Bloomington World-Telephone 05/31/1948
Overshooting a practice landing on the Ben Oliver farm, eight miles northwest of Bloomington, two amateur pilots, neither of whom had had instructions in that type of plane, were killed Sunday at 4:37 p.m. when their plane crashed the exploded in mid-air.
The dead men are:
DWANE WIGGINS, 24-year-old I.U. senior living at the Lamba Chi house, an ex-GI.
JOHN NIKIRK, 26, son of Mr. and Mrs. Stacey Nikirk, Vernal Pike, student pilot, ex-Navy veteran of the South Pacific.
Sheriff Noble Sciscoe, who received the call at 4:55 p.m., went at once to the scene to assist in the work of removing the bodies. Dr. Robert E. Lyons, Monroe county coroner, arrived a short time later and assumed charge.
Jesse Maxwell, manager of the Crane cafeterias, who was fishing in a pond near the crash scene, said the plane glided in for a landing, hit the ground, bounced into the air a few feet, then bounced a second time. On the second bounce, the plane seemed to go up to a distance of about 150 feet, exploded, then the motor flew over a fence some 200 yards away while the plane crashed to the ground on its back.
Wiggins, who was piloting the plane when it left the Veterans Airport, was in the read seat when the crash occurred and it is believed that he and Nikirk, who was in the front seat, reversed their positions at some time between the original takeoff and the crash landing.
E. A. Joyce, CAA inspector at the Municipal airport at Indianapolis, authorized Sheriff Sciscoe to order removal of the plane to the Veterans' airport and was to come to Bloomington today to investigate the double fatality.
Meanwhile, relatives of the two dead men made plans for funeral services and burial. Eugene Wiggins, who is superintendent of the Iowa Soldiers Home, the state orphanage at Davenport, Iowa, came to Bloomington this afternoon to remove the remains of his son to Dow City, Iowa for burial.
Mr. and Mrs. Stacey Nikirk will take their son's body to their home on Curry Pike this afternoon to lie in state until the funeral hour, tentatively set at Wednesday at 2 p.m. at the Third and Walker Church.
Edward Hoadley, owner of the Veterans's [sic] Airport told the World[-]Telephone today that the plane was purchased by Wiggins from Richard Lewis of Bloomington only on Friday of this past week. Mr. Lewis had bought it from the army under the 'surplus' program.
Stacey Nikirk said that his son had been employed at the Airport working on Wiggins' plane the better part of last week. On Saturday, the plane was flown to Danville, Illinois, by Harold Hagan, an employe [sic] of the Veterans' Airport and an experienced pilot, for re-licensing. An inspection report, dated on Saturday, May 29th, and signed by John R. Curry, mechanic, gave the plane an o.k. with the opinion 'airworthy.'
Mr. Hoadley and other pilots who flew over the accident area, could read the geographical signs and by examining the wreckage of the plane could reconstruct the pre-accident happenings. From the ground markings, the plane had attempted to come in for a landing. Approaching the field from towards Ellettsville, the plane made a normal glide and normal turn. Evidently failing to break the glide, the left wing tip caught the ground. The plane then flipped to the right landing gear, then the prop caught the ground.
On the first bump, when the left wing hit the ground, the motor was broken loose. When it flipped back to the right, hitting the prop and landing gear, the carburetor exploded and the motor was driven out of the plane across the field some 200 yards.
Mr. Hoadley, who re-constructed the accident for the World-Telephone, did so without knowing that from Kisters Field today came word from Manager Garwood Judah that Wiggins and Nikirk had been seen there earlier in the afternoon 'shooting' exactly the same type landing which they were attempting at the time of the crash.
Inexperience on the part of the two pilots, neither of whom had ever handled heavy aircraft, was blamed today for the accident. Mr. Hoadley said that neither mand had had sufficient experience in flying to handle this type ship. Nikirk was a student pilot under the government's GI training program.
Wiggins, who was basing his ship at the field, arrived there yesterday in company with his fiancé, Miss Martha Hesselman, Evansville, also a student at I. U. and who heard the tragic news of his death while she waited for him to come in and take her home. She telephoned his family.
Eye-witnesses to the crash were Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Powell, who live near the scene, their son Lester Powell, and Mr. Maxwell.
The remains of Mr. Wiggins were removed to the Day Funeral Home while John Nikirk was taken to the Greene and Harrell funeral home.
Dr. Lyons, who examined the remains there this morning, said that Wiggins skull was crushed. Nikirk had a crushed chest, probable skull fracture, [and] internal hemorrhage. Neither man sustained much damage to the arms or legs. Wiggins died instantly. Nikirk breathed a few seconds after Jesse Maxwell reached his side. Nikirk[']s body was thrown out and to the front of the plane while Wiggins appeared to have spilled out of the back seat. Neither body was moved until the coroner gave permission for them to be taken to the funeral homes.
John Nikirk was a lifelong resident of Bloomington, having been born here on February 20, 1922 to Stacy [sic] and Edith Robinson Nikirk. He attended the county and city schools.
Ironically, John served on the 'U.S.S. Laffey,' a destroyer which survived seven Jap suicide planes and four bombs in a now-historic epic fight in the Pacific. When the Laffey docked in Seattle after 31 or her crew had died in the fight and 60 were injured, the ship was thrown open to public inspection. He figured in 8 major encounters and had received a presidential citation for gallantry.
Survivors include the parents, two sisters, Mrs. Vernadean Price of Corydon, Indiana and Sandra Louise, at home; a brother, Robert, still in the Navy and based in California; and a daughter, Sharon Nikirk. The brother, Robert, was contacted this noon in California and will be unable to come home for the funeral services. He and Mrs. Nikirk are expecting a new arrival in the family and he will be unable to leave her.
Overshooting a practice landing on the Ben Oliver farm, eight miles northwest of Bloomington, two amateur pilots, neither of whom had had instructions in that type of plane, were killed Sunday at 4:37 p.m. when their plane crashed the exploded in mid-air.
The dead men are:
DWANE WIGGINS, 24-year-old I.U. senior living at the Lamba Chi house, an ex-GI.
JOHN NIKIRK, 26, son of Mr. and Mrs. Stacey Nikirk, Vernal Pike, student pilot, ex-Navy veteran of the South Pacific.
Sheriff Noble Sciscoe, who received the call at 4:55 p.m., went at once to the scene to assist in the work of removing the bodies. Dr. Robert E. Lyons, Monroe county coroner, arrived a short time later and assumed charge.
Jesse Maxwell, manager of the Crane cafeterias, who was fishing in a pond near the crash scene, said the plane glided in for a landing, hit the ground, bounced into the air a few feet, then bounced a second time. On the second bounce, the plane seemed to go up to a distance of about 150 feet, exploded, then the motor flew over a fence some 200 yards away while the plane crashed to the ground on its back.
Wiggins, who was piloting the plane when it left the Veterans Airport, was in the read seat when the crash occurred and it is believed that he and Nikirk, who was in the front seat, reversed their positions at some time between the original takeoff and the crash landing.
E. A. Joyce, CAA inspector at the Municipal airport at Indianapolis, authorized Sheriff Sciscoe to order removal of the plane to the Veterans' airport and was to come to Bloomington today to investigate the double fatality.
Meanwhile, relatives of the two dead men made plans for funeral services and burial. Eugene Wiggins, who is superintendent of the Iowa Soldiers Home, the state orphanage at Davenport, Iowa, came to Bloomington this afternoon to remove the remains of his son to Dow City, Iowa for burial.
Mr. and Mrs. Stacey Nikirk will take their son's body to their home on Curry Pike this afternoon to lie in state until the funeral hour, tentatively set at Wednesday at 2 p.m. at the Third and Walker Church.
Edward Hoadley, owner of the Veterans's [sic] Airport told the World[-]Telephone today that the plane was purchased by Wiggins from Richard Lewis of Bloomington only on Friday of this past week. Mr. Lewis had bought it from the army under the 'surplus' program.
Stacey Nikirk said that his son had been employed at the Airport working on Wiggins' plane the better part of last week. On Saturday, the plane was flown to Danville, Illinois, by Harold Hagan, an employe [sic] of the Veterans' Airport and an experienced pilot, for re-licensing. An inspection report, dated on Saturday, May 29th, and signed by John R. Curry, mechanic, gave the plane an o.k. with the opinion 'airworthy.'
Mr. Hoadley and other pilots who flew over the accident area, could read the geographical signs and by examining the wreckage of the plane could reconstruct the pre-accident happenings. From the ground markings, the plane had attempted to come in for a landing. Approaching the field from towards Ellettsville, the plane made a normal glide and normal turn. Evidently failing to break the glide, the left wing tip caught the ground. The plane then flipped to the right landing gear, then the prop caught the ground.
On the first bump, when the left wing hit the ground, the motor was broken loose. When it flipped back to the right, hitting the prop and landing gear, the carburetor exploded and the motor was driven out of the plane across the field some 200 yards.
Mr. Hoadley, who re-constructed the accident for the World-Telephone, did so without knowing that from Kisters Field today came word from Manager Garwood Judah that Wiggins and Nikirk had been seen there earlier in the afternoon 'shooting' exactly the same type landing which they were attempting at the time of the crash.
Inexperience on the part of the two pilots, neither of whom had ever handled heavy aircraft, was blamed today for the accident. Mr. Hoadley said that neither mand had had sufficient experience in flying to handle this type ship. Nikirk was a student pilot under the government's GI training program.
Wiggins, who was basing his ship at the field, arrived there yesterday in company with his fiancé, Miss Martha Hesselman, Evansville, also a student at I. U. and who heard the tragic news of his death while she waited for him to come in and take her home. She telephoned his family.
Eye-witnesses to the crash were Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Powell, who live near the scene, their son Lester Powell, and Mr. Maxwell.
The remains of Mr. Wiggins were removed to the Day Funeral Home while John Nikirk was taken to the Greene and Harrell funeral home.
Dr. Lyons, who examined the remains there this morning, said that Wiggins skull was crushed. Nikirk had a crushed chest, probable skull fracture, [and] internal hemorrhage. Neither man sustained much damage to the arms or legs. Wiggins died instantly. Nikirk breathed a few seconds after Jesse Maxwell reached his side. Nikirk[']s body was thrown out and to the front of the plane while Wiggins appeared to have spilled out of the back seat. Neither body was moved until the coroner gave permission for them to be taken to the funeral homes.
John Nikirk was a lifelong resident of Bloomington, having been born here on February 20, 1922 to Stacy [sic] and Edith Robinson Nikirk. He attended the county and city schools.
Ironically, John served on the 'U.S.S. Laffey,' a destroyer which survived seven Jap suicide planes and four bombs in a now-historic epic fight in the Pacific. When the Laffey docked in Seattle after 31 or her crew had died in the fight and 60 were injured, the ship was thrown open to public inspection. He figured in 8 major encounters and had received a presidential citation for gallantry.
Survivors include the parents, two sisters, Mrs. Vernadean Price of Corydon, Indiana and Sandra Louise, at home; a brother, Robert, still in the Navy and based in California; and a daughter, Sharon Nikirk. The brother, Robert, was contacted this noon in California and will be unable to come home for the funeral services. He and Mrs. Nikirk are expecting a new arrival in the family and he will be unable to leave her.
Bloomington World-Telephone 05/31/1948
Overshooting a practice landing on the Ben Oliver farm, eight miles northwest of Bloomington, two amateur pilots, neither of whom had had instructions in that type of plane, were killed Sunday at 4:37 p.m. when their plane crashed the exploded in mid-air.
The dead men are:
DWANE WIGGINS, 24-year-old I.U. senior living at the Lamba Chi house, an ex-GI.
JOHN NIKIRK, 26, son of Mr. and Mrs. Stacey Nikirk, Vernal Pike, student pilot, ex-Navy veteran of the South Pacific.
Sheriff Noble Sciscoe, who received the call at 4:55 p.m., went at once to the scene to assist in the work of removing the bodies. Dr. Robert E. Lyons, Monroe county coroner, arrived a short time later and assumed charge.
Jesse Maxwell, manager of the Crane cafeterias, who was fishing in a pond near the crash scene, said the plane glided in for a landing, hit the ground, bounced into the air a few feet, then bounced a second time. On the second bounce, the plane seemed to go up to a distance of about 150 feet, exploded, then the motor flew over a fence some 200 yards away while the plane crashed to the ground on its back.
Wiggins, who was piloting the plane when it left the Veterans Airport, was in the read seat when the crash occurred and it is believed that he and Nikirk, who was in the front seat, reversed their positions at some time between the original takeoff and the crash landing.
E. A. Joyce, CAA inspector at the Municipal airport at Indianapolis, authorized Sheriff Sciscoe to order removal of the plane to the Veterans' airport and was to come to Bloomington today to investigate the double fatality.
Meanwhile, relatives of the two dead men made plans for funeral services and burial. Eugene Wiggins, who is superintendent of the Iowa Soldiers Home, the state orphanage at Davenport, Iowa, came to Bloomington this afternoon to remove the remains of his son to Dow City, Iowa for burial.
Mr. and Mrs. Stacey Nikirk will take their son's body to their home on Curry Pike this afternoon to lie in state until the funeral hour, tentatively set at Wednesday at 2 p.m. at the Third and Walker Church.
Edward Hoadley, owner of the Veterans's [sic] Airport told the World[-]Telephone today that the plane was purchased by Wiggins from Richard Lewis of Bloomington only on Friday of this past week. Mr. Lewis had bought it from the army under the 'surplus' program.
Stacey Nikirk said that his son had been employed at the Airport working on Wiggins' plane the better part of last week. On Saturday, the plane was flown to Danville, Illinois, by Harold Hagan, an employe [sic] of the Veterans' Airport and an experienced pilot, for re-licensing. An inspection report, dated on Saturday, May 29th, and signed by John R. Curry, mechanic, gave the plane an o.k. with the opinion 'airworthy.'
Mr. Hoadley and other pilots who flew over the accident area, could read the geographical signs and by examining the wreckage of the plane could reconstruct the pre-accident happenings. From the ground markings, the plane had attempted to come in for a landing. Approaching the field from towards Ellettsville, the plane made a normal glide and normal turn. Evidently failing to break the glide, the left wing tip caught the ground. The plane then flipped to the right landing gear, then the prop caught the ground.
On the first bump, when the left wing hit the ground, the motor was broken loose. When it flipped back to the right, hitting the prop and landing gear, the carburetor exploded and the motor was driven out of the plane across the field some 200 yards.
Mr. Hoadley, who re-constructed the accident for the World-Telephone, did so without knowing that from Kisters Field today came word from Manager Garwood Judah that Wiggins and Nikirk had been seen there earlier in the afternoon 'shooting' exactly the same type landing which they were attempting at the time of the crash.
Inexperience on the part of the two pilots, neither of whom had ever handled heavy aircraft, was blamed today for the accident. Mr. Hoadley said that neither mand had had sufficient experience in flying to handle this type ship. Nikirk was a student pilot under the government's GI training program.
Wiggins, who was basing his ship at the field, arrived there yesterday in company with his fiancé, Miss Martha Hesselman, Evansville, also a student at I. U. and who heard the tragic news of his death while she waited for him to come in and take her home. She telephoned his family.
Eye-witnesses to the crash were Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Powell, who live near the scene, their son Lester Powell, and Mr. Maxwell.
The remains of Mr. Wiggins were removed to the Day Funeral Home while John Nikirk was taken to the Greene and Harrell funeral home.
Dr. Lyons, who examined the remains there this morning, said that Wiggins skull was crushed. Nikirk had a crushed chest, probable skull fracture, [and] internal hemorrhage. Neither man sustained much damage to the arms or legs. Wiggins died instantly. Nikirk breathed a few seconds after Jesse Maxwell reached his side. Nikirk[']s body was thrown out and to the front of the plane while Wiggins appeared to have spilled out of the back seat. Neither body was moved until the coroner gave permission for them to be taken to the funeral homes.
John Nikirk was a lifelong resident of Bloomington, having been born here on February 20, 1922 to Stacy [sic] and Edith Robinson Nikirk. He attended the county and city schools.
Ironically, John served on the 'U.S.S. Laffey,' a destroyer which survived seven Jap suicide planes and four bombs in a now-historic epic fight in the Pacific. When the Laffey docked in Seattle after 31 or her crew had died in the fight and 60 were injured, the ship was thrown open to public inspection. He figured in 8 major encounters and had received a presidential citation for gallantry.
Survivors include the parents, two sisters, Mrs. Vernadean Price of Corydon, Indiana and Sandra Louise, at home; a brother, Robert, still in the Navy and based in California; and a daughter, Sharon Nikirk. The brother, Robert, was contacted this noon in California and will be unable to come home for the funeral services. He and Mrs. Nikirk are expecting a new arrival in the family and he will be unable to leave her.
Overshooting a practice landing on the Ben Oliver farm, eight miles northwest of Bloomington, two amateur pilots, neither of whom had had instructions in that type of plane, were killed Sunday at 4:37 p.m. when their plane crashed the exploded in mid-air.
The dead men are:
DWANE WIGGINS, 24-year-old I.U. senior living at the Lamba Chi house, an ex-GI.
JOHN NIKIRK, 26, son of Mr. and Mrs. Stacey Nikirk, Vernal Pike, student pilot, ex-Navy veteran of the South Pacific.
Sheriff Noble Sciscoe, who received the call at 4:55 p.m., went at once to the scene to assist in the work of removing the bodies. Dr. Robert E. Lyons, Monroe county coroner, arrived a short time later and assumed charge.
Jesse Maxwell, manager of the Crane cafeterias, who was fishing in a pond near the crash scene, said the plane glided in for a landing, hit the ground, bounced into the air a few feet, then bounced a second time. On the second bounce, the plane seemed to go up to a distance of about 150 feet, exploded, then the motor flew over a fence some 200 yards away while the plane crashed to the ground on its back.
Wiggins, who was piloting the plane when it left the Veterans Airport, was in the read seat when the crash occurred and it is believed that he and Nikirk, who was in the front seat, reversed their positions at some time between the original takeoff and the crash landing.
E. A. Joyce, CAA inspector at the Municipal airport at Indianapolis, authorized Sheriff Sciscoe to order removal of the plane to the Veterans' airport and was to come to Bloomington today to investigate the double fatality.
Meanwhile, relatives of the two dead men made plans for funeral services and burial. Eugene Wiggins, who is superintendent of the Iowa Soldiers Home, the state orphanage at Davenport, Iowa, came to Bloomington this afternoon to remove the remains of his son to Dow City, Iowa for burial.
Mr. and Mrs. Stacey Nikirk will take their son's body to their home on Curry Pike this afternoon to lie in state until the funeral hour, tentatively set at Wednesday at 2 p.m. at the Third and Walker Church.
Edward Hoadley, owner of the Veterans's [sic] Airport told the World[-]Telephone today that the plane was purchased by Wiggins from Richard Lewis of Bloomington only on Friday of this past week. Mr. Lewis had bought it from the army under the 'surplus' program.
Stacey Nikirk said that his son had been employed at the Airport working on Wiggins' plane the better part of last week. On Saturday, the plane was flown to Danville, Illinois, by Harold Hagan, an employe [sic] of the Veterans' Airport and an experienced pilot, for re-licensing. An inspection report, dated on Saturday, May 29th, and signed by John R. Curry, mechanic, gave the plane an o.k. with the opinion 'airworthy.'
Mr. Hoadley and other pilots who flew over the accident area, could read the geographical signs and by examining the wreckage of the plane could reconstruct the pre-accident happenings. From the ground markings, the plane had attempted to come in for a landing. Approaching the field from towards Ellettsville, the plane made a normal glide and normal turn. Evidently failing to break the glide, the left wing tip caught the ground. The plane then flipped to the right landing gear, then the prop caught the ground.
On the first bump, when the left wing hit the ground, the motor was broken loose. When it flipped back to the right, hitting the prop and landing gear, the carburetor exploded and the motor was driven out of the plane across the field some 200 yards.
Mr. Hoadley, who re-constructed the accident for the World-Telephone, did so without knowing that from Kisters Field today came word from Manager Garwood Judah that Wiggins and Nikirk had been seen there earlier in the afternoon 'shooting' exactly the same type landing which they were attempting at the time of the crash.
Inexperience on the part of the two pilots, neither of whom had ever handled heavy aircraft, was blamed today for the accident. Mr. Hoadley said that neither mand had had sufficient experience in flying to handle this type ship. Nikirk was a student pilot under the government's GI training program.
Wiggins, who was basing his ship at the field, arrived there yesterday in company with his fiancé, Miss Martha Hesselman, Evansville, also a student at I. U. and who heard the tragic news of his death while she waited for him to come in and take her home. She telephoned his family.
Eye-witnesses to the crash were Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Powell, who live near the scene, their son Lester Powell, and Mr. Maxwell.
The remains of Mr. Wiggins were removed to the Day Funeral Home while John Nikirk was taken to the Greene and Harrell funeral home.
Dr. Lyons, who examined the remains there this morning, said that Wiggins skull was crushed. Nikirk had a crushed chest, probable skull fracture, [and] internal hemorrhage. Neither man sustained much damage to the arms or legs. Wiggins died instantly. Nikirk breathed a few seconds after Jesse Maxwell reached his side. Nikirk[']s body was thrown out and to the front of the plane while Wiggins appeared to have spilled out of the back seat. Neither body was moved until the coroner gave permission for them to be taken to the funeral homes.
John Nikirk was a lifelong resident of Bloomington, having been born here on February 20, 1922 to Stacy [sic] and Edith Robinson Nikirk. He attended the county and city schools.
Ironically, John served on the 'U.S.S. Laffey,' a destroyer which survived seven Jap suicide planes and four bombs in a now-historic epic fight in the Pacific. When the Laffey docked in Seattle after 31 or her crew had died in the fight and 60 were injured, the ship was thrown open to public inspection. He figured in 8 major encounters and had received a presidential citation for gallantry.
Survivors include the parents, two sisters, Mrs. Vernadean Price of Corydon, Indiana and Sandra Louise, at home; a brother, Robert, still in the Navy and based in California; and a daughter, Sharon Nikirk. The brother, Robert, was contacted this noon in California and will be unable to come home for the funeral services. He and Mrs. Nikirk are expecting a new arrival in the family and he will be unable to leave her.
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