Evening star., 1949-12-22
Load on AirIinel
Misca|cu|ated,
Witness Says
Capital Agent Tells
Inquiry Of Mistake
In Crash FotoI to 6

mlSCdlCulaJ1On Dy a ground
operations officer resulted in over
loading a DC-3 airliner before it
took off on it's Inflated fight which
brought death to six persons in
a crash here December IL, an in
quiry was told today.
Lee G. Rainey, senior operations
agent for Capital Airlines at New
port News. testified that as re-
suit of his miscalculation. the
manifest given Capt. w. j. Davis,
pilot of the airliner, showed the
plane to be ton-and-a-half
lighter than it actually was.
Members of the investigating
board did not question Mr.. Rainey
as to what effect if any, his error
in calculating the weight of the
airliner had on the planes ma
neuverability. 1t is expected that
they will explore this question later
in the day when pilots and other
flight experts take the stand.
Mr.. Rainey said Capt. Davis,
who was killed in the crash, was
told that the gross take-of weight
of the plane was 22.450 pounds.
Actually the plane weighed 25.-
$50 pounds when it took of for
Washington.
Exceeded Safety Regulations.
AS a result of the miscalcula-
ton the plane exceeded Civil
Aeronautics Administration safety
limits by l20 pounds. it was
brought out at the hearing.
Capital Airlines spokesmen said
the 120-pound overload was quick
ly dissipated by gasoline consump-
ton and that it was within CAA
safety limits long before it came
in for an instrument landing
through the darkness and fog at
Washington Airport.
A mechanical calculator went
awry when Mr.. Rainey was figur-
ing the gross weight of the air.
liner, company officials said. The
error was discovered when the
manifest was rechecked after the
crash.
The plane crashed near Ma
tional Airport and II persons were
injured. A Federal Board of In
quiry was convened today to in
Quire into the cause of the crash.
Asked for Weather Conditions.
George A. PAUL. Capital Air
lines dispatcher. told the six-man
panel conducting the inquiry for
the Civil Aeronautics Board that
Capt. Davis called for weather
conditions at Baltimore while he
was circling about the thick fog
above National Airport, but was
told to remain in this area because
1t appeared the fog was lifting.
Weather conditions we're clear
at Baltimore when Capt. Davis
called for a radio report. Mr.. PAUL
said. but shortly thereafter the
ceiling lowered and made land
ings there impossible.
Weather Bureau Observers Mar
vim Hunter and Harold Choat,
who were stationed at the air
port, testified that the forecasts
which were broadcast at half
hour intervals to pilots estimated
visibility at the airport at be-
tween a mile and a half and
three-fourths of a mile. Pilots
were told that there was a 300
500 foot ceiling at the airport.
but that near zero conditions"
prevailed from time to time when
river fog drifted over the field.
10 Planes in Traffic Pattern.
Harry Barnes, senior controller
in the National Airport control
tower, said at least 10 airliners
were in the traffic pattern over
the Washington area when Capt.
Davis entered the pattern. Three
of the airliners subsequently
moved on to land at alternate air.
ports because of the thick fog
over the river in the vicinity CT
National Airport, Mr.. Barnes
testified.
Capt. Davis airliner came un-
(see AIR CRASH, Page A-20