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Army Plane With Four Aboard Falls In Maine Forest, Burns; Feared Crew of Airship PerishedBangor, Me., Nov. 16. — (/P)— Wreckage of a missing twin-engined bomber was sighted from the air today in jungle-like Maine woodlands, 60#miles northeast of Bangor, by army pilots, who said they saw no sign of life near the crashed ship.The big plane, carrying a crew of four, lost its way last night while en route to northeast air base here. Throughout the night no word came on the bomber until hunters emerging from the woods at daybreak told of seeing the plane and then hearing a terrific crash at 7:30 p. m.—a short time after it was due here.Captain N. I*, liar ten burg of the air base said there were no indications that any of the crew escaped alive, but the army clung to the hope that some of them may have bailed out and the ship continued on 10 or 20 miles before it crashed/* There was “every evidence” that the plane had burned, he said.Guided by the hunters, a ('oast Guard plane first spotted the j wreckage six miles southeast of Oak mountain between Lincoln I and Springfield in the Grand Lake j country.Lieut. Malcolm Ilebcr, flying an army attack plane, said the bomb-cr was “completely wrecked. It came down In a heavily wooded area, lie said, and apparently was ripped to pieces as it plunged into trees.A squad of soldiers who had been waiting at Lee returned to the air base to get heavy clothing ■ and equipment for the 14-mile trek through rough country tomorrow.The hunters said that the bomber was flying low and that a glow lighted the sky after the crash.The crew consisted of Lt. P. W. Beckham, 28, Houston, Texas, pilot; Lt. Wyman O. Thompson, 21, Underwood, X, D., co-pilot; Corp. J. L. Parson, engineer; and Private L. E. Rothernal, radio operator.When the plane left Langley Field, Va., yesterday it carried a crew of four officers and eight enlisted men, but the latter got off during a brief stop-over at West-| over Field, Chicopee, Mass.The bomber lost its way shortly aft*T reaching Augusta, Me, on the way to Bangor.Another bomber taking the same route managed to land safely here, despite a heavy fog. hut a third plane in the flight turned back and alighted at Boston.First word of the missing plane's fate enrne from Alton I.owell, Lee Farmer, one of a party of three h miters.
Newspaper Details
Helena Independent Record
Helena, Montana, US
Mon, Nov 17, 1941
Page 1
Full Page
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NH, USA 25 May 2024
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