but the location of the held and the existence of the power lines, turned into a dreadful disaster, witnessed by many thousands of persons, what would otherwise have been a bad landing with more or less serious injury to the occupants. The other two fatalities were due, one to lack of policing and one to lack of a field. In each case spectators were struck by the propeller. Certainly the pilots bore a share of the blame, but public authority must be held responsible for neglect, just as in the case of a motorist who strikes a pedestrian in a highway along which the public has failed to provide a sidewalk or guard rail. Two of the three injuries were caused by spectators getting in the way of the machine and the third was due to the theft of a plane by a spectator. COMPARATIVE TABLE OF SERIOUS ACCIDENTS REPORTED BY 129 ESTABLISHED AIRCRAFT OPERATORS In the accidents in which the operators may be regarded as culpable, one fatality followed the entrance into a sudden snowstorm of a seaplane and another was due to unknown causes; one of the injuries was caused by poor take-off and two by bad landings (all attributable to the pilot) and the fourth to circumstances unknown. It is possible that, had nation-wide weather reports been circulated by radio, and had the machine been equipped to receive them, the snowstorm might have been circumvented. But even so, the fact that the seaplane broke up in an hour after alighting on the water (the passenger dying from exposure) emphasizes the demand, recognized by designers and builders, for craft strong enough to ride out gales on the earth or water as well as in the air. In addition to the serious accidents set forth in Table No. II, the established operators, realizing the mutual advantage of exchanging data on all flying difficulties, submitted reports on 59 minor mis TABLE No. III.-MINOR ACCIDENTS REPORTED BY 129 ESTABLISHED AIRCRAFT OPERATORS OCTOBER 1, 1921, TO OCTOBER 1, 1922 (Prepared for the Secretary of Commerce, by the Aeronautical Chamber of Commerce of America, Inc., 501 Fifth Avenue, New York City) Remarks Poor landing on practice hop. Seaplane struck submerged log taking off. Landing in strange field after dark. Nosed over; soft field. Damaged propeller and landing gear. Nosed over; soft field. Poor take-off. Poor take-off; drifted into sign before wheels left Student believed to have cut switch believing he Carburetor trouble; machine hit tree in forced land- Air pressure. Broke shock absorber and plane nosed over. Broke lower wings landing in rough field. Weak drift wire fitting on seaplane. Number Pilot Causes TABLE No. III.-Continued Remarks Forced landing in orchard right after taking off. Nosed over. Landed on race track. Landed in high grass and hit hidden post. Mechanic failed to tighten spark plugs after clean- Pilot ran out of gas and struck tree in landing. Seaplane struck submerged rock taking off. Seaplane wing struck water in short turn to escape trees on take-off. Poor judgment; pilot nosed over taking off down steep hill. Forced landing after dark on unknown field. Forced landing after dark; due to poor gas and Pilot neglected magneto; had forced landing in TABLE No. III.-Continued Accessory failed; no good landing field available. Pilot disobeyed instructions and tested new motor after dark. Seaplane struck rock in unfamiliar harbor. Poor gasoline caused forced landing. Seaplane collided with surface craft. Same seaplane as Accident No. 54, improperly repaired, crashed. Plane overloaded; forced landing. Plane probably overloaded; carburetor bad; forced Poor landing field and poor judgment by pilot. Lack of fields, routes and weather data. |