Evening star., 1951-04-09
Mass Rites Planned
For 19FIyers Killed
On Funeral Mission
BY the Associaied Press

| by the AsSoctdfed freSS
CHARLESTON, w. Va, April 9.
Tentative plans for a mass
funeral were made today for 10
flyers who perished when their
Air Force transport plane crashed
and burned on a mountain yes
terday as it groped through the
mist. .......
The dead all were from Charles
ton or nearby and were coming
here to be the honor escort at
the funeral of a comrade killed
in an earlier mishap.
Two survived and have a $3.50
chance to recover.
Investigation Team Dispatched.
The Air Force dispatched a
three-man investigating team
from its flying safety headquar-
ters at San Bernardino, Calf.
No local inquiry has been
started.
The transport was 8 miles north
| of Charleston and preparing to
land when it banked 10 feet too
low and struck tall locust tree
and crashed in a burst of flame.
| Aboard were nine enlisted men
and IL officers, an honor guard
from the Goldman Air Force Base
in Kentucky to the funeral of Mai.
Woodford w. Sutherland. The
34-year-old major from nearby
st. Adams. w. Va, lost his life
Thursday in a ground collision of
two planes at Eglin Field. Fla.
In Same Squadron.
Like Maj. Sutherland, most of
the 10 victims of yesterdays crash
were members of the 167th Fight
er Squadron. Maj. Sutherland was
operations officer of the 18TH.
Before being called into Federal
service recently the squadron was
a West Virginia Air National
Guard unit.
In a Charleston hospital are the
only crash Survivors-Maj. Isaac
E. Bonifas of Portland, Ind. and
Capt. Harry K. Blackhurst of
Charleston.
They were found dazed and
wandering near the burning
wreckage by Mrs. Goldie Seabolt,
farm wife living nearby, and
another resident, Jack Copen.
1.-The first thing they said was
where's the airport?" Mr.. Copen
recalled. "They said they were
blind and couldn't see."
Called For Priest.
Mrs. Seabolt said the men badly
burned about the head and body,
repeatedly Inumbled through
scorched lips that priest must
be sent to the wreckage.
The Communications tower at
Kanawaha Airport reported con-
tacting the planes pilot, Capt.
Keatley Wilmington of Charles
ton. at 1853 am. shortly before
the crash. A thin mist of rain
hung over the area as the ship
neared the field.
Another plane load of Air Force
personnel left Goldman Field yes
terday morning, and reached the
Charleston area before turning
back because of the miserable
weather.
The other plane was piloted by
1t. Col. Kemp Mclaughlin, deputy
commander of the 125th fighter
bomber wing, of which the l67th
lis a component. Col. Mclaughlin
was commander of the 167th be-
fore 1t was activated for regular
duty.
Heard Explosion.
Five minutes after the ill-fated
CAT reported to the Kanawaha
airport, Mr.. Copen heard an ex-
Iplosion, looked out his window ;,
and saw "a string of fire across
the top of the hill, and motors
rolling"
When he arrived he found
smashed, burning parts of the
plane scattered hundreds of yards
around.
In a pile of ashes which had
been the forward section of the
craft lay a dozen or so of the
bodies.
Three hours later, a few miles
away, the Sutherland funeral took
place.
Casualty List Released.
Air Force officials released the
following list of dead:
Capt. Edwin Keatley Whiting
ton, 81, pilot, and 1st 1t. Harry
B. Kesler, 80, co-pilot, both of
Charleston; TiSergt. William H.
Shelton, %. the crew chief, RID S,
Charleston; S/Sergt. David E. Roll
Tyson, jr.:: Corpl. Charles E. Cobb,
20; Corpl Dennis I. Meeks, Is:
tS/Sergt. Kenneth C. Amik, q, and
Sergt. Richard F. Hazeltine. 20,
JAIL Of Charleston: Sergt. Winston
"a. Schoonover, IS, RID 3, South
Charleston: Sergt. James E. Greasy
III, Cabin Creek; Corpl. Columbus
John r. Price, 20, South Charles
ton; Pfc. Jimmy Dolan, 20,
Chelyan.
First 1t. Drexel E. Critics, 80,
st. Adams; 1st 1t. Lyle F. Finley,
80. Harrisville; 1st 1t. Herman F..
Winter, jr., 90, South Charleston;
1st 1t. Charles r. Michaelson. 20,
Nitro; 1st 1t. William j. Frank.
80. Montgomery, and Pfc. James
Richard Lewis. 10. South