Forestalled Disaster

Over Alton airport, Columbia, Mo., halfway between St. Louis and Kansas City, last week, zoomed Harry Hammill, American Eagle salesman, and his wife in their plane. Roe Montgomery, field manager at Columbia, saw that the right wheel was hanging useless from the under carriage. Reckoning that the ill-fated plane was heading for Kansas City, he telephoned officials at the airport there to warn the flyers and prepare for disaster.

At Kansas City a crowd collected. An ambulance rolled up. A chemical fire truck got ready for action. Then the plane appeared. Although the officials waved a red flag, Mr. Hammill paid no heed to ground demonstrations. He brought his plane down for a three point landing. The useless right wheel dug into the ground, and the ship's tail flew up. She ground-looped around to the right, on her wing and her nose, then burst into flames. The chemical truck swung into action, extinguished the fire. The couple was helped out unhurt, shaken up, and grateful for Mr. Montgomery's forethought.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.