AIRMEN KILLED

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 29, 27 April 1927, Page 1

AIRMEN KILLED

Disaster Again Awaits Adventurers of Atlantic BIG PLANE FALLS INTO MARSH Disaster again awaited intrepid aerial adventurers of the Atlantic. The big United States plane, heavily laden ’ with .fuel, crashed into a marsh near Newport News while undergoing a trial flight. This is the fourth accident to befall planes preparing to fly the Atlantic.

By Cable. —Press Association.—Copyright Reed. 8.30 a.m. WASHINGTON, Tues. Lieutenant-Commander Noel Davis and Lieutenant Stanton Wooster were killed when the giant airplane “American Legion,” in which they intended shortly to attempt the Paris flight, crashed near Messich. The machine became unmanageable and fell several hundred feet when trying to lift the full trans-Atlantic load of gasoline and landed in a marsh, at the same time turning over to avoid a group of trees in the line of flight. Both airmen died in 5 inches of water This is the fourth in a series of mishaps to trans-Atlantic fliers, commencing with the disaster to Captain

Rene Foncks’ plane in 1926 in which two were killed. Since then Lieutenant Byrd was injured and Lieutenant Chamberlain recently had a narrow escape.—A. and N.Z. A prize of £5,000 is offered for the first night from New York to Paris, and this summer 11 aviators of varied nationalities are planning to attempt the flight, which, up to the present, has been an ill-starred one so far as preparations are concerned. Lieutenant Davis was a United States naval reservist, and he planned to make the flight in July or August. Captain Fonck’s first attempt was made last September, but there was a disaster at the start, two men being killed. Lieutenant Byrd received light injuries recently when he was preparing for the flight.