IN FLAMES.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 74, 29 March 1933, Page 7

IN FLAMES.

AIR LINER CRASH.

BRITISH DISASTER.

12 Passengers, Three of Crew

Burnt to Death.

•PLANE A BLAZING FURNACE,

(United T.A.—Electric Telegraph-Copyright.)

(Eeceived 11.30 a.m.) LONDON, March 28,

The Imperial Airways threecngined air liner City of Liverpool hurst into flames this afternoon and fell iuto a field. Twelve passengers and three of the crew were burnt to death,

The disaster occurred at 2.45 in perfect flying weather. An eye-witness says th'at the machine fell as if it had struck an air pocket, and nose-dived like a stone. It struck a ploughed field with' terrific force and soon became a furnace, •preventing the villagers' attempts at rescue, though it was obvious that the victims were already dead. The pilot was completely burnt in the cockpit.

Another witness declares that after the machine was wholly aflame it turned over several times and the pilot struggled to right it.

Gendarmerie are now guarding the scene, where only the skeleton framework remains.

Explosion in Fuel Tank,

It is ascertained that the machine burst into flames in mid-air apparently owin" tb an explosion in the fuel tank after leaving the aerodrome. The wreckage*,covered 600 square yards. Some of the. bodies were recovered almost unrecognisable! and taken to Dixmude morgue. Others have- not yet been extirpated.' . '

it is helieved that the pilot was killed when the engine exploded. The machine then fell 600 feet. Eight of the passengers were British, three German and one°Belgian, Miss Voss, a Cologne school-, cirl, about to complete her education in England, and Mr. Charles Rowsell, a mining director, who was taking his first air trip- The detached wing of the aeroplane nearly, killed two little girls in a field.

The air liner is of the Argosy type and is the first to be concerned in an accident involving injury to passengers. The pilot was Lionel Leleu, born in 18D7, who gained an infantry commission during the war and joined Imperial Airways in 1926. He had flown 4000 hours.

Major Brackley, air superintendent of Imperial Airways, has flown to the scene whither other officials and also Belgian officials motored. Much of the luggage was recovered intact.

BRITAIN'S FINE RECORD

COMPARATIVELY FEW MISHAPS

No air service in the world can compare with Imperial Airways, Ltd., in regard to clockwork precision of arrivals and departures over sustained periods, or. paucity of fatal accidents. In the 13 years of its existence the service has suffered five fatal mishaps, with a total-death roll of 35, excluding the present tragedy, making about 500,000 flying miles for every accident. Imperial Airways 'planes flew nearly 2,000,000 miles last year and carried passengers from Croydon alone at an average of about ■ 1400. a week, giving a total of over 70,000 passengers for the year. This is -twice as many as were carried in the whole of 1931.

The company, which is supported by a.grant from the British Government, has ■in the last few months instituted a, Capetown-to-Croydon passenger service in eleven days, and is making plans at present for continuing the Singapore service, to Darwin, Australia.

•Following is a list .of major air liner mishaps all over the world: —

December, 1924 —British air liner crashed.at Purley, near Croydon; eight killed. '

-June, 1929—Imperial Airways liner City of Ottawa wrecked in Channel; seven' killed.

September—lmperial Airways liner City of Jerusalem wrecked in Persia; three killed.

October—lmperial Airways liner City of Rome crashed m Gulf of Genoa; seven killed.

November—American air liner crashed in New Mexico; eight killed. November—German air liner crashed in' Surrey, Kent; seven killed.

'January, 1030 — American 'plane crashed in California; 10 killed.

■ July—British air taxi crashed at lleo'pham, Kent; six killed.

> August—Czecho-Slovakiau air liner crashed; 10 killed.

October—German air liner crashed in Prussia; .nine killed.

October — Imperial Airways liner crashed in France; four killed.

March, 1931—Southern Cloud lost between Sydney and Melbourne; seven missing. April—Passenger and mail 'plane crashed in flames in Kansas; eight killed'

.June—French air liner falls into river ill Burma; four killed. German machine crashes at Saarurucken; four killed. June—Passenger 'plane crashes at Osaka, Japan; three dead.

July—Paris air- liner Grenoble; five killed.

crashes at

July—French air liner crashed in Bulgaria; eight killed. .August—American air liner crashed in Ohio;, sis dead. September—French air liner crashed in storm over Rumanian mountains; six killed.

' November — Washington crashes.in landing; five dead.

air liner

December—Dutch air mail liner over turns in take-off in Siam; five dead.

February, 1932—American air liner crashes in* Los Angeles mountains; eigflt dead. -

j,'July—Passenger and mail 'plane lost in. Argentine Andes;" nine missing. -November—German 'plane crashed in Sjiessart mountains; five killed. February, 1933—Canadian passenger 'plane crashed into Lake Tamagami; live killed.

March—lmperial Airways liner City of Liverpool crashed at Essen, Germany; 15 killed.