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The Post-Journal

CRITICAL EYE

J A N U A R Y

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Plyler,KeatingtopresentLove Letters,PageC5

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Tragedy In The Sky

1951 Catt. County CrashHelped ShapeFutureOf Airline Industry
BY TIMOTHY W.LAKE SpecialToThePost-Journal
StewardessPearlRuthMoonshota finalglanceatthechildrenonherflight beforepushingtowardherownseatand thehopeofsafety.Shehadtakena chancebygettinguptosecurethechildren.Theyhadbeensleepingbutnow appearedtobethemostterrifiedasContinentalChartersFlight44-2shookviolentlyatlowaltitudejust38minutesinto itslatenighttripfromPittsburgh,Pa., to Buffalo,N.Y. Atage24,Moonwasalreadyaveteran stewardess.Sheimmediatelyrealizedthat thepilotsandtheirplanewereinserious trouble. Withinsecondsofreachingherseatin thetailoftheCurtissC-46passenger plane,twoextrapilotsontheflight jumpedoutoftheirfrontseatsand stormedintothecockpitdemandingthat theyknewhowtosavetheplane.Moon heardloudarguingandcursingbetween The wreckage of Continental Charters Flight 44-2, bound for Buffalo from Pittsburgh, is seen on Bucktooth Ridge in the allfourpilotsinthecockpitandatthe town of Napoli in the aftermath of its Dec. 29, 1951, crash. Twenty-six of the 40 people on board the plane were either cockpitdoor.Shegrippedthearmsofher killed in the crash or died soon after. The 14 who survived spent two long nights in the woods before help arrived. seatasthepassengerscriedoutinfear. Photo by Dawn Brahaney IfeltthefirstjerkandIlookedout thewindowandIsaid,Oh,myGod, remembershersickeningfeelingwhen sherealizedshewasstillaliveinthe whatisthis?Andthen,itwasover,just frozensnowandtheabsoluteblacknessof likethat! thenight.Shesawalightinthedistance Inrealityittookaboutfourseconds and,alongwithanothersurvivor,discovand933feetofsmashing,grinding, scrapingandtossingandturningbeforeit eredthatitwasaflashlightthathadbeen thrownfromtheplaneandturnedondurwasover.Thegiant, ingthecrash.Theyused twin-engineplane,once ittofindevenmoresurbilledasthelargestpasvivors.Theyalsousedit sengerplaneinthe tosearchfortheflight world,mowedthrough crewandtodetermine thetreetopsofBuckhowmanypeoplewere toothRidgeinthetiny dead. farmcommunityof Moonsaidshewas Napoliduringawinter absolutelyshocked.The warmspellthatpropilotsandherfellow ducedawetsnowpack stewardesswereall andathicknoise-candead.Shewastheonly celingfog. activecrewmember Nooneonthe alive.Gonewerethe groundheardthecrash. deafeningroarofthe Atnearlyfullthrottle enginesandthebumpandthrustingabout200 David Shenefiel, who was Town of Napoli highway superintendent and was ingoftheturbulence. milesperhour,theprocalledupontoclearapathforrescuerstogettosurvivors,isseenin1958standPearl Theonlysoundnow pellersoftheengines ingonHoxieHilllookingtowardBucktoothRidge. snappedoffthetopof Ruth Moon wastherustlingwind Shenefielfamilyphoto andthecreakingand thefirsttreeat60feet stewardess, hollowknockingofthe wreckagestillstrappedinherseatbelt. unscheduledflightwantedtobeoffwork abovethe2,380-foot barebranches.SurSobbingfromherpainfulmemoriesof thenextdaytoattendaballgame.Moon survivor of vivorsweretrappedin thecrash60yearsearlier,thenowaged alsobelievedthemorningflight,from ridge.Withinasecond theplanemusthave crash of thewreckage,theywere andemotionallyfragilePearlMoonsatin MiamitoBuffalowithstopsinPittsburgh dipped,becauseitdove Flight 44-2 onawoodedmountain- herNorthCarolinanursinghomeand eachway,wouldhaveherbackhomein throughthenexttwo topinthesnow,theair tearfullydescribedfindingthebodyofa MiamiSpringslatethatnight.Moonhad treesat50feetoffthe wasfreezingcold,it 3-year-oldgirl,JudyFrankel,ofPittsbeennamedseniorstewardessforContiground,spewingwingtips,windshield waspitchblack,anddeathwasallaround burgh,inatree.Shefounda14-monthnentalChartersonJuly25,1951.She glass,instrumentsandthinstripsofmetal them.Shethoughtshe,too,woulddieon oldbaby,JefferyEvansofMorgantown, wasthedaughterofWalterandInaMoon skinacrossthesnowyridge.At400feet themountain. W.Va.,inthesnow.Heappearedtobe andgrewupnearGreensboro,N.C., beyondfirstimpactwiththetrees,passenThefourarguingpilotswerekilled sleeping,shesaid,butwithinminuteshe whereshefirstworkedasawaitressin gersdescribedasickeninglurchtothe instantlywhenthecockpitdisintegrated diedinherarms .ItwasababyandI hotelsbeforebecomingastewardess.She rightasanothertreewassheared.At637 aroundthem.PittsburghSun-Telegraph pickedhimupandtookoffmycoatand nevermarriedandhadfewcommitments, feet,accidentinvestigatorsreported,the reporterEdBelldescribedthecockpit. wrappedhimupand...Imsorry.She soshewasavailabletoworkonDec.29, planebrokeintopieces.Theengineswere Thepilotscompartmentwasembedded couldnotcontinue.(Newspaperreportsin whenshegotthecalltoreporttoMiami hurled100feetaway.Theleftwing inthebaseofatree.Rescueteamsused 1952describedthechildasathree-year- InternationalAirportfortheflight. brokeofftheplane.Newspaperreports ropetoraisethewreckageandextract(a) oldgirl.However,Moonsaiditwasa Theone-daytripwasmetwithtrouble from1952describedtheaftcabinas body.Itwasstillstrappedin(the)seat, babyboythatdiedinherarms,notagirl.) fromthebeginning.Flight44-2initially doingagiantcartwheel. armsraisedasiftoprotectagainstthe Mostofthesurvivorshadserious tookofffromMiamiat10am.However, Twenty-sixofthe40peopleonboard impendingcrash. injuriesthatpreventedthemfromhelping theplanecircledtheMiamiairportsevertheplanewereeitherkilledordiedsoon Twomenpassengerssittingtogether toorganizeasurvivalplan.But,twoofthe altimesbeforereturningforminor after.The14survivors,includingPearl werenearlydecapitated,awomanwhose menamongthesurvivors,NavyLt. mechanicalrepairs,laterdescribedasa RuthMoon,weresittingintheaftsection sonwouldbecometheheroamongthe WilliamBischofofJohnstown,Pa.,and problemwiththeemergencybrake.It thattwirledoverandoveruntillandingin survivorswasimpaledwithapieceof MiamirestaurantownerGeorgeAlbert, delayedtheirultimatedepartureuntil asnowdrift. cabinmetal,andthebodyofanother helpedhermovetheinjuredpassengers 3:40pmandsetoffachainofeventsthat Sixdecadeslater,Moonclearly stewardesswasfoundhangingfromthe awayfromtheplane.Theywereconwouldleadtothefataldisaster. cernedaboutfirebecausefuelwasleaking Duringheronlypersonalmediainterfromtheplane.Moonsaidherflightatten- viewin60years,Moondescribedthe danttraining,whichconsistedmostlyof flightfromMiamitoPittsburghas readingaContinentalCharterscompany uneventful.Aswastypicalforairplanes book,helpedherformulateacriticaldeci- oftheera,Moonsaidthenoisefromthe sion.Shedeterminedthatthepassengers twin-engineswasdeafeningandthatthe muststaynearthewreckageandtogether. planeyawedfrequentlyduringboutswith However,shecreditsLt.Bischofforcon- turbulence.Moonwastheseniorstewvincingthegrouptomoveseveralyards ardessontheflight.Herassistantwas awayfromthewreckagewheretheywere DeloresH.Harvey,alsofromMiami. abletostartasmallfireinanoldmetal Becausetheyweresolatearrivingin trashcantheyfoundinthewoods. Pittsburgh,agateagentsuggestedthey Inthefreezingcold,withlittlefood loadthe29passengerswhowerewaiting andnoideawheretheywere,the14sur- inPittsburghforthetriptoMiami,into vivorshuddledaroundtheirsmallfireand theplanefortheBuffalolegoftheflight, waitedforthehelptheybelievedwould andthenflydirectlytoMiamifromBufcomerightaway.Theythoughtsearch falotomakeupthelosttime.Thepilot, planesandrescuerswouldarrivewithina VictorA.Harris,28,andco-pilot,Hans fewhours.Whattheydidntknowwas E.Rutzebeck,33,agreed.Moonrecalls thattheywouldspendtwodaysand hearingHarrisandRutzebecktalking nightsinthecoldonthemountainand abouttheneedtogettoBuffaloquickly thatnoonehadanycluewheretheywere. andwantingtoflyundervisualflight rulestoaccomplishtheirhastyschedule. CALLEDINTOWORK FlyingavisualflightplantoBuffalo PearlMoonwasnotsupposedtobe requiredadirect,lowelevationroute workingthatday,Dec.29,1951.Itwas betweenthetwocities.Aninstrument The tail section of Flight 44-2 and the crash swath through trees are seen on herregulardayoff.Shewascalledinto flightplanrequiredanindirectrouteanda Bucktooth Ridge following the crash. workbyContinentalChartersandagreed furtherdelayinPittsburghforrefueling. Photo by Dawn Brahaney togobecauseothercrewmembersofthe See CRASH,PagesC6-C7

I felt the first jerk and I looked out the window and I said, Oh, my God, what is this? And then, it was over, just like that!

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