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was very severe and of a type which would produce turbulence in some degree. The testimony of pilots flying in that vicinity during the afternoon, which has previously been referred to, is inconclusive in this respect. One of Pennsylvania Central Airlines pilots reported slight roughness as he came of the overcast just west of Leesburg. Neither experienced any turbulence in the vicinity of Lovettsville. An American Airlines pilot who passed in that vicinity about 2:10 p.m. reported only slight turbulence, but an Army pilot who flew through the Lovettsville area about 12 o'clock noon reported severe turbulence along the course, as did another Army pilot who passed 14 miles south of the scene of the accident at about 2:35 p.m.
The experience of pilots flying in the vicinity cannot be relied upon completely in arriving at a conclusion as to the presence of turbulence. Experience shows that of two airplanes flying at the same altitude at the same time, a very short distance apart, one may encounter very severe turbulence while the other may be operating in comparatively smooth air. Therefore, it is impossible for us to arrive at a definite conclusion that the pilot of Trip 19 was flying through conditions of severe turbulence just prior to the crash. There is, however, a considerable likelihood that he was doing so in view of the general trend of the reports of other pilots, the violence of the storm as observed on the ground, and of the frequency with which turbulent conditions are associated with thunderstorms.
