AIR LINER’S CRASH

Hokitika Guardian, 15 October 1929, Page 7

AIR LINER’S CRASH

‘DASHED INTO MOUNTAIN

SAN FRANCISCO, September 16

The rapid growth of aerial transportation across the continent of North America received a most serious setback when the acclaimed “ Mistress of the Air” liner dashed against the rugged sides of a precipitous mountain in the wastes of New Mexico, and its pilot and pasesngers were all killed.

The disaster, which was the most horrible in the annals of aviation in America, was followed by four days of searching over several States for the missing air liner and its occupants, scores of aeroplanes being vigorously engaged. At the end of the fourth' 1 day, on the rugged, rock-strewn slopes of the New Mexico mountains, were discovered the bodies of a woman and seven men—and the crumpled, fireblackened wreckage of the air liner. It was on the south slope of forbidding Mount Tavlor. half-wav between Albuqueroue and Gallup, on the fringes of the San Mateo mountains, in New Mexico, that the “City of San Francisco ” made her last landing. She crashed after Pilot J. B. Stowe had turned back in his battle against a storm, and was racing for Albuquerque and safety. Pilot Pice sighted the missing ’plane just before noon, almost exactlv four days to the hour after the T.A.T. ship was lest seen. He was flying on the regular Western Air Express run from Los Angeles to Kansas G>tv. Looking; over the side of his cockpit, watching the ground far below, Rice caught side something dark on the side of a mountain and asked whotlier it could be the wreck. He banked, swufig off his course, circled down, and down. With the big ship flying as low as safety permitted, crew and passengers strained their eves toward the pile on the ground—.a blackened, twisted silent lump. And in a rnomen L . Rice looked at his assistant and nodded. “That’s it,” he said.

) HOW IT HAPPENED

From stories of the airmen who sighted the wreck and their own knowledge of the country the aviators at the Albuquerque field reconstructed what happened as follows:—Pilot J. E Stowe left Albuquerque oil the Tuesday morning flying the City of San Francisco toward Los Anglos. Aboard were A. B. Dietel, assistant pilot, C. F. Canfield, courier, and four passengers it was raining. Low-hanging clouds shut cut the sky. Along the horizon, over the mountains and the desert, long jagged flashes of lightning cut aga.in.st the darkened sky. The big ship drove along, her three motors beating steadily and then the. storm grew worse. They flew over the litte towns of the west. A railway switchman . looked up and saw the ’plane fighting the wind and storm. He watch ed until it disappeared to the west. Somewhere out there, pilot Stowe decided to turn back. Those are the orders to passenger ’plane ■ pilots—when it is not safe,to go on, go back. So with the rain anjj|' the wind of the lashing against the metal wings of the great ship, Stowe swung round and headed back towards Albuquerque. He drove his plane east and south through the storm that was gathering in force. In the cabin the passengers sat, tense with anxiety, bracing themselves again the lurch and sway as the ship fought with the hurricane. Perhaps they talked, shouting to make themselves heard over the roar of the labouring motors: ‘We’ll get there alright—he” 11 make it,” trying to reassure themselves. Up in the cockpit Stowe and. Hietol fought grimly, watching their instrument board, using all their knowledge to win their rfice against death and the storm They fought over the desert country, over jagged,rook and lava beds.

Abend of them—perhaps hidden by the Towering clouds—were tho San Mateo mountains, the last barrier between the struggling ’plane and Albuquerque, And then something loomed suddenly in their path, a vague half-hidden shape, lifting out of the mist and the rain! The rugged slopes of Mount Taylor, more-than 12,000 fed

igh. There was a dull, reverberating crash, a great burst of flame, screams and frenzied cries for help. And then silence, and the flames hissing out under the beat of the rain,

PLOUGHED THROUGH FOREST,

Tho search for the trans-continent-al Air Transport 'plane ended as a party of forest rangers, an ambulance crew and newspaper men lifted burned and crumpled fuselage from the chaired bodies of the five passengers and a crew of three. The bodies were unrecognisable and with the exception of that of the woman passenger which had been burned less severely than others, only could be identified by dental work.

The impact of the ’plane ploughed a invath 300 feet long through the heavily-wooded mountainside. It had thrown the bodies forward, until all were crowded toward the end of the cabin.. One lay virtually under the crushed and almost totally destroyed centre motor oif the tri-motored ship, the latest model passenger liner. The ’plane had crashed into a pine tree 67 feet above the ground. The left motor struck the tree and i;s propeller slash cd deeply' its trunk and felled the upper part. As the big ship tore its way through the heavy growth of spruce and pine, it shed its tail and then its wings one by one. There was not a piece of the all-metal ’plane, with the exception of docjrs and windows, left intact after the crash through the trees. The largest piece left was half of the left wing

which itself had holes punched through it, and tile underside shorn away. As the ship dropped to the ground it buried its nose and part of the landing gear two feet in the rocky soil, and gas oline from its tanks, broken by the snapping of the wings, became ignited An explosion followed, throwing burning gasoline over the passengers and crew.

PILOT BLINDED BY RAIN. Aviators declared it appeared pilot Stowe was blinded by the severe rain and windstorm, and while keeping bis bearings, did not realise he was flying so near the mountain, and the wind drift carried him on to the peak. The T'rans-continental Air Transport officials promptly paid a reward of 5000 dollars to the discoverer of the wrecked sky liner and indignantly denied an allegation that pilot Stowe was under to fly under any meteorological conditions. This is proven by the fact that the luckless pilot was oil his way back to safety when overcome by the storm. “None of our pilots is expected to fly against his own judgment,” said an official.