FLYING WEATHER OVER EUROPE

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25082, 14 January 1947, Page 7

FLYING WEATHER OVER EUROPE

AIRPORT METHODS QUESTIONED CRASH OF DAKOTA IN KENT (N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) > LONDON, Jan. 13. lhe Dakota crash in Kent appears to present disturbing aspects of the meteorological services and traffic control systems available to airliners on trans-European routes," says the air correspondent of the “Daily Telegraph." He asks why the Dakota was allowed to leave the London airport. The correspondent adds: “Efther the British and French meteorological services were unable to predict the widespread fog oyer France or Southern England or if Uns was the forecast the pilot must have been allowed to leave m. spite of the predictions." Referring to the pilot's attempts tn land in France, the correspondent “The controllers at French and British airfields have recently shown a tendency, visibility is poor, to believe that their duties are discharged if they advise pilots to go to some other airport, without being certain that the other airport's weather is any better.” correspondent says that a strong case for an early public inquiry appears to exist. [Three passengers and two members « crew were killed when a British Overseas Airways Corporation Dakota crashed late on Saturday afternoon on a hillside near Ashford, Kent, The aircraft carried 11 passengers and a crew of five. All the survivors were admitted to hospital. The Dakota left the London airport at 9.30 a.m. for Lagos, The first scheduled „,2? (l , waS T. Bor , deaux - Because of bad and Le Bourget in •I l7l * ,£ iver t e d the aeroplane. The pilot then decided to return to England. Fog covered the Channel, At sent out an SQS re portmg that it had only five minutes' petrol left. The. air sea had begun to operate had tha ‘ the Dakota