crew KWF. 21 November The experimental oversized Kalinin K-7 crashes this date whilst on its eighth test flight due to structural failure of one of the tail booms. The accident killed 14 people aboard and one on the ground. Flight speculated that sabotage was suspected as the investigating committee had representation by the state security organization, the Joint State Political Directorate (OGPU). 1934 23 January"Diving into the ground at terrific speed, his plane out of control, a March field [sic] lieutenant was instantly killed yesterday (23 January) when his ship crashed in Moreno valley, a short distance from the Jackrabbit trail highway. The dead flier is John Patrick Donlin, 21 years old, of San Francisco. He was attached to the ninety-fifth army pursuit squadron at March field and was flying a light combat plane." Donlin was flying Boeing P-12D, 31-250, c/n 1364, of the 95th PS, when he came down nine miles E of March Field. "Army officials last night could shed little light on the circumstances surrounding Donlin's fatal plunge. The aviator was flying alone and no other pilots witnessed the crash. Nearby farmers said that Donlin was flying at a few hundred feet altitude, when his plane suddenly went into a dive. He struck at almost full speed, they declared, and died instantly. The plane did not catch fire. So quickly did the crash apparently occur that Donlin had no time to use his parachute. He was the son of Mrs. Patrick Donlin, 55 Morse street [sic], San Francisco, and a native of that city. A graduate of the University of California, Donlin entered Randolph field [sic], Texas, and from there went to Kelly field [sic], from which he graduated last June. He was assigned to March field as a reserve officer and would have completed active duty training and been retired on May 30." 14 February First prototype Bulgarian DAR-3 Garvan ("Raven") (ДАР-3) two-seat biplane, first flown Autumn 1927 and rebuilt twice with different powerplants, written off this date in a fatal crash.(DAR – Derzhavna Aeroplanna Rabotilnitsa – State Airplane Workshop) 16 February Crash of Curtiss A-12 Shrike, 33-244, in bad weather at Oakley, Utah, kills two crew, 2d Lt. Jean Donant Grenier, from Fort Crockett, Texas, and crewmate 2d Lt. Edwin D. White Jr., 23, attached to March Field, California, while flying an advance route to determine time and distance for carrying the mail between Salt