Evening star., 1960-01-19
CRASH
First Attempts at Rescue Work
Thworted by Fire in Wreckoge
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w -
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pared to resume hearings on
last years near-record death
toll in civil aviation,
The Senator flew in from
Chicago yesterday afternoon in
weather similar to that at the
time of the crash, when CELL
ings were down to $50 feet at
National Airport.
Witnesses near the scene of
the crash last night said the
airliner was "circling at house.
top height"
Charred trunks of trees pro-
truded through the flaming
fuselage. The plane lay in a
pit which it tore out as 1t
plunged into the rain-soaked
ground.
Pieces of the wereckage we're
found hundreds of yards from
the main mass. Around the
tail section. luggage, parts of
the planes kitchen and parcels
were scattered.
2 Strapped in Seats
Two young men who reached
the scene shortly before fire
enveloped the wreck said they
saw the bodies of two pass
engers strapped in their seats
and tried to get them out, but
were driven back by flames.
John Finnegan. jr.. a Rich
r1ond fire official, described the
wreckage like this:
Have you ever seen an old
shed that's been set on fire and
fallen down with the tin roof
on top of it? That's what it
looked like. would say abso-
lutely there was no chance for
anyone to get out of it,"
Air traffic control in Wash
ington said the last radio con-
tact with the plane was rou-
tine check-in by the pilot as he
passed over Tappahannock. Va.
midway between Washington
and Norfolk. At that time
there was no indication of
trouble.
However. at Senator Mon
roney's hearing later. a spokes-
man for the Air Line Pilots
Association said one more con-
tact occurred when the pilot
was asked to change to adar
frequency.
I'VE have to assume he
acknowledged" the spokesman
said
Reads Report of Crash
AS Senator Monroney opened
the hearing. he read INTO TIE
record the bare facts of last
nights crash.
He reported that at the time
of the last contact. the plane
was at 5000 feet. There were
scattered clouds at TOO feet,
broken clouds at 5000 feet, 6
miles visibility with fog and a
south-southwest wind of about
10 miles an hour, the Senator
said.
On takeoff the plane had
about 10000 pounds, or slightly
under 1000 gallons Of fuel. air
traffic officials said.
The British-built Viscount
has jet engines which power
four-bladed propellers and has
aacruising speed of better than
800 miles an hour.
Capital Airlines set up an
emergency headquarters in the
John Marshall Hotel in Rich
mond to coordinate the tasks
Of removing and identifying the
dead and assisting relatives of
the victims.
Extra telephones were in
stalled to handle the flood of
calls. Hayes Dever, Capital
vice president and secretary,
was in charge.
Tries to Help Families
Mr.. Dever, his clothing dis a.,
heveled and dirty from two ,
trips to the crash scene, would I
not comment on the possible
cause Of the disaster. 8
Our primary concern now :
Is for the welfare of the fam E
lilies" he said. We'll do every t
thing we can for them"
At 2 pm, a woman and ,
baby still had not been identi-
fed. Two infants were aboard. ,,
but did not show on the mani
fest. leading to early reports
that there were only "A pas ,
sengers.
Mr.. Dever said that Army, ,
State police and local rescue ,,
workers were removing the
bodies.
Meanwhile, the FBI reported
1t had sent a disaster squad 10
the scene to aid in the identi-
f1cation.
The Navy Bureau of Medi-
cine and Surgery also sent
team to help identify the Navy
victims.
ITS mostly a matter of
Identification from personal
items" said Charles P. Card
well. director of the Medical
College of Virginia Hospital.
"The last I heard there were
only three or four bodies-in
the forward part of the air
plane-that were recognizable"