Evening star., 1952-12-21
Crash Inquiry Pushed
After 10Th Tragedy
To Big Transports
BY the Asseeiosed Press

Stirred by a plague of plane
crashes. military leaders dis
patched another party of investi-
gators yesterday to seek the cause
of the latest and most disastrous
accident in aviation history.
The crash of a huge CHA
Globemaster plane at Moses Lake,
Wash. yesterday, killing some 80
servicemen, came while the Air
Force and Navy still were await
ing final reports on the reason for
nine other crashes of big trans
ports in the North Pacific and
Northwestern United States-Alas-
ka areas. All told the 10 crashes
took about 800 lives.
There. were signs that the new
Congress may look into the series
of tragedies after it convenes in
January. Representative Kilday,
Democrat, of Texas, a member Of
the House Armed Services Com
mittee, told reporter:
''I should think we ought to do
something to see what are the
reasons for so many crashes in
the same general area"
Russell Favors Grounding.
Senator Russell, Democrat, OF
Georgia, chairman of the Senate
Armed Services Committee, said:
II think the Air Force should
ground these Globemasters until
1t can definitely be determined
whether they are mechanically de-
fective. All of us have been greatly
shocked and distressed by this
series Of air tragedies"
Globemasters figured in two Of
the 10 crashes.
Representative Cole, Republican,
of New York, member Of the
House Armed Services Commit
tee. said that in view of the recent
series of plane crashes, he Ger
tainly would favor" a congress
sional inquiry into the situation.
Air Force officials, noting that
complete reports have not yet
been received. say no single cause
is apparent for the crashes. They
seemingly have occurred for a
variety of reasons, including bad
weather.
Weather Contributing Factor.
Weather, it is said. appears to
have been at least a contributing
cause in all of the military trans
port crashes except for one in
Montana November II and with
the possible exception of the crash
today.
Investigators for the Air Forces
Flight Safety Research, for the
Tactical Air Command and for
Civil Aeronautics Administration
headed Immediately for Moses
Lake to try to trace the cause
Of that crash.
The crash yesterday and that
Of the transport in Montana oc-
CURED on fiat terrain. But virtu-
ally all the others Cat least one
wreck has not been found came
when planes struck mountains in
stormy weather.
Inquiries Take Months. 4
AS part of the general investi-
cation, to supplement the individ-
ual inquiries into particular
accidents, the Air. Force formed a
survey team to analyze adequacy
of navigational and communica-
tiops system both in aircraft and
on the ground. Moreover, the
team is inquiring into the weather
flight training programs and the
weather "brieflngs" given air crews
Just before takeoff, :
Plane crash investigations often
take months, especially if no sur
vivors are left to testify. The
wreckage is studied, literally mi
croscopically. for possible failure
of engines. plane structure. equip
ment. Eyewitnesses, if any, are
questioned. Inspectors seek to
reconstruct the exact conditions
prevailing in the plane in the
moments before and at the instant
of impact.