TWO KILLED.

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 110, 12 May 1939, Page 9

TWO KILLED.

AEROPLANE CRASH.

AIR FORCE TRAGEDY. MACHINE STRIKES TREE. THIHD OFFICER INJURES. (My Triumph.— Prres AnaocUtlOß.) ( F[i;isicnn;» K. this c\»y. Two .ifli.cr-. «.f Ilic n..\nl New Zoa l.in.i Air K,.>•,■,. „,.,-,. killed nn.l another \\;i- -rriiiii-ly Imrned when n Viekers Vilili-liiT-t ,HMn|i|i|iii- ci'Hilicil into :i tree mi tlin boundary nf the Wigrain aeroilfMHH" het niylit, foil t.i (lie ground, anil lilir-l ililn n.iini-i. Tlin murium' \\;is .ili-ul 1.. L.i iml ii it iM- ii i•> lit living c\fici.-c.i. Tiio.-c. iu\(il\C(l in tin- crush uci f : — Killed. Actinjj-Pilot-Offioer Reginald James McCrorie, snn of i.ieiitcn.int- < (ilr.ncl \\ . s. McCrorif. Pilot-Officer William Frederick Dawson, uf Balilutha. Injured. Lending-AircnifUiuHii Cporjje Henry West. ..f ninff; wr'uun burns. I'onilil ion sci inns. Acting Pilot-Olncer McCrorie was killed instiii!tl\ mill Pilot ■( KVicr-r Diihsnn flmm I from Ininis in the ChiiHtiliuiTli 110-pital curly this morning.

Tin' odicini neeount <>f tlm arriilrnt is dint the Mien \\ err iMifjiiut'd on flying I mining. The \ickers Vildt-beest in «!iiili they were ftyin;; hit a tree on the Month boundary of the aerodrome us the aeroplane was coming in to land nt approximately W.l."> p.m.

The, three men wore thrown out with the impact, hut the aeroplane dived into tlio ground near them and burnt into flames. The aeroplane fell on top of Mr. MeCrorie, who must have been killed instantly.

The am buhi nee and flre fighting equipment at Wigratn wan immediately rushed to tho spot. Nothing could be done to save Mr. McCrorJe, but Mr. Dawaon and Mr. West were taken in nn Air Force ambulance to the L'hrwtclillich Hospital. Bunt of Flame. An eye-witness ptnirl that flic burst of flu mo from the aeroplane wrts so great that at first he thought he was seeing an unusually bright aurora dinplay. He was coming in to the city from Ilie south and decided to investigate. Flis second conclusion wan that the light came from Hart's laid to aid the landing for two aeroplane* which he saw flying with lights showing. He lett his motor-car and moved toward the epot, only to sec that the flames came from nn aeroplane on the ground. A uniformed Air Force officer prevented him going any further, although he was nearly half it mile away.

"From what I saw of the aeroplane f presumed that any person in it at the time of tho crash would certainly perish," ho said.

Another man said ho saw the aeroplane circling to come in for a land-'nsr-.Hr turned hi« back and mw a great flush in (hc sky A ter ,. ifle exp | osion lollowed. He turned in time to see the aeroplane fulling in flames to the ground.

Acting-Pilot-Officer McCrorie was educated at the Wanganui Collegiate Mioof. He had been at Wigram more than » x months. Colonel McCrorie wa* formerly commanding officer of tho Wellington (West Const) Regiment.