THE R101 DISASTER.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 51, Issue 133, 18 March 1931, Page 5

THE RlOl DISASTER.

CAUSED BY TORN FABRIC. (United Press Association—Copyright). LONDON, March 17. The airship RlOl met disaster owing to her fabric being torn m a storm, states the "Daily Herald" in an exclusive revelation of the conclusions of the Court of Inquiry, whose report is m the printer's hands and will be published within a few weeks. The Court will exonerate Lord Thomson, of the Air Mmistrv, from blame and will show that Flight-Lieutenant H. C. Irwin, captain of the airship, did everything in his power to avert the disaster. While absolute certainty concerning the cause will never be reached, the disaster is attributable to the loss ol gas from the front bags due to the storm and a tear in the upper cover. The Court is believed to be satisfied that there was no defect in the structure. It is likely to state also that there was a lack of adequate preliminary tests, but the flight itself to India was meant as a. test under tropical conditions. Flight-Lieutenant Irwin lias been vindicated on the ground that he managed to right the "ship after the first steep dive, and when he found the craft going into a second dive he did his utmost to avert the disaster by shutting off each engine separately. Both Lord Thomson and Flight-Lieu-tenant Irwin were killed in the disaster, which occurred near Beauvais, in France, on October 5, when the RlOl was oil her way to India. The RlOl left Cardington at 7.3 G p.m. on October -1 on .a (light to India. At 1.50 a.m. on the following morning she reported her position north oi Beauvais,-40 miles north of Paris. Within 1.5 minutes the huge airship was a mass of blazing wreckage, colliding with a hill. Of the ol persons on board, 40 weie killed, and two others died from terrible injuries. Those lost included Lord Thomson. rtir Sell on Brancker and Colonel Richmond, her designer.