The Cumberland Times News reported the following in 1931:
Robert Gault, 25, a US Army Air Service mechanic jumped with his parachute from a service plane yesterday above Polish Mountain, east of the city, and landed in a tree. He was reported satisfactory today. He sustained head injuries. Gault said the motor was sputtering at a height of 5,000 feet and the machine appeared to be dropping and he thought the pilot, Francis Pope, gave him the signal to jump and he bailed out. Pope righted the plane and continued on with the machine to Bolling Field in Washington, DC, where he reported the loss of his mechanic. Civilian Conservation Corps workers encamped on Green Ridge saw the plane and Gault descending in his parachute. Groups searched the mountain and later found him. Lt. F.B. Valentine at the forest camp telephoned for aid. An ambulance was sent to Green Ridge from here and, according to eyewitnesses, the plane apparently dived before Gault was seen to tumble out and his parachute opened.
A US Army Air Service Martin Bomber.
According to Floyd Johnson, after this incident a large twin-engine Martin bomber came to Mexico Farms Airport a few days later to transport Gault back to Bolling Field. Gault arrived at Mexico Farms by ambulance. He was wrapped in bandages and the bomber crew members simply stood him up in the open nose gunner’s compartment and flew him back to Washington on a very cold day. Apparently, there was ill feeling toward Gault by the crew for abandoning the bomber and the unfavorable publicity. This was at a time when the struggling Army Air Corps was trying to maintain a good image.
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Wings Over Cumberland 