THEPOST-JOURNAL,Jamestown,NewYork Saturday,January14,2012

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SATURDAY

Crash: Changes inflightindustrycameasaresultofinvestigationintoseries ofcrashes

FromPageC6 UphillfromtheBryant house,theHerrickfarmwas alsobesiegedwithrescue workers.Theyaccessedthe crashsitefromthefarmand usedtheHerrickscrawlertractortocarryoutsurvivorsandthedead.Rescue effortswereledbySheriff MorganSigelandfire departmentsfromSalamanca,LittleValley,EastRandolphandRandolph.AtelephonecalltotheNapoli highwaydepartmentand SuperintendentDavid Shenefielproducedheavy constructionequipmentthat plowedacrudepathupthe hill,butnotquitetothetop andthecrashscene. carriers,nonscheduledair- JamesA.Beldingwasfelt linesoffereddrastically throughouttheindustry. reducedfaresoninfrequent Thenewlyappointedchairflightsonvariousroutes.In manofCABwasintheCathispreviousjobasheadof taraugusCountyCourttheCivilAeronautics house,ondirectivesfrom Administration(CAA), PresidentTruman,grilling Nyrophaddevotedspecial theheadofanonscheduled attentiontothesafetyprob- airlineaboutsafetymealemsofirregularcarriers. suresoverwhichthefederal Inthebook,Nyropchap- governmenthadlittleconterauthorDonnaM.Cortrol. bettdescribedgraphicheadTheCABinvestigation linesandphotographsin foundthatCaptainHarris newspapersandmagazines flewfromMiamitoPittsofthelate1940sandinto burgh,asplanned,using 1951thatfrightenedthe instrumentflightrules. travelingpublicwith DespiteaverbalreportindiDeathridestheBargain catingpoorweather,Harris AirlinesandMurderin switchedtovisualflight theAir.Bythetimeofthe rulesforthetripfromPittsMiamiAirlinecrashat burghtoBuffalotomakeup Newarkinmid-December forlosttimeandtoavoid TELLINGHISSTORY 1951,theWhiteHousehad furtherdelaysforrefueling PearlMoonrecallsbeing begunpressuringtheCAB inPittsburgh,aswas carriedoutinadevicein toimprovesafetyamong requiredforinstrument whichshecouldsitdown thenonscheduledairlines. flightrules.Itwasalso orstandup.ItwasprobaWithindaysofthecrashof revealedthatHarrismay blythesmallwagonthat Flight44-2,President havebeenusingautomatic hadbeenattachedtothe HarryTrumansentaletter pilotduringthelowaltitude Herrickscrawler-tractorfor toNyroprequestingnew flighttoBuffalo. theslipperyanddangerous safetyrulesonuncertified Theinvestigationalso ridedownthehill.News airlines.ByApril1952, revealedthatContinental reportsascribeddifferent soonaftertheFlight44-2 Chartersdidnotconsider namesforthefirstpersonto ChairmanDonaldNyropbecamethefirstCABbosstomakeanon-the-spotinvesti- crashinvestigationwas theterrainbetweenPittsarriveatthecrashscene. gationwhenhevisitedthesceneofthecrashofFlight44-2.Nyropdiedin2010at98. released,theCABrequired burghandBuffalotobe Whoeveritwas,hewaswitUPItelephoto nonscheduledairlinessuch mountainous.Theairline nesstoahorriblesight. Miamirestaurant,The ersbody.Thedeathof anotherC-46crashedon asContinentalCharters,to wasalsoadvisedofthis Asidefromthesurvivors Patio.Theyhadflownto ElizabethAlbertwaslater Dec.30,1951,nearFairmeetthesamesafetystanpremisebytheCAAdistrict huddledaroundthefire, PittsburghpriortoChristdescribedtoJacklynHoard banks,Alaska.Fourpeople dardsasthewell-known officeinMiami.Therefore, bodieslaystrewnaboutthe mastomeetotherfamily byAlbertfamilymembers onboardtheplanewere certifiedairlinesEastern, CaptainHarrismayhave woodsandinthewreckage, membersattheirfamily asbeingcausedbyalarge killedwhenthepilotflew Delta,American,United misunderstoodtheelevation castalongnearlyathousand homefortheholidays.They objectdrivenintoherhead pasttheairport,becamelost andTWA.Nyropspersonal oftheterrainalongthe feetofmountaintop.Suralsogatheredforafamily bytheforceofthecrash. andhittheground.The visittothetopofBucktooth route.Hewasalsofoundto vivorscriedatthefirstsight photograph,thelastfor Alberttoldreportersthat wreckagewasfoundonJan. Ridgeandtheresulting havebeenflyingbelowthe ofrescuers.Reporterssaida ElizabethAlbert. whenherealizedtherewas 3,1952,atatimewhenair pressphotographsofaCAB minimumaltitudeforvisual policeofficerfiredgunshots Albertfamilymembers nothinghecoulddoforhis travelersnerveswereratchairmanamongthewreck- flightrulesandhewas11 tosignalotherrescuersof confirmedwithHoardwhat mother,heimmediately tled. ageofacommercialplane miles(off-course)eastof thesurvivorslocation. PearlMoonreportedinher turnedtohelptheothers. Tohelpalleviatethecon- crashspokevolumesabout thedirectroutetoBuffalo. Someonesnappedaphoto- recentinterviewaboutthe All14survivorswere cernsofairtravelers,on hisconcernforsafetyand Investigatorsalsofounddisgraphofthesmallbandof crash.GeorgeandElizabeth rushedtoSalamancaGener- NewYearsDay1952, hiscommitmenttochangcrepanciesintheamountof passengers,cramped Alberttradedseatsonthe alHospitalwherenurses CABChairmanDonald ingthepublicsperception fuelaboardtheplaneand beneathaparachute,gripplaneatthelastminute anddoctorswerewaiting.It Nyroptraveledtothescene ofcommercialairlinestrav- theweightandbalance pingblanketsandcoatcol- becauseMrs.Albertwas wasamonumentaltaskfor oftheContinentalCharters el.Hewouldlaterportray manifestsfiledatPittslarstotheirchinstoward coldinthebackofthe suchasmallcommunity. crashforapersonalinspec- thesameprincipalsaschair- burgh.Theyfoundthat offthecoldwind.Thereisa plane.Theseatexchange Newspaperphotographers tion.Hetookaplaneto manofNorthwestAirlines. therewasenoughfuelon lookofabsolutedesperation provedtobeafataldecision wereeventuallyallowed Bradford,Pa.,andthena NyropdiedinNovember boardtomeetregulations ontheirfaces.Thefirstpho- forMrs.Albertandonethat intothehospitaltotakepic- cartothebaseofBucktooth 2010attheageof98. foravisualflighttoBuffalo tographfromthescene hauntedGeorgeAlbertfor turesandinterviewthesur- Ridge,wherehewalked InCattaraugusCounty, butnotenoughforan wouldlaterbedisplayed therestofhislife. vivorsintheirbeds.Within partofthewayupthe NyropwasjoinedbySheriff instrumentflight,which aroundtheworldinthe Afterthecrash,Albert days,localresidentswere mountain.Hewasthencar- MorganL.Sigel,who requiredagreaterfuel pagesofLifeMagazine. managedtocrawloutofthe takingvisitorsintotheir riedbyanall-terrainvehicle spearheadedthelocalacci- reserve. Meanwhile,attheBryant wreckageinthedarkwhere homesbecausethehotels tothesummit,followedby dentinvestigation.The ThefinalCABconclufarmhouse,GeorgeAlbert togetherwithMoon,they werefilledwithreporters reporters. crashofFlight44-2wasthe sionforthecauseofthe wasfacinghisown sawalightinthesnow.It andcrashinvestigators.For Hewasquotedassaying highlightofSigelslaw crashwasthecaptains onslaughtfromreporters. wastheflashlight. weeksafterthecrash,sight- hewasthefirstCABchair- enforcementcareerthat poorjudgmentinattemptThe30-year-oldrestaurant Thatflashlightwasa seerstraipseduptheridge mantomakeanon-the-spot beganin1940.Rushedto ingaflightbyvisualreferownerwasphotographedin godsend.Withit,Iwasable tothesceneofthecrash. crashinvestigation.Aware thesceneinadeputyscar, enceduringinstrument frontofavintagetelevision tofindallthesurvivors.I Manypeopleremoved oftheimpacthisvisit Sigelpersonallydirected weatherconditions. set,unshaven,andwiththe hadtocutsomeloosefrom piecesofthewreckagefor wouldhaveonthepublic therescueofsurvivorsand ContinentalCharters, lookofbewildermentonhis theirsafetybelts,hesaid. souvenirsandlocalchildren perceptionofairtravel, therecoveryofthedead whichisofnorelationship face.Hewasaboutto Albertdeclinedtotalk passedaroundimaginary Nyropimmediately fromatopthemountainand tothepresentContinental becometheheroofthe withreportersaboutthe storiesaboutvictimswith announcedthatthecause attheHerrickfarmcomAirlines,signaledtheerrors crashatSawmillRun. deaththathewitnessedthat missingarms,legsandfin- didnotappeartobe mandpost.OneofSigels ofitsflightcrewwithin Albertwasraisedinthe nightthroughthebeamof gers. mechanicalorstructural moredifficultpartsofthe daysofthecrash.OnJan.3, smallwesternPennsylvania theflashlight.Itmusthave Itwasaneventthat failureoftheairplane.He investigationwasthelater 1952,ContinentalCharters townofJosephineandwas beenahorrificscene.The changedthesmallCattarau- wasphotographedwithhis revelationthatsomeonehad adoptednewcompanypoligraduatedfromBlairsville bodyoftheoneflightatten- gusCountycommunities footrestingonacrumpled stolenseveralhundreddol- ciesthatarecommonly HighSchool.Inherweblog, dantvictimwasliterally formanyyears.During PrattandWhitneyengine larsincashfromavictims acceptedsafetyrulestoday. UnsungHero,authorJack- hangingfromherseatbelt, interviewswiththefew fromtheplane,contorted corpse.Sigelusedhis Allnightflightswoulduse lynHoardreportedthat stillintheseat.Pittsburgh peoplestillalivewho propellerinthebackground. expertpoliticalskillsto instrumentflightrules,and AlbertwasaU.S.Army PressreporterJohnPlace rememberthecrash,some NyropwouldreturntoLittle coordinatetheanonymous automaticpilotwouldnot sergeantwhoservedduring describedChristmaspresaidtherewerefeelingsof Valleytwoweekslaterdur- returnofthecashwithno beallowedunder3,000feet WWIIintheSouthPacific. sents,theplaneseats,a guiltamonglocalresidents ingformalproceedingsfor chargesbeingfiled.While elevation.Later,onJan.21, Afterthewarhehadsettled bathingsuit,ragdoll,anda thattheydidnthearthe theCABinvestigation. newsofthislugubrious theairlineprohibiteduseof insouthFloridaandwas mansblackshoe,witha crash,especiallywhenword Nyrophadbeenchaireventleakedout,thethief automaticpilotduring planningtobemarried. footinside,butnothing gotoutaboutthethreechil- manoftheCABforless wasneveridentified. instrumentweathercondiHoardreportsthatAlbert else. drenwhodied.And,it thanayearandhadbeen Newspaperreportersand tions,andwhileclimbing andhismotherElizabeth Albertalsousedthe shockedthenationjustas reappointedtoafullterm photographersfromWest- anddescending.Thenew Albertwerepartnersinthe flashlighttofindhismoth- commercialaviationwas twodaysbeforethecrash. ernNewYork,Pennsylva- safetyregulationswerenot beginning. Bornin1912inthesmall nia,OhioandevenNew enough,however.ByApril townofElgin,Neb.,Nyrop YorkCityrushedtoNapoli 1955,ContinentalCharters workedasahistoryteacher andSalamancatocoverthe wasbankruptandoutof ASERIESOFCRASHES andbasketballcoach story.Betweenghastly business. ThecrashofFlight44-2 beforeearninghislaw photographsofbodies ThecrashofFlight44-2 wasactuallythethirdof hangingfromseatsand alsoledtonew federalairfourC-46passengerplane degreeandbecominga severedlimbsprotruding linesafetyregulations.On crashesin1951.Onlyafew stafflawyerintheCivil fromthewreckage,specu- March10,1952,theboard weeksearlier,onDec.16,a AeronauticsAuthorityin lationfilledtheircopy, requiredthatnightvisual MiamiAirlineC-46 Washington,D.C.During calledinfromfarmhouse flights onpassengerplanes crashedsoonaftertakeoff WWII,Nyropservedasa telephones.Atfirst,they inlargeaircraftbeconfromtheNewark,N.J.,air- lieutenantcolonelinthe thoughticingonthe ductedonlyondesignated port.All56peopleon AirTransportCommand, planeswingsmayhave routesandbetweenairboardwerekilledwhenthe asexecutiveoperations causedthecrash.Didthe ports equippedwithradio planecrashedinElizabeth, officer.Afterthewar planerunoutoffuel?Did communications.Thedays N.J.,whiletryingtomakeit NyropworkedfortheAir theC-46shaveadefect ofthenonscheduledairbacktotheairport.The TransportAssociation, thatcausedalltherecent causeofthecrashwas helpingestablishfacilities crashes?Nobodyknewfor linesloadinguptheirpassengerplanesandtaking determinedtobeastall, andservicesfornewoversure. offontheirownterms,virwiththelandinggear seasairlineroutes. AnNBCtelevisionnews tuallyunregulated,were extended,followinglossof ThebookAirlineExecover. powerfromanengineand utivesandFederalRegula- crewarrivedwithafilm Local rescue crews used a farmers crawler-tractor cameratocapturethe Thecrashalsoledtoa subsequentfire.Pressphotion,editedbyW.David andwagontocarrysurvivorsdownthemountain. wreckagesceneandto commonpublicperception Lewis,reportsthatnewly UPItelephoto tographsoftheburning interviewsurvivors.Their aboutpersonalsafetyon planeplummetingtothe appointedCABchairman footagewasreportedto passengerairplanes.The groundrattledthefledgling Nyropsfirsttaskin1951 havebeenplayedonthe publicitysurrounding airtravelingpublic.OnJan. wasanoisydebateover NBCCamelNewsCaravan crashesin1951and1952 GOREN BRIDGE 4,1951,aMonarchAir thefutureofirregularair waswidespreadandinterServiceC-46crashedon carrierssuchasContinen- onJan.2,1952.However, thefilmmayhavebeenlost minable.Thosewhowere takeoffatChicagosMidtalCharters.Irregularor WITHTANNAH HIRSCH ordestroyed,becauseno notafraidtoflydebated 2012Tribune Media Services, Inc. wayAirport.Investigators nonscheduledairlineswere recordsofitcanbefoundin amongthemselveswhere determinedthepilotlost exemptfromthestrictrules theNBCarchives. theywouldsitonaplaneto WEEKLYBRIDGE QUIZ controloftheoverloaded ofcarrierfitnessbythe GeorgeAlbertandLt. surviveacrash.Nearlyall planewhileusinginsuffiCABbecausetheydidnot Q1- Both vulnerable, as South you AJ 7 6 3 95 K84 872 ofthe14survivorsof cientenginepower.Ofthe flyonregularschedules. Bischofwereportrayedas hold: theheroesofthetragedy. Flight44-2werequotedas 48peopleonboard,everyUsingwarsurplusairplanes The bidding has proceeded: Theonlyquotesattributed sayingtheylivedbecause onegotoutsafely.And, andwarveteranpilots,and A9 5 10 7 6 A8 7 4 AK 4 NORTH EAST SOUTH WEST toPearlMooncamefrom theyweresittingintherear 1 Dbl ? whilecrewswerestill oftenduplicatingroutesof hercommentsaboutthe oftheplane.Withoutthe The bidding has proceeded: What do you bid now? searchingforFlight44-2, theregularandcertificated childrenandherofficialtes- benefitoflaterstudieson SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST timonyintheCABinvesti- crashsurvivalstatisticsthat 1NT Pass 4 Pass Q5- Both vulnerable, as South you ? hold: gationhearings.Sixtyyears provedthesameresult, ROSSWORD NSWERS ROM later,Moonregrettedthat publicperceptionthatpas-

C3

What action do you take?

KJ10 7 953 863 AQ 5

Q2- Both vulnerable, as South you hold:

QJ94 86 K9542 J6

The bidding has proceeded

SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST Pass Pass 1 Pass ?

The bidding has proceeded:

NORTH EAST 1 Pass 1 Pass SOUTH WEST 1 Pass ?

What action do you take? Q6- Both vulnerable, as South you hold:
K10 7 6 2 8 A8 7 3 J82

What action do you take? Q 3 - Neither vulnerable, as South you hold:

97 A8 7 2 AJ 10 6 3 A8

Partner opens the bidding with one no trump. What do you respond? Look for answers on Monday.

The bidding has proceeded:

SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST 1 Pass 1 Pass ?

What do you bid now? Q4- Both vulnerable, as South you hold:

(Tannah Hirsch welcomes readers responses sent incare of this newspaper or to Tribune Media Services Inc., 2225 Kenmore Ave., Suite 114, Buffalo, NY. 14207. E-mail responses may besent to gorenbridge@aol.com.)

herroleinhelpingthecrash sengersaresafestinthe survivorshadnotbeenpor- rearofaplanecanbe trayedequallywithAlbert tracedtotheDec.29, andBischof.Allthe 1951,crashatBucktooth reportersweremen.They Ridge. didntgiveanycreditto whatIdid,butthatsOK, AnativeofUpstateNew shesaid. York,TimothyW.Lakeisa 30-yearveteranofnewspaper,radioandtelevision AFTERMATH Theofficialcrashinvesti- newsreporting.Lakes gationhearingsbeganin grandfather,DavidG. LittleValleyonJan.17, Shenefiel,wasTownof 1952.ChairmanNyropper- Napolihighwaysuperintensonallydirectedtheheardentin1951andwas ings.Itmarkedthefirsttime calledupontohelpcleara aCABchairmanhadever pathforrescueteamsto performedtheduties,typi- carryoutthevictimsand callylefttosubordinates. survivorsofthecrash.Lake TheimpactofNyropsper- iscurrentlytheprimary sonalinterrogationofCon- newsanchoratNBC10in tinentalCharterspresident Philadelphia.