Brunswick, MD Military Jet and Airliner Collide, May 1958 - Jet Pilots Story

McCoy Version Of Plane Crash Given At Probe

WASHINGTON (AP)--- The pilot of the jet trainer that collided with an airliner near Brunswick, Md., May 30, acknowledged Monday that he has been involved at least two previous airplane collisions.

Capt. Julius R. McCoy of Baltimore, a member of the Maryland Air National Guard, acknowledged the previous collisions with obvious reluctance and declined to give details.

McCoy said he could no longer trust his memory as to the accidents, and also was not sure that he was privileged to talk about them. The Air Force usually is the authority for releasing information as to military accidents.

McCoy testified at a Civil Aeronautics Board inquiry into the collision between his T33 jet and a Capital Airlines Viscount airplane. All 11 persons aboard the Viscount were killed, as was McCoy's passenger, Army National Guard Pfc. Donald Chalmers.

Descended to 5,000 Feet.

McCoy also testified that he had descended to 5,000 feet in the scenic area around Harpers Ferry, W. Va., to enable his passenger, who was on his first jet ride to take pictures.

McCoy said he was climbing when his airplane exploded.

He said he did not know how he got out of the plane, but opened his parachute and saw aircraft wreckage falling.

Oscar Bakke, director of the CAB's safety bureau, asked McCoy whether he had ever been involved in a previous aircraft collision.

The balding sandy-haired pilot pressed his fingers against his forehead, and then turned to CAB Vice Chairman Chan Gurney, presiding over the inquiry panel, and said, "I appeal to you, Mr. Chairman."

Circumstances Were Different

Gurney said he understood the difficulty of McCoy's position, but said that in an accident of this nature, it was the CAB's responsibility to get to the bottom of everything.

McCoy then replied that he had been involved in previous collisions, but that the circumstances were quite different.

When Bakke inquired as to whether he had been in more than one collision, he said he had.

Asked as to when, he said he believed there was one in 1945 and one in 1954. That was as far as the questioning went along these lines.

It was not brought out definitely whether these were aerial collisions but presumably they were since there was no discussion of ground action.

Gurney asked if the pilot's military record would be made available to the board and Bakke replied that it was available.

McCoy said he took off from Glen L. Martin airport, Baltimore, on VFR--- visual flight rules---combination proficiency flight for himself and an indoctrination mission for Chamblers, who was a potential aviation cadet.

Maintained Radio Contact

McCoy said he maintained radio contact with the Martin airport tower and did not have information as to other aircraft in the area.

He added that there were few clouds and that he was flying visually, maintaining a constant watch for other aircraft.

Ten eyewitnesses to the collision testified earlier, most of them to the effect that the jet plane overtook the airliner on a wide turn and hit the left side of the plane.

McCoy said he had been at 9,000 feet, just below some clouds, and descended to 5,000 feet near Harper's Ferry when the plane apparently exploded---actually when the collision occurred.

To Pursue Matter Further

McCoy told reporters later he believed the reports on his previous accidents were classified and could be released only by his superior officers.

Bakke told reporters after the session that Monday's testimony was the first information CAB investigators had that McCoy had been involved in previous accidents.

Bakke said the CAB would pursue the matter further to find out about McCoy's accidents from the Air Force.

He added that the investigation also would look into qualifications of the pilots involved, civil as well as military.

Clayton Dietrich, Asst. Atty. Gen. of Maryland, questioned two eye-witnesses to determine whether both airliner pilots were in the cockpit at the time of the crash.

Had one pilot been back talking with the passengers or otherwise off duty, the airliner crew could have been suspected of failing to maintain a proper watch for other traffic. O. Clayton Smith, Jefferson, Md., farmer, asked whether he saw any bodies in the airliner cockpit, said he did not because the cockpit was "mashed in" and filled with smoke.

Pilots Were On Duty

However, State Police Capt. Charles W. Magaha, of Frederick, Md., testified that the bodies of both pilots and a stewardess were found strapped in their seats 650 feet from the wreckage, indicating the pilots had been on duty.

McCoy testified he started flying in 1944, flew B-17's in World War 11 and had 600 hours in jets, about half of it in the T33. He said he was an instructor-pilot and flight examiner pilot in the F86 jet fighter.

McCoy said no Civil Aeronautical Administration clearance for his local area VFR flight was required or filed.

Saw One Other Plane

He said when he arrived over the Harpers Ferry area he saw a DC3 transport eastbound at a lower altitude. He said he saw no other aircraft in the area and had no difficulty with the performance of his airplane.

George W Fagan and Leo Davis of Frederick said they drove McCoy to a hospital after he parachuted and quoted the pilot as saying there was an explosion and that he was so sorry for his passenger---"It was the boy's first trip."

Fred A Moore, Brunswick railroad employe[sic], said he witnessed the collision from five miles away and it seemed the jet hit the airliner near the front.

Charles E. Naill, Burkittsville, Md., said he thought the jet came in on the side of the airliner, rather than from behind as other witnesses had indicated.

Core Saw Collision

William G. Care of Brunswick, a trainman for the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, and a pilot himself, said he watched the collision from a distance of a mile.

Care said he first saw the jet about a quarter of a mile behind the airliner, as both were proceeding due east, and remarked "boy that's going to be close."

He said the T-33 made a shallow turn to the right, while the Viscount made no change in direction whatever, before the impact.

Care said at first the jet appeared slightly higher that the Viscount and he thought it would go over the other plane. But they collided, the jet plane exploded and the Viscount spun straight downward for two and a half turns then leveled out into a flat spin and crashed.

Malcolm Loy, a Jefferson, Md., farmer, similarly described the collision. He said he was a quarter of a mile away.

Claude M. Schongerger, CAB bureau of safety representative, submitted 13 exhibits from witnesses.

Were Flying East

Schongerger said the witnesses agreed generally that the planes were flying east, in level flight, and that the jet made a right bank and collided with the airliner.

He said that many witnesses reported the sky was clear in the immediate collision area but that there was scattered to broken clouds to the northwest and some reported light haze.

Schonberger said the witnesses generally agreed that the T-33 right wing struck the Viscount fuselage on the left side, but some said it struck the nose of the airliner while one said it hit the left wing before the fuselage.

All agreed the jet struck on the left side, and most witnesses said both planes were in level flight, he reported.

CAB vice chairman Chan Gurney opened the inquiry by saying it was a fact-finding meeting and would not be characterized by adversary interests.

For that reason, Gurney said, while he would permit the questioning of witnesses, there would be no cross examination.

Gurney estimated that because of the long list of persons to heard the hearing would last at least three days.

The News, Frederick, MD 1 Jul 1958