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toward the south as if to take off. He then waited in the radio room for a few moments with the intention of establishing a time-separation between Braniff Flight 2 and his flight. When he walked out of the airport building he could not see Braniff Flight 2. He then went aboard the TWA airplane. Neither he nor First Officer Richwine, who had been in the cockpit while Captain Boqua was in the radio room, could see the Braniff airplane on the field. They therefore concluded that it had taken off.
Captain Powers of Braniff Flight 2, after leaving the ramp at 2:16, had taxied toward the south along the taxi strip to a point approximately 700 feet from the ramp and close to the temporary white lights which marked the west boundary at that part of the airport available for use.[1] He stated subsequently that he taxied to this point in order to gain a better view of the temporary boundary lights which had been moved frequently as the result of an airport construction program. After reaching this point, Captain Powers had switched his landing lights off and turned the airplane into the wind, which was then about 30 m.p.h. from the southeast and gusty. At 2:18 he checked the wind and altimeter setting with the Braniff radio operator at the airport.
At 2:19 while he was still in this position and warming up the engines, Captain Powers called the Braniff radio operator asking for information with respect to his requested change in flight plan to
- ↑ See map facing this page.
