ANXIETY ABOUT RECENT AIR CRASHES

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25083, 15 January 1947, Page 7

ANXIETY ABOUT RECENT AIR CRASHES

CONGRESSIONAL INVESTIGATION URGED IN U.S.

(N.Z. Press Association— Copyright)

(Rec. 10 p.m.) NEW YORK, Jan. 13. Echoing the public concern in America at recent air crashes, members of both the House of Representatives and the Senate advocated a Congressional investigation, independent of that which the Senate Commerce Committee is about to make into safety precautions as part of a general examination of commercial aviation. Mr L. Mendel Rivers (Democrat, South Carolina) called the House’s attention to a report that an Eastern Airline aeroplane that crashed in Virginia on January 12, with the loss of 18 lives, was “at least 60 miles off its course.”

Senator Brewster (Republican, Maine), in an interview, declared that people were getting afraid to fly. The situation was destroying public confidence.

These Congressional reactions followed the death of 29 persons in aircraft accidents in the United States on Sunday.

Air line officials have also reported a decline in air travel. They admitted that it was caused partly by crashes, but they contended, however, that a slump in air travel was normal in January because of bad weather and the slackness of genera] business and recreation activity.

One official pointed out that last year, with a passenger death-rate of 1.24 for every 100,000,000 passenger

miles, United States air lines had set their best record since 1939.

A report from Shanghai says that China’s major air lines have resumed passenger services after the one week’s grounding ordered by the Communications Ministry as a result of the four crashes within 11 days that killed 113 persons. There is no official announcement on what improvements, if any, have been made to promote safety during the suspension of services. Booking offices, however, are Crowded with people seeking reservations.