HAWAIIAN AIR DEPOT
Luke Field, T. H.
March 23, 1937.

Eye-witness account of crash of AMELIA EARHART'S airplane at Luke Field, T.H., Saturday, March 20, 1937.

          On Friday, March 19th, Mr. Thomas, Pratt & Whitney representative, asked me if I would do a little work on the engines of Miss Earhart's ship. I went over to the ship and removed the two oil strainers and cleaned them. After a good cleaning, I reinstalled them and securely satefyed them under Mr. Thomas' supervision. I then helped to refuel the ship and also cleaned the fuel strainers. The ship was then put into the hangar and the doors were closed and guards placed around the hangar.

          Shortly after 4:15 A.M., March 20th, the ship was taken out on the line where Mr. Paul Mantz gave the engines and ship a thorough going over. The ship was then taxied down to the north end of the flying field in preparation for the take-off to Howland Island; the time was about 5:30 A.M.

          I had walked down to about the middle of the flying field to be on hand in case of any mishap. In a few minutes the ship was turned around and headed back up the field on the take-off. It seemed to me that the left engine was turning over a little faster than the right erngine and the ship was taking its course slightly toward the right of the field where I was standing. At about one hundred yards away from me the right engine seemed to take a quick hold and the ship at once changed its course from the right to a sharp left -- about a quarter circle. At this point the right wing seemed to settle toward the ground and the left wing upwards. The left wheel had left the ground and remained in that position for about fifty or sixty feet before the right running gear gave way and let the ship come down on its under-carriage. The tire gave way just as the ship settled down on its right side.

          This is a true statement of what I saw of the crash from where I was standing.