First Loss of Life From a Crash

"Men Were Strapped To Seats"

Bodies of two of four airmen missing after a B-36 crashed Thursday night into Lake Worth were found Friday strapped in their seats in the plane's wreckage 25 feet below the surface of the water. Carswell Air Base officials identified one of the bodies as Maj. Joseph L. Lemming, Jr., radioman -bombardier -navigator. The second had not been brought to the surface at noon. One crewman died in the base hospital soon after the takeoff crash at about 7:45 p.m. Thursday.

Eight of the 13-member crew survived the crash, the first real tragedy in more than 5000 hours of B-36 flight time by the world-girdling 8th. Air Force.

SALVAGE DELAYED

All salvage operations for the multi-million dollar aircraft were held up while M.R. Best, Navy trained deep-water diver from Arlington, probed the murky bier.

Best located both bodies, one directly behind the other, on the navigator's deck in the lower portion of the plane's nose.

The first was found at 10:20 a.m. after the diver had been in the water two hours and five minutes. At 10:55 a.m. the second was found.

"PROPS REVERSED"

Reports from the crew survivors indicated that the bomber probably crashed when a couple of props reversed their pitch on the take-off, causing a braking effect on the plane's left side.

The plane's speed broke about half-way down the runway traveling at about 100 miles per hour.

Without enough speed for a successful take-off, the plane "mushed" over into the lake and settled approximately 200 yards from shore.

Carswell crash boat crews and civilian boats rushed to the scene. They picked up the survivors, some of whom were swimming near the wreckage.

J.M. Crump, city traffic signal foreman, who witnessed the tragedy while fishing on the dock of his Lake Worth home, said he heard "an awful noise at first and then a streak of flame shot out behind the big ship."

"It was scarcely off the runway when it happened," he said. "It slid off the runway and into the water. There wasn't any nosedive. After it came to rest it settled into the water and we couldn't see anything but its bulk in outline."

The top half of the plane's nose, which includes the radio and flight engineer panels, was sheared off by the impact. It was presumed that Seymore, who died from head injury, received the full force of the impact while at his post.

Base officials said the B-36, attached to the 9th. squadron, 7th. Bomb Group, was starting a routine training flight. Aboard were about 15,00 gallons of gasoline, compared to a normal load of 22,000 gallons. This light load probably allowed the the plane to float briefly, enabling the eight crewmen to escape.

Lt. Col. M.M. Hammack, 7th. Wing assistant material officer, said no salvage operation would begin until the bodies are recovered.

He said salvage crews were already thinking ahead for the problem of bringing ashore the plane, which weighs 165,000,000 (sic) pounds without a fuel load.

MAY BE FLOATED

Hammack said the plane may be pulled ashore with winches and cables or may be floated to the surface with Army Engineer equipment.

Maj. Gen. Roger M. Ramey, 8th. Air force commanding officer, said every attempt will be made to bring the plane ashore intact, to aid in the investigation of the crash's cause. Ramey, who termed the crash as a very regrettable accident, declared that "no guesses, but a careful and thorough investigation" would be made. He said the crew would be "questioned in detail and that the wreckage would be studied painstakingly."

He pointed out that the mishap was the first in two full years of 8th. A.F. B-36 flying, and that "accidents will happen as long as we operate machinery, whether it be roller skates or aircraft."

Salvage crews used steel cables and winches Saturday morning to pull out of Lake Worth the 50,000 pound broken left wing of the B-36 that crashed on take-off Thursday night.

The salvage work was begun when efforts to recover bodies of three airmen was abandoned. One of the bodies has been located by M.R. Best of Arlington, Navy trained diver, in the nose section but it could not be extricated. Bodies of the other two men are believed somewhere in the twisted ruins.

Maj. Gen. Roger Ramey, 8th. Air Force commander, was seeking pontoons from other military installations in the Southwest in an effort to speed salvage.

The motors were being removed from the wrecked wing at noon as Best attached cables to the nose section, believed to contain the bodies. He had to stop work earlier when a tear in his diving suit forced him to retire temporarily.

Danger of fire in the area increased with fuel spilled from the wing as it was towed to shore. No smoking orders went into effect and passage of boats was restricted.

Best recovered the body of Maj. Joseph Lemming Jr., radioman-navigator- bombardier, Friday from the navigator's deck. The diver located another body later in the other portion of the plane's nose but reported it was wedged among debris.

Remains of the aircraft will be inspected by an accident investigation board named Friday by Col. William F. Fisher, Carswell Air Base and 7th. Bomb Wing commander.

Best, and his assistant Pat O'Hara of Irving, both Chance Vought Aircraft employees, donated their services throughout the rescue operations.

"Two Bodies Recovered From Wrecked B-36"

"Wing of Crashed B-36 Is Pulled Out of Lake Worth"