CRASH OF DEVON AIRCRAFT

Press, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 27191, 7 November 1953, Page 9

CRASH OF DEVON AIRCRAFT

Evidence Heard At Inquest VERDICT ON DEATHS OF SEVEN MEN Inquests into the deaths of seven airmen who were killed when two Devon aircraft collided and crashed near the Royal New Zealand Air Force station. Wigram, on October 15, when returning from a display arranged for the prize-giving ceremony of the air race were concluded before the Coroner, Mr E. B. E. Taylor,, yesterday. Those killed were:— Edwin Pattison Booth Ebbett, aged 39, of Geraldine; Sholton Russell Duncan, aged 41, of Nelson; Brian James Keogh, aged 21, of Dunedin; Eric Melrose, aged 21, of Dunedin; William Henry Sharman, aged 33, of Christchurch: Russell Woodcock, aged 20, of Murchison; and Erling Russell Zeisler, aged 31, of Christchurch. Sergeant R. M. Schwass represented the police. • Robert George Albert Burgess, air traffic control officer at the R.N.Z.A.F. station, Wigram, said that on October

15 he was in the control tower at Wigram and saw the formation of 18 Harvards and six Devons approach from the north flying at about 500 feet. The first nine Harvards broke formation and landed.’ The remaining nine Harvards completed another circuit and broke formation, followed by a section of the Devons. The Second section of the Devons then commenced to break formation and he had a recollection of seeing a wing outboard of the' motor of one aircraft buckle. Two aircraft were descending, one in an almost vertical dive and the other in a steep diving turn. The two aircraft which crashed on landing did not appear to recover from the initial steep dive. They crashed almost simultaneously. Stanley Gilbert Quill, a wing commander at Wigram, said he had conducted the briefing of all pilots who were taking part in the formation display. The displav was to include 18 Harvards, six Devons, and three Mustangs, the pilots of which were flying instructors. He had emphasised the need to avoid any type of showmanship. John Edward Holland, a squadron leader, and commander of the Central Flying School at Wigram, said he had entered the flights in the authorisation book. The name McLaren appeared in t the book, whereas the passenger in the . Devon concerned was A.C.I Woodcock.

Bill Robert McLaren, an aircraftman, said he had arranged to change places with Woodcock as witness had already had a flight in a Devon. Joseph Patrick Jourdan, a sergeant in the servicing section at Wigram, said he had examined Devons N.Z. 1810 and N.Z. 1811 and had passed both machines as serviceable for the following six hours.

Denis Michael Haydon Bunz, a drover, of Halswell, said it appeared to him that the pilot of one plane, which had crashed in an open paddock, had attempted to pull it out- of the dive but owing to lack of height had been unable to do so. The other plane just dived straight to the ground and it did not seem to him that any attempt was being made to pull it out of the dive.

The Coroner found that tfie death of -the seven men was instantaneous, and was caused by multiple injuries suffered when two aircraft crashed in a collision when attempting to break formation.

hear me, operator?” He was not answered, as signalmen are not permitted to go on the air for other than harbour board business. Australian police radio links have also been, heard working. This equipment works only on shipping frequencies, and although it is locked to one frequency for transmitting it is free for listening round the dial.

Unlike overseas vessels coastal ships generally communicate with the station hours before their arrival at the harbour entrance. Often on leaving a port, Timaru, for instance, a coaster will speak to the station and give its estimated time of arrival. The station in turn will give the ship the berth it will probably occupy when it reaches Lyttelton. By the time the vessel is standing fairly close in further signals are exchanged to confirm or alter berthing arrangements and to give information about the weather and tides, and, if necessary, piloting instructions. 24-Hour Watch The station maintains a 24-hour watch and is manned by four signalmen eihployed by the Lyttelton* Harbour Board. The men are all restricted radio-telephone operators licensed by the Post and Telegraph Department. Sometimes they are on duty for six days a week, sometimes only five days, depending on the roster, which takes 16 weeks to run through.

To an outsider the* job may appear boring, but according to the men there is always something to see in the harbour, and the tower’s 360-degree window gives clear visibility all round. When there is nothing else to do the opportunity to sit down and catch up with some reading is seldom missed. The men themselves like the job. They have all been doing signal tower work for eight to 12 years. One was in the Royal Marines during the war, another in the Navy, the third in the Army, and the other signalman, a former Army sergeant-cook, “just picked it up.” Although the signal* station is the nerve centre of the port it is directed from the harbour board’s establishment in Norwich quay. The station is connected by telephone and witless to the harbourmaster’s office, where there is a large blackboard showing a plan of the harbour with the position of shipping. The station is directly responsible to the harbourmaster or the senior pilot on duty, and no messages may be passed without their authority.