Editor's note: From his bed in an Army hospital. Frank Filan, 37, veteran Associated Press photographer of Los Angeles, Angeles, told this story today to Associated Press Writer Robert Myers of his miraculous escape from an Army bombardment training plane involved in a midair accident. BY FRANK FILAN Associated Press Photographer j j

I am a very lucky guy.

I half-dived, half-dived, half-dived, half-fell half-fell half-fell from spinning plane last night over an Army bombing range near here, dropped thousands of feet before regaining consciousness sufficiently to pull my parachute ripcord, then floated to the desert floor under the big silk 'chute which probably is the best friend i'll ever have.

LUCKY TO ESCAPE

Had I not been lucky enough to get out of the twisting ship as it spiraled down, I, too, would have been carried to my death with Clarence I.. Block and Pilot Rodney F. Grim.

With a party of Los Angeles newspapermen, I have been touring West Coast Army flying fields for the past 10 days, learning first hand the steps it takes to ; train an Army pilot.

We took off about dark last night on what the Army described as a local routine flight, It was listed in the itinerary we were given as accompanying "high altitude record mission."

NEAR DOOR AT TIME

I dont know how high were. Pretty high I guess. Other planes with the other newspaper-oul newspaper-oul men aboard, also wre in the I was riding near the door the accident occurred.

(The Army declined to make public details of the accident, pending action of a board of inquiry.) inquiry.)

I had one chance to jump, but I missed it. I don't know why I didn't jump right away. We went into a spin, and some way I never will know, I managed to get out. I "blacked out" and when I came to I was falling. I decided I'd better pull the cord and get it over with, so I yanked the ring. Then I passed out again. When I came to, I was floating down near the earth. 1 wrecked my ankle when I hit. The first thing I did was say a prayer that I was alive.

FEARS BOMB PERIL

After I got down, I gathered up the 'chute and started walk- walking toward some lights. The lights proved to be on the bombing range, and I hurried away as fast as I could with a bum ankle I was afraid they might be drop ping bombs

I saw autos off in the distance distance and tried to yell at them, but I was unable to attract their attention.

I was about a mile from where our plane fell when I was picked up.

(Lieut. Col. A. J. McVca, director director of flight training for the air base, and Lieut. Clarence M. Skaggs, returning to their base after investigating the crash, found Filan wandering dazedly. They said they had hoped to find a survivor, because there were indications that one of the occupants bailed out.)

LOOKED LIKE GHOST

They said I looked like a ghost 'coming out of the darkness. I de-:was de-:was wrapped in the silk para-scribed para-scribed chute, trying to keep warm. As weji was coming down, I remember seeing the plane burning on a slope a long ways away.

I They took me to the hospital and the doctors sav I have a badlv sprained ankle and head laccrations and shock, but, i'll be out in a little while. It's a shame the others couldn't have made it out too.

Frank Xavier Filan