MOTH PLANE TRAGEDY

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 49, Issue 80, 15 January 1929, Page 7

MOTH PLANE TRAGEDY

TWO YOUNG MEN KILLED. FIERCE RUSH OF FLAMES. After spinning several times in the air from a height of 300 ft a Mo h aeroplane nose-dived, crashed to tin. ground, and burst into flames_at Essendon, Melbourne, on Boxing Day. The pilot and a passenger, who were apparently killed Instantly were burned almost beyond recognition. Then names were:-Brian Rhodes aged 21, motor salesman, and Allied Heatoii, ao-ed 18, mechanic. "Rhodes left the Essendon aerodrome shortly after 5 o'clock in the afternoon in a De Haviland Moth aeroplane. Heaton, who was a frequent visitor to the aerodrome, had persuaded Rhodes to take him for a flight. According to the stories of several eye-witnesses the aeroplane had been in the air for onl> a few minutes when it swerved suddenly and descended in a series of spirals over an open paddock near the aerodrome. , . „ ,i- ,_,! Suddenly the machine nose-dived and crashed to the ground. For some seconds it was completely obscured b 5 dense smoke and then fierce flames burst from it. Several people rushed to the paddock, but by the time thej had arrived—about 10 minutes aftei the accident—the aeroplane h^. b *2 practically destroyed and the pilot and the nassenger were dead. Mr William Williams, of Ascot Vale, who saw the accident, said that there, was a more than usually heavy discharge from the exhaust pipe at the becinnine of the spin. He saw a swurt Kmeirom some part of the engine just before the 'plane dived to the around. . , r Brian Rhodes was the only son ol Mr J S Rhodes, managing director of Rhodes Motor Co., Pty., Ltd .After leaving school he went to the United States for business experience. Ho was an enthusiastic member ol the Australia Aero Club, Victorian section. Ho held a pilot's license Heaton was a mechanic employed hj the State Electricity 'Commission. He was advised two days before his death that he had been accepted as a candidate for admittance to the Royal Australian Air Force.