Evening star., 1951-04-09
Inquiry Is Proceeding
In Crash Of BIS
Killing 3 in Cottage
CONTINUED From First Page.)

z
Pilot Gives Account.
From his hospital bed last night
Capt. Chapman told the story oi
how the planes landing gear re-
fused to raise after the takeofl
at II am. on training flight.
He gave a graphic account o1
the struggle to shake down the
wheels while they circled the
Washington area for four hours
how they finally called on another
plane in a futile attempt to trans
fer hydraulic fluid in mid-air.
Finally. with only the left side
of the landing gear down, prohib-
iting a crash landing. Capt. Chap
man decided to ditch the plane
and got directions from the tower
to trim" it at 100 degrees. With
80 gallons Of gas still aboard. thi.
was expected to carry the plane
to the bay. a run of nearly ar
hour.
The plane had no automatic
pilot, but this was standard fol
non bombing operation conditions
It was theorized that q gust ol
wind, or a shifting of weight after
the crew jumped. may have
thrown of the adjustments.
Peaceful Scene Shattered.
At 4:07 pm. on a Sunday aft.
ernoon, little MorningSide was 8
peaceful scene. The town is 4
miles east of the District line JUS
at the edge of Andrews Air Force
Base. At the corner Of Suitlanc
road and Lombardy street, 81
members Of the Idle Club Elite
a neighborhood social club, foune
it an excellent time to put up 6
new fence.
They were startled to hear thu
plane roar toward them, crasl
against the pole a few feet away
and veer up Lombardy street. Hat
it not struck the pole. the plan,
would have struck row of houses
on Lombardy.
| At it crashed. the tail assembl,
cut q swath through the white
picket fence in front of the home
of Lawrence Crawford. 207 LON
hardy road.
One engine tore loose and flew
nearly a city block at right angle.
from the crash scene into the liv.
ing room of Pvt. James w. Hefiin
ninth precinct policeman. Fortu.
nately. the Heflins were not al
home.
Rips Fences and Trees.
The plane pushed up the one.
block street, ripping fences ane
trees along the way, and finally
blowing virtually through thu
front door" of the Snyder home
302 Poplaa,s road. directly facing
Lombardy street.
The Snyders were not as lucky
as the Heflins. Twenty minutes
earlier they had returned from
q ride In Sergt. Snyder's new car
They had been to the Tidal Basin
to see the cherry blossoms-the
reason the Guyers had made the
trip from New Jersey.
Mr.. and Mrs. Floyd Bookhultz
518 Morgan road, the Sydners
closest friends, waved at them as
they returned and saw Mrs. Sny-
der carrying little Rena Denise
Born prematurely. the baby had
left the hospital only three weeks
ago.
Explosion Breaks Calm.
Il thought the top of the house
had been taken off," said William
Lowery. across the street at 3o3
Poplars road. IT put on my shoes
and ran over. Dot and Sam al
ready were being carried out. Dot
kept saying, where's my baby,
where's my baby?"
Unmindful of the smoking de-
bris which had shattered parts OF
houses in the neighborhood,
friends rushed to the Snyder
home. ~
There was Stuart w. Bryant,
80, a Senate Once Building en-
ploye, Of 56S1 Auth road, Camp
Springs. Md. He was one Of those
fixing the fence at the Idle Club
Elite. and he barely escaped being
hit.
With his 10-year-old son, stu
art, jr., he ran to the Snyder
place. warning Stuart to stand
back. He tried a door, but failed
| to get in. Then he broke into 4
window. and helped carry out q
woman and a man.
| Another club member who rar
to the house was James Schonley
38. of 1890 Leona street, Forest
vile, a bricklayer. He said hi
carried out a woman "all covered
with blood"
J. "She was screaming: My hus.
band was sitting on the sofa be.
side me-get him." Mr.. Schonley
said.
Il didn't know exactly wha-
happened" he added. "I just die
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