Evening star., 1951-01-15
.Stewardess Heroine
In AirIiner Crash
Which Killed Seven
BY the Associated Press

attractive 24-year-old stewardess
only five months in flying serv-
Iice-died on duty yesterday after
|rescuing 10 passengers rom the
flaming wreckage of a National
Airlines plane in which seven per-
iShed.
Mary Frances Housley, 5 foot,
3-inch brunette who went to work
for the airline only last August,
died a heroine IN the f1re-swept
lDC-4. The big four -engined plane
skidded over a runway, crashed
into a ditch and burned in land
ing at International Airport. Four
other women and two babies lost
their lives
To the last, Miss Housley. de-
scribed by fellow employees as "the
most pleasant person you ever
want to meet" held one of the
victims-a four-months-old baby
in her arms. She was credited
with leading to safety at least 10
of the 10 passengers who escaped
with minor injuries.
Made Repeated Trips.
Survivors of the crash told how
the black-eyed steWardess from
Jacksonville, Fla, opened the
cabin door and cautioned them to
take it easy" Then she made
repeated rescue trips into the
plane until she was swallowed up
by the flames.
j. A. Leblanc, NAL senior agent,
one of the witnesses to the acci-
dent, said the plane was making
an approach in rough weather
with visibility IA miles. He said
that after making a normal land
ing on the snow-covered runway
the plane Travelled to the end of
the runway and off the end into
a ditch.
The pilot, Howell Barwick, and
the co-pilot, Edward Zatarian,
both of Jacksonville, emerged un-
injured and were whisked away by
NAL officials before they could tell
their story. Civil Aeronautics Au-
thorities later interrogated them
but nothing was disclosed of the
questioning.
Showing and Raining.
It was alternately showing and
raining as the big plane came in
for its only landing on a flight
from Newark, N. j., to Norfolk,
Va. It touched down for the land
ing at 2:13 pm. on the 6,0O0-foot
paved runway.
Because clouds covered the air
port the plane made an instru-
ment landing, a CAA administra-
ton employe on duty in the air.
port control tower, said. He veri-
fled that it was a normal landing
but said the plane overran the
runway, rammed through cy-
clone fence and bumped across
the ditch, grinding to a stop with
the after section of the fuselage
bridging the 10-foot cut.
AS soon as the plane stopped,
flames shot up from the severed
left wing. and fed by hundreds
of gallons of high octane gaso-
line, flashed to the cabin. Airport
emergency squads were unable to
eXtinguish the fire before the
plane was all but destroyed.
None of the 81 passengers and
crewmen surviving were seriously
injured. Most of them suffered
bruises in the 10-foot jump from
the cabin to the ground. Others
were burned about the hands and
face.
Sailors Daughter Killed.
Mrs. Manuela Smith, wife of a
sailor stationed at Norfolk, es-
capped with her 3-year-old daugh-
ter, Betty Jane, but lost her in
FAINT daughter, Brenda Joyce. 1t
was Brenda Joyce who died in
Miss Housley's arms.
Mrs. Hany Marchiano and her
infant son, John, of Mount Kisco,
N. Y, also were among the dead.
Other victims were identified as
Mrs, N. B. Joynes, So, and Marion
Garden, %, both of Norfolk, and a
passenger listed on the manifest
as Mrs. Lewis Hubian of New
York.
A Navy captain, lieutenant and
three enlisted men: a Marine pri-
vate first class and an Army pri-
vate first class were among the in
Ijured All were returning to their
stations.
Survivors Tell of Tragedy.
The tragic story as told by sur
vivors can be summed up in two
words; Miss Housley." Still
shaken from their ordeal, every
one of those who escaped &rom