Research Document #33 | |
The Luke Field Crash Report: Exhibit I | |
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HAWAIIAN AIR DEPOT |
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Eye-witness account of crash of AMELIA EARHART'S airplane at Luke Field, T.H., Saturday, March 20, 1937. While stationed about midwway of the runway and about thirty yards off the edge, I watched Miss Earhart's Electra, NR16020, attempt to tak off. I noticed that when she swung around at the end of the runway to takeoff she was slightly to the right of the runway center line. With the ship in this position I was on her right. About three or four minutes later she gave both engines the throttle and started to take-off. About one-third of the way down the runway I noticed the right wing begin to sag and the ship veer slightly to the right. Then, just as suddenly as the ship veered to the right, it started back to the left. After it travelled about fifty yards with the right wing very low, I heard a report similar to a tire blowout, and a loud screeching as though it were tires. The ship continued on around to the left in a ground loop with a shower of sparks coming out from underneath its belly,and came to rest headed almost in the same direction from whence it came. |
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LYNN V. YOUNG, Civilian Employee, Hawaiian Air Depot. |
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