]  

“Nick! Aren’t you going to kiss me?”

“Huh? Oh.” He kissed her briefly, fleetingly, and returned to the paper. The crash was on page one.

WRECKAGE OF PRIVATE AIRCRAFT FOUND

Everett, Pa. The smouldering wreckage of what was apparently a private plane was found late yesterday evening in the heavily wooded area north of the city by a young Boy Scout looking for a campsite.

Benjamin Talbot, aged 13, after locating the mangled aircraft, promptly called local police who dispatched Detective Lieutenant Nolan Brice, Everett Rescue Squad and FAA investigator Arron P. Dickson to examine the wreckage.

“It’s the most unusual crash site I’ve ever seen,” FAA investigator Dickson told local newsmen. “There’s no evidence of wings or tail assembly. The fuselage is also of a strange design.”

Detective Lieutenant Brice, after checking with the airport tower at Everett, and with CAP officials, informed newsmen that no private aircraft had been reported in trouble, or even over the particular area in which the craft was found. “Of course,” Lieutenant Brice added, “one plane may have gone unnoticed. This is highly unlikely, but we cannot overlook the possibility. What is puzzling, to me, is that the aircraft has not been identified and there have been no bodies found.”

“The Civil Air Patrol,” Mr. Dickson commented, “has been most cooperative and are now engaged in an air search of the area, while rescue squads work in the mountains.”

[p62]Mr. Dickson went on to state that the mystery crash will be thoroughly investigated by authorities in an effort to determine the make and model of the plane, as well as the fate of its occupants.

[p62]

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At present, the crash site has been roped off and placed under guard by local Militiamen. Only authorized personnel will be allowed to view the wreckage. Major Gilbert Donnoue, of the Air Force Experimental Wing, refused to make a statement as to whether the plane was of Air Force origin. “To my knowledge, we have lost no test planes. However, an extensive check will undoubtedly be run to verify this.”

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