Evening star., 1949-01-06
.2Ki|Ied in Crash
OF Cargo Plane
In Maryland
Craft Was in Trouble
Before Wreck, Fire
Near Brondywine
(Picture on Page A-5.)

A privately owned DC-3 twin
engine cargo plane crashed and
burned near Brandywine, Nd,
about Is miles southeast of here,
early today, killing both occu-
pants.
The aircraft, laden with Florida
flowers bound for the New York
markets, was owned by Coastal
Cargo Co, Inc, of Newark, N j. 1t
had refueled at Raleigh, N. c., and
taken off at $40 am, according to
c. S. Dampier, service man at the
Raleigh Airport.
An official of the cargo company
said the victims were:
Stuart Morrill,, about %, of Ridge
field Park, N. j., captain and pilot.
Theodore Katz. about 30, Of
Brooklyn, N. Y, the co-pilot.
Engine Noises Heard.
Chester Williams, 21, of Brandy.
wine, a Prince Georges County high
way employe and former Air Force
cadet, said he was attracted by the
uneven sound of the engines about
8 am, ran out of the house and saw
the plane at about 600 feet.
The right elevator was folded up
against the rudder and the pilot
was evidently attempting to use his
engines to make up for the loss Of
control" he said. An elevator is
part of the tail assembly, used to
control an airplane's upward or
downward flight.
THE pilot" Mr.. Williams said,
apparently was trying to get to an
old road which runs through the
woods about a mile from where I
was. The plane hit, then there was
an explosion and then fire.
Rescue Was Impossible.
by the time I got there the front
end of the plane was afire. I could
see one man in the cockpit. There
wasn't any use trying to get him
out"
At the company's Offices at New
Jerseys Teeterboro Airport, Joe Lin
nell, an official of the cargo firm,
said the plane was en- route from
Del Ray Beach, Fla.
"One of those boys Capt. Nor
ArilD had two kids" he said. "I
don't know how I'm going to break
the news to Them
The plane ripped the top off Co.
foot tree, then crashed into a small
clearing in the woods and broke in
two pieces.
Mr.. Williams said he watched it
until it slowed down so much the
pilot probably had no control. over
it at all Then it went into the
woods"
! Fire departments from Marlboro,
Accokeek, Forestville and Andrews
Air Force Base were on the scene,
but f1remen had to carry portable
extinguishing equipment on their
packs over muddy, broken ground
because equipment could not get
into the area.
One of the bodies was burned
beyond recognition.
One Man Found Alive.
aIlOIllcI WlIllcSS, II. e. fCdIlSOIIl,
80, of Brandywine Heights, a used
car dealer, said he was one of the
first to arrive at the crash scene.
"One of the men was still alive,
trapped in the wreckage by his legs.
His head and arms moved little
and tried to get him out, but the
fire drove me away" he said.
The victim Mr. Ransom saw was
later removed by the Marlboro Res
cue Squad and was not badly
burned Witnesses said a severe
head injury probably caused his
death.
Mr.. Ransom said he first noticed
the plane sort of circling around
the area. Then it started to come
in in kind of glide as though
trying for place to land. 1t seemed
to me the right motor had cut out
and the left one was sputtering"
CAB investigators were on the
scene a short time afterwards and
said a preliminary investigation in
dicated one Of the elevators was
missing from the tail assembly