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Weather Observations
As we have stated previously, the weather forecast predicted overcast to occasionally broken clouds from the mountains eastward with scattered showers through the mountains and some mild thunder storms to the east of the mountains.
In addition to the Lovettsville witnesses, whose testimony has been set out previously, a number of other witnesses testified at the hearing, or gave statements after the hearing, with respect to the actual weather conditions existing on August 31, 1940, in the vicinity of the accident. The testimony of the residents in the vicinity of Lovettsville presents a consistent picture of the weather conditions in that area at the time of the crash, as observed from the ground. A rain storm was passing over Short Hill, which several described as extraordinary in its intensity.
A number of these witnesses stated that, while they had not noticed much lightning in connection with the storm, they recalled a violent flash of lightning and the sound of thunder which was immediately followed by an extraordinarily loud roar of motors. Some of these witnesses in the immediate vicinity of the point of impact testified that the loud roar of motors was followed by a "crash" or "blast".
Mr. I. W. Baker, who lives about 3¼ miles almost due south of the scene of the accident watched the storm with "rolling and tumbling" clouds come across Short Hill. Shortly thereafter it began to rain and then he saw a "terrific strike of lightning with a very loud explosion like thunder". One minute and twenty seconds later he heard a "terrific racing of engines like something had dropped from the sky". He computed the elapsed time between
