mexico

~ QyH Ill NCW 1'IGAIkV
Representative Robert Lewis
Coffey, jr.. Democrat. Of Pennsyl-
vania, and an outstanding war
flyer, was killed instantly last
night when an Air Force ESQ jet
fighter plane he was plotting
crashed Immediately after taking
off from Kirkland Air Force Base
Albuquerque, N. Mex.
The 30-year-old freshman legis-
lator, elected to the 81st Congress
on November last year. was a
colonel in the Air Force Reserves
and veteran Of 81 fighter bomber
missions over Europe. He lived
here at 9207 Sligo parkway, Silver
Spring, Md.
The accident occurred at 7 pm.
(EST), while Mr.. Coffey was on
a cross-country proficiency flight
from Andrews Air Force Base. Md,
to March Air Force Base in River
side, Calf.
Only rs Feet in Air.
Col. S. d. Grubbs. commandant
of Headquarters Command at
Boiling Air Force Base, said he
learned; the Shooting Star lost
power when only about Is feet
in the air. Mr.. Coffey had left An
drews at 9 am. yesterday and re-
fueled at Selfridge Air Force Base
Mount Clemens, Mich. He had
refueled again at Kirkland Field
and was taking off for the Cali
fornia field when the accident
occurred.
The Air Force ordered an in
vestigation today.
Col. Howard %. Gum, COM
mandant at Kirkland. said the
fighter turned a series of cart
wheels before it snapped a power
line pole.3 the Associated Press re-
ported. q" - '"t - '@-'
Id5'Col. Gum said that recon-
struction of the crash from eye
witness accounts indicated at least
partial loss Of power during take
off-possibly the result of me-
chanical failure.
A helpless witness to the acci-
dent was 1t. Col. William >Ritchie,
friend and companion Of Repre-
sentative Coffey in air combat
In Europe.
Col. Ritchie. taking off behind
Mr.. Coffey in another F-80, was
compelled to circle for an hour to
exhaust enough fuel in his tanks
to permit a safe landing. He said,
Representative Coffey's plane just
settled at the south end of the
runway. I could see it strike a
stream of sparks like those from
a grinding wheel. Then 1t bounced
over into the ravine."
The plane did not explode or
burn, although the force of the
impact catapulted the engine 100
yards beyond the main portion of
the shattered fuselage. A crash
crew found the body of the pilot
wedged inside.
Mr.. Coffey had made a nor
NAL take-off and his landing gear
was already retracted when the
ship suddenly lost altitude. 1t was
said.
Another Friend Delayed.
Another wartime comrade of
Representative Coffey, 1t. Col.
John Meyer, liaison officer be-
tween the Air Force and the
House. was a near witness to the
accident. The two had planned
to leave Washington together, but
Col. Meyer was delayed and fol-
lowed in a Mustang fighter. BY
coincidence. he had just been
cleared for a landing near Al
buquerque when Mr.. Coffey's ship
crashed.
One of the brilliant young Of
ficers who came out of World
War II. Mr.. Coffey captured the
seat for the 26th Pennsylvania
district which had been held by
Representative Harve Tibbott, Re-
publican. His home is in Johns
town. Pa.
Mr.. Coffey was born in Chat
tanooga. Tenn, on October 81.
1918. He studied at, the Uni
versity of Pittsburgh and Penn
State College and entered military
sefvice In 1899 as a flying cadet.
He was commissioned q second
lieutenant in June. 1912, and as
signed to Langley Air Force Base,
Va, as a fighter pilot.
In l943 he went to Puerto Rico
as a flight commander. During
his rapid rise In rank, he saw
service in antisubmarine patrol
work at Panama. and was coin-
mander OF the SD Fighter Squad
ron and aide de camp to the COM
manding general. He became a
lieutenant colonel by March II,
1914. and was named a full
colonel in the Air Reserves last
September 2.
81 Combat Missions.
His 81 combat missions were
over Yugoslavia. Italy. France and
Germany. On July IL. 1914. he
was shot down at an airfield be-
hind the German lines. evaded
capture and then operated with
the Maquis, the French forces Of
resistance, before returning to the
American forces a month later.
After World War II Mr.. Cofiey