Douglas Daily Dispatch

FAMOUS TRIO

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a thousand feet offshore when suddenly it swerved and fell swiftly but slantingly into the ocean a little distance from the hamlet of Torre Di Mezza Spiaggia.

Few persons saw it fall. They said one of the three tried desperately to free himself from the plane and open his parachute but he became entangled in the ropes as he dropped and struck the water like a plummet almost at the second the machine struck the waves and carried his two comrades to death.

The bodies of the air heroes have not been recovered.

Maddalena, who leaped to world fame with his Arctic flight to find General Nobile and the Italia crew, was the most decorated officer in Italy. He had a gold medal for Bravery, five silver medals and one of bronze. Captain Cecconi and Lieutenant Damonte also had been decorated for bravery.

The three occupied one of General Balbo's planes on the Brazil flight in January and Colonel Maddalena had frequently planned a solo flight to the United States.

Last summer he and Captain Cecconi set world's records for distances and endurance over a closed circuit, staying in the air 67 hours and 15 minutes. The Frenchmen Boussoutrot and Rossi exceeded their record on March 1 with a 76-hour flight.