JUMP TO DEATH.

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 148, 26 June 1939, Page 10

JUMP TO DEATH.

MANGERE TRAGEDY.

YOUNG PARACHUTIST'S FATE.

DROWNED IN MANUKAU.

Palling into the .\TiHiiikiiu Harbour alter iinikiliL' a 20l«»ft parachute descent at the Mangere aerodrome yestordav. the Hamilton parachutist. Mr. Leo Kdgur \ii/ne Hayward. aged 21. was drowned. Uesiisi itation methods, which wore continned for more than nil hour after lie was -peedilv brought ashore, proved

Mr. Hay ward was taken aloft in one of the AmHand Aero (lull's machines, piloted liy Squadron-Leader D. M. Allan, alioiil I.in p.m. Conditions were squally «t Ihe time and the machine was on a -until westerly course at an altitude of JiMiutt when 'Mr. Hayward jumped. His piliaeliule opened without trouble, hut was «wept in a north-easterly direct inn In t lie st rung wind.

Scominuly realising the trend of the wind drift.'Mr. Hayward pulled hard on tli" paiacliuto cords and -1 >i 11 <■ t i air in mi effort to li.Ml en his descent so that lie would laud on the aerodrome side of I'upiike.. Inli'i. an armlet of the Manukau Mai l»uir. lie continued to operate the '•olds until lie was about SOIIfI from the ground. User the la-t .stages of the di'-eenl he drifted ut u high speed with I lie envelope fully open.

I'll*' ilt'xci'nt occurred in the presence i'f -in crii I hundred onlookers, but many "f thrill left tile Hep 'lome unaware tlmt anything utitow ard had happened, concluding thnt Mr. Hayward had landed mi the shore id" the harbour inlet, as a rise in the ground hid the last stage nf his descent.

Dinghy to Rescue. The actual fall into the harbour was wit nestted by a Mange re fanner. Mr. Dudley \{. (iluvrr. With the assistance of I'etor ami Malyon Allan, two sons of Squadron-f-eader Allan, he put out in a dinghy to the rescue. It was when Mr. (ilover saw the parachute drifting to the water than he ran to Mr. Allan's residence to get the oars for a dinghy, which was moored off the foreshore. He and the boys then had to run about KM) yards with the oars and wade through the cold water to reach the dinghy.

•'I heard the parachutist calling out and he then struck the water with a crash and disappeared immediately," said Mr. Glover. When they reached the spot, he added, Mr. Hay ward's emergency pack, which was unopened, was limiting on the surface. It was loose a lid had apparently been disconnected by Mr. Hayward. liy means of the small portion of the parachute visible, Mr. (layward was pulled from the bed of the inlet, which was about l">ft deep, owing to the full tide. Mr. Hayward was dragged over the gunwale of the dinghy anil brought ashore, it being necessary to carry .him up the shelving bank by a chain of men.

Another eye-witness. Mr. J. G. Hunker, who saw the crush, said Mr. Hayward appeared to wave his arm twice after hitting the water, and make an attempt to swim, though it waa difficult to judge owing to the folds of the parachute. Mr. Hayward was removed to the hangar in an open motor lorry, lifesaving methods being continued for an hour. A tragic feature of the occurrence wa« that it was witnessed by Mr. Hayward's fiancee. She collapsed under tlie strain and had to receive medical attention.

Fourth Fatality. The fatality was the fourth of its kind in New Zealand. The first occurred at Oainaru on May 2, 1931, when lieutenant Haakon fell from a height of oser 3l)00lt before a crowd of 14U0 people. Formerly a member of the .Norwegian Flying Cfci |>s, Lieutenant Caviller was giving u series of parachute demonstrations in the Dominion. The next fatality was at Wellington on .March 2H, llMti, when Flight-Lieutenant J. l"Scotty" ) Fraser crashed at Lyall Uay and was killed. In July last year, Mr. (L W. Scllars, well-known in Auckland because of his numerous descent* at Mangere, was killed at Westport. Mr. Hayward was a son of Mr. and Mrs. A. J. Hayward, of Whatawhata Road, Frankton Junction, and obtained His license as a parachutist about three years ago. He had made many descents all over the country and since July of last year hud been giving displays every Sunday at the aerodrome. He lore becoming a parachutist he was a motor mechanic, tie was born in the Uaiuiltou district.