Evening star., 1950-08-19
Air Force Board
Probes Crash
Fatal 10 Two
Reserve Colonel at
Controls; Lieutenant
Saved by 'Premonition

A colonel in the Air Force Re-
serve and his crew chief, both resi-
dents of the Washington Area
were killed late yesterday in the
flaming crash of their light trans
port in field near Andrews Air
Force Base.
The dead were Col. Raymond F.
Nicholson, 46, of 1921 North Utah
street, Arlington. and T/Sergt.
Donald HOPPER, who was stationed
at Boiling Air Force Base.
A board of inquiry was to meet
at Andrews Base today to investi-
gate the crash.
glitch Hiker" Injured.
The only survivor was hitch
hiker"-Pfc. Robert F. Lessel. 81,
of Milwaukee, who tumbled from
the wreckage of the twin-engined
CAS- and extinguished the fire
in his clothing by rolling in the
grass.
He suffered burns on his arms,
upper chest and head and was
reported in a good condition at
Boiling Hospital today.
Col. Nicholson, a veteran of
World War II. had been recalled
for two weeks of active service,
and had been assigned to the
Civil Aeronautics Association.
Afkow
The plane took off from Boiling
at APT pm. en- route to Norfolk,
Va. and Chicago. A few minutes
later, as it gained altitude, the
right engine caught fire. The ship
began to lose altitude, and con-
tacted Andrews tower on emer-
gency landing procedure. 1t
crashed almost at once in a potato
patch. within a mile of a runway,
and burst into flames.
Pfc. Lessl got to the door and
kicked it open. With his clothing
af1ame. he rolled in the dirt and
put out the fire enveloping him.
The plane narrowly missed the
house of Charles BiggS, at 7240
Brinkley road, striking the ground
about 100 yards in the rear of
the building. A 6-foot-long part
of the wing lodged in trees about
rs feet away.
Firemen were called by Thur
man Biggs, Is, of the Silver Hill
Volunteer Fire Department. Other
companies responded from Clin-
ton and OXon Hill, and crash
trucks also came from Andrews.
Plane Burned Out.
The plane was almost COM
pletely burned out. Parts of the
engines and wings and tail assem-
bly, were all that remained after
the blaze.
Last night a Boiling public
information officer received a tele-
phone call from an Army lieu
tenant stationed at Fort Myer
Va. The lieutenant, who asked
that his name not be mentioned,
said he understood there had been
a plane crash. He inquired if the
pilot was the colonel connected
with the CAA.
On being advised this was so,
the lieutenant said he had ar
ranged to be on the plane, but
that as he was getting into his
car at Fort Myer with his bags
he had "premonition" and de-
cided to catch a train to Chicago.
To further justify his hunch, the
Army officer called weather serv-
ice and was told the ceiling at
Chicago was only 800 feet. That,
he said, decided the matter for
him and he telephoned the colonel
that he wasn't going.
On June 5, 1949, Col. Nichol-
son won $4,000 in the running
Of the Irish Sweepstakes, based
on the English Derby at EPSON.
He signed his ticket Happily
Married"
Leaves Two Daughters.
Besides his wife, he leaves two
daughters.
The officer served during the
war, and then went to the State
Department.
Sergt. HOPPER was the son of
Mrs. Clara HOPPER. He was grad
uated from Midland High School
in 1885 and was in the Air Force
! years. He served 80 months in
the Pacific during World War II,
and received the Soldiers Medal,
which is awarded for an excep-
tionally heroic act.
Sergt. HOPPER had been at Boil
ling for the last four years, serv-
ing with the 1.10lth Maintenance
Squadron as an aerial engineer.
In addition to his mother, sister,
Pauline, survives.
Pfc. Lessel was bound for Madi-
son, Wis, for reserve duty. He