AIRMAN KILLED.

Auckland Star, Volume L, Issue 29, 3 February 1919, Page 8

AIRMAN KILLED.

FALL AT RICCARTON. COLLAPSE OF WINGS. MACHINE SMASHED TO ATOMS. (By Telegraph—Press AssocCatlon.) riIRISTv'HI'RCH. Saturday. The Riecarton racecourse holiday was turned into tragedy this afternoon, Mr. 0\ M. Hill, aviator, who was giving a display of living. U'ing killed, .lust as the Lyttelton Plate was being run, at 4.10 p.m.. .\l,-. Hill appeared over the racecourse in the Canterbury Aviation t'o.'s new- aeroplane, lie circled over the cour.se, disappearing in low-lying oloudh, but he reappeared again in a nose dive. He circled again, and finally lleivv lowover the course, being cheered by the crowd as the familiar figure whs discerned, lie waved an acknowledgment, and did a "switchback" over the course. Then he climbed aguiii and made a wide sweep over the course. He was up a couple of thousand feet, thing in a southerly direction, when he disappeared in the clouds. lie appeared again in a break of the clouds, and, diving prettily, threw the .machine up into a loop. This was a pretty evolution, but be did not come very well out of the loop, and bud to put the nose of ihe machine down •sharply to eojTie out of it.

Then he dived for another loop. This time lie was diving directly towards the crowd, lie rose t,, take the loop, but as he did so there win, a palpable snap, and one win- collapsed. The aviator evidently tried to pull tbe machine into the horizontal, but it lurched over sideways. The end had cmc, evidently, for a very brave nnd popular aviator. The machine turned lazily. Some said that both wings had collapsed. A round object fell clear, possibly a bat or helmet, and then tbe machine mi-hel beyond the belt of trees. The crowd was speechless with honor, but immediately there wan a riu-li across the course to the spot where hi- had disappeared. Word eiwne back that the biplane was in matchwood and the aviator dead. , Dr. s-eott, who vvas on the course, was immediately driven across In- motor-car, and found that denth must have been instantaneous.

Mr Hill bad put throne), the school 19-2 pupils, cadets, for the Rural Air Force, and it was not until the armistice win signed that be would take n holiday. He was a mini of great simplicity and charm ..f manner, and was very popular ivith all his pupils ami with the staff at the aerodrome. 11,. lu,,| taken many passengers fur short flic'lits. and had just completed a programme of air displays as far as Inv crcnrjill. and arranged to carry passengers between each centre. It via* for this purpose that he was trying out the machine to day.

Mr. Hill was an Kngli-b avintor, trained nt Hen,lon, aged -I I years. He vva- engaged by the aviation company as chief instructor at the flying school." He leaves a wife and little daughter. The machine in .vhieli Mr. Hill met his denth was an 'fll lip biplane, constructed at the aerodrome h v Mr. J. G. Maekie. It had certain new features which were expected to increase its stability. Mr. Hill intended to lly to Invcrenrgi'j! in it, but bad not completed bis tests.

At the inquest a verdict of accidental death by a fall from an areoplane was returned. Tbe evidence showed that Mr. Hill had been up in the machine .on previous occasions, nnd be was well satisfied with it. The first time, however, be bud looped the loop in the machine was on Saturday afternoon. The wires of the machine were of the same standard and quality as the wires Use,! in construction of similar machines in the Old Country. There •was no suggestion or evidence that the machine bad in any way been tampered with.

All flying at tbe New Zealand school nt Kohimarama was suspended yesterday ns a mark of respect to the memory of the deceased.