Post's Plane

At Seattle last month on his way north into Alaska with Will Rogers, Wiley Post changed the landing gear of his new plane to pontoons. Arrived at Fairbanks, he remarked to Joe Crosson that nose-heaviness on take-offs and landings had resulted. This and the formation of ice in the carburetor were the probable reasons for the tragic crash, announced Air Commerce Director Eugene L. Vidal last week in a careful report which completely exonerated Wiley Post of any blame.

Other findings: 1) Post & Rogers "could not be considered careless" in their "reported indifference to weather reports" since they were traveling by "contact flying"--i. e. turning back and landing whenever bad weather threatened; 2) the Eskimo report that the plane had fallen from about 50 ft. was probably wrong. From the condition of the wreckage, it appeared that Post had risen to about 200 ft., was banking in a logical maneuver to avoid the low ceiling at that height, could not keep control of the nose-heavy plane when the motor suddenly cut out.

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