Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1962-03-07

p who told me what I was to do
in case Of an emergency. in
case of engine trouble, or a
forced landing over enemy
i, territory d. =.
Somewhere, I suppose about
$50 in the morning, I finished
dressing and was taken to the
, aircraft. I climbed into the
aircraft and waited-I had to
wait for the signal before start
ing the engine and before TAX
ing off :.
!. I took off, climbed on course,
and reached my altitude and
continued on course. The
weather was cloudy under
meath. I couldn't see the
ground for over an hour, and
I drifted right, off course.
There was a clear area near
the Ural Sea, where I corrected
back toward course but never
did get exactly back on course
before I got over the clouds
again =.
~ Saw Jet Traces
It was in this area that I saw
two condensation traces from
jet aircraft they appeared
to be paralleling my course. The
first one headed in exactly the
opposite direction as myself,
and a few minutes later, I
assume it was the same aircraft
passed me going on the same
heading was going on. He
made no maneuvers that I
1pnld tell and ! never did see
the aircraft itself, just the con-
densation trail.
81 Russell; Did you estimate his
saititude2
Powers: He was well below
me. I felt fairly good at the
time. was well above the con-
gdensation trail layer and I
sdon't think he ever saw me if
he was looking for me. -.
Ss!I would say approximately
S2gO miles south of Sverdlovsk
sttie clouds ended, and I cor
.rected back to course and was
son course therest of the light.
=. I got to, would say. with
in 80 or 40 miles of Sverdlovsk
probably as well as I can 1e-
member southeast of the city.
I can remember seeing an
airfelld there that was not on
by may.
After making this turn, I
had to record the time that I
reached this particular point,
the engine instrument read
ings, the exhaust gas tempera-
ture, the altitude, several
things, I don't remember ex-
actly what they all were, and Il
was doing this at the time that
I heard and felt this explosion.
1t was approximately a min
ute after I had rolled out Of
this turn I can't be sure of the
time there. 1t is hard to recall
just exactly what sensation !
had at this time. I can re-
member feeling, hearing and
just sensing an explosion, but
there was no - just a slight
acceleration of the aircraft was
all that I felt in the aircraft
itself. I Immediately looked up
from the instruments and
everywhere I looked was orange.
Sure Of Explosion
- I don't know whether the
whole sky was orange, or just
the reflection of an orange
light in the canopy. But had
never seen anything like this
before, and I am sure there
was an explosion. I feel that
the explosion was external to
the aircraft.
For a short time there !
4" thought everything was all
right. The right wing started
to drop. which is normal in an
aircraft, it wanders around a
u. little, and I turned the wheel
brought the right wing back
- to level position, and either
after it reached the level posi-
= ton or just before it reached
that the nose started drop
ping.
So I applied back pressure
to the control column and felt
no resistance to the movement
of the control column. and this
kept going faster and faster
So I Immediately assumed al
the time that the tail section
Of the aircraft had come off
a very violent maneuvel
happened in here and ]
feel sure that both wings came
off.
Not Much Time to Look
Russell: You were not where
you could see the wings tc
determine whether they had
come off?
Powers: I didn't have much
time to look, and I was being
thrown around in the cockpit
very much at this time
had pulled the control column
all the way back into my lap
and it did no good. I know
the (plane's) nose was high
and I know it was turning very
fast around, it seemed like
around something heavy like in
the fuSelage. I don't know how
much of the aircraft was left
at the time. But all I could see
by looking out Of the cockpit
was sky.
I know that when I tried tt
get in the election position, il
took both hands on my leg.
to pull my feet back into the
Stirrups of the election seat.
1t was spinning very vic.
lently. I was thrown forward
and up, and 1 was hanging or
to the seat belt, not sitting il
the seat.
=. My first reaction was to
reach for the destruct switches