FATAL DIVE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 72, 27 March 1937, Page 12

FATAL DIVE.

DEATH OF FLIER.

CRASH INTO PADDOCK.

MACHINE TELESCOPED.

(By Telegraph.—Press Association.)

DUNEDIN", Friday,

A shocking air fatality occurred on the Taicri Plain shortly before four o'clock yesterday afternoon, wlien the Otago Aero Club's de Havillaml Gipsy Moth aeroplane ZK-ACI crashed in a paddock near Wyllie's Crossing, the pilot receiving injuries which must have caused instant death. The victim was:—

Mr. Errol Warrington Colvin, a young member of the club, aged 22 years', who resided with his parents at 60, Forth Street, Dunedin.

The young man took off from North Taicri aerodrome at 3.45 p.m. on a practice flight, and after circling to gain altitude flew in a westerly direction toward Outram.

Two men who were harvesting a few hundred yards from where the machine fell told a reporter that when they first sa.w the aeroplane it was flying at a height that they judged to be about 2000 ft.

The pilot was apparently practising rolls, and one of the men noticed him execute three of these and then fly on. Jle lost height each time, however, and when the man looked again he saw the aeroplane fall sideways from what seemed to him to be an upside-down position.

Both onlookers could hear the shriek of stay wires as the machine hurtled earthward, and one of them was very' definite in his assertion that a second or so before the crash the engine was "revved" up and then cut out again. Terrific Impact. The velocity with which the aeroplane hit the ground must have been terrific, as the nose and engine were buried fully three feet under the surface. The pilot's cockpit and fuselage wore completely telescoped on to the engine and every strut was splintered to matchwood. Constable Wroblenski. who is. at present in charge of the Mosgiel station, and Constable Southgate, of Outram, were on the scene shortly after the accident, and with the assistance of some men who were working in the vicinity they removed sufficient of the wreckage to recover the body, which was so terribly mangled that death must have been instantaneous.

What remained of the wings of the aeroplane was removed to the Aero Club's hangars last evening, but it took four men nearly an hour's hard digging this morning before the buried engine and components were fully recovered. It was then necessary to get a tractor to drag the wreckage out of the hole prior to loading it on a lorry for removal to the aerodrome.

The aeroplane was one of the veteran machines of Taieri aerodrome, having been given to the club by the Government in 1030. It had about 2000 hours of flying time to its credit, but it was, nevertheless, staunch and serviceable. It wa# fully reconditioned in January, and was only recently completely overhauled and passed as airworthy. As is the custom whenever a machine leaves the airport, even if only for a short flight, 'it wa»" fjiven a- searching examination by the club's ground engineer, and when it took off on its final flight there is no question that everything was in perfect condition. This is the first serious mishap that has occurred at Taieri to an Otago Aero Club's machine, although two years ago ZK-ACE was involved in a fatal crash at St. Andrew's. Airman of Promise. Mr. Colvin was a popular member of the club and an airman of considerable promise. A pupil of the club's pilot instructor, Flying-Officer D. Campbell, he had nine hours' flying experience to his credit and was the holder of an A license. Flight -Lieutenant E. G. Olsen, formerly pilot instructor at; Taieri aerodrome and at present a member of the Royal New Zealand Air Force headquarters staff at Wigram aerodrome, was at the airport -on Thursday examining several candidates for their licenses, and on behalf of the Inspector of Air Accidents he has taken full charge of the investigations into the cause of the crash.