Information Ban On Vampire Crash

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29908, 23 August 1962, Page 7

Information Ban On Vampire Crash

<N’.Z. Press Association) PALMERSTON NORTH, August 22. In view of the impending official inquiry Air Force authorities today imposed a ban on all information regarding the crash of a Vampire jet aircraft in a field at Kairanga yesterday afternoon.

The Court of Inquiry has begun its investigations. It will sit for four days. The Vampire, which was worth about £30.000, is a write-off Since soon after the mishap at 4.22 p.m. yesterday. R.N.Z A.F. guards have been patrolling the area keening souvenir hunters and sightseers away.

The force of the impact was such that the aircraft's jet engine was buried under about 10 feet of soil. Only about six pieces of wreckage are too large to be carried easily in one hand An area of hundreds of sonare yards is thickly strewn with small pieces of torn metal, twisted instruments, machinery and wiring The back of the pilot's seat was found this morning almost half a mile from the scene of the crash but the perspex canopy of the cockpit has not been recovered The grass for several yards surrounding the spot where the aircraft hit and then cartwheeled is badly scorched and damaged by the burning pa raft>n. Mr M C Kearins. on whose farm the crash occurred, said the area would probably have to be resown

Since Vampire aircraft were first brought into service with the RNZAF in 1962 they have been involved in 13 mishaps. The biggest was in 1952 when two Vampires in a flight of four collided over Mangere.

Other accident* have occurred about the Ohakea area and at Hunterville On one

occasion a Vampire disappeared without trace. Fifty-nine Vampires have been in service with the R-N.ZAF, 47 ground attack aircraft and 12 dual-control trainers. All have been based on Ohakea.

The pilot, Flight-Lieuten-ant M. C. Airey, said today that a few minutes before his aircraft caught fire yesterday afternoon he was doing' aerobatics and the Vampire was functioning quite normally. His action of heading the aircraft away from the builtup area was "purely routine procedure.” said FlightLieutenant Airey. “I did actually consider a crash landing, but the flames had damaged the pitot head on the tail section and as a result my air speed indicator was not working," he added

“The fire broke out behind the cockpit which soon filled with smoke, but I had no difficulty in maintaining control and normal flight. “I was then heading back to Ohakea and I realised I would not make it and baled out.” Saved By Letter A letter from his mother-in-law probably saved Mr Kearins from being dangerously close to a shower of burning wreckage from the Vampire. Just before the crash Mr Kearins brought in the mail from the front gate. He was about to leave the house to attend the ewes in a paddock when Mrs Kearins called him back to read the letter from her mother.

A few minutes later, and while listening to the letter being read. Mr Kearins heard a screaming noise and w'ent ou.side to investigate. Both he and his wife arrived outside to see the Vampire crash into the paddock. “I saw it crash into the paddock not far from the fence line and in the general direction of where I would have been if I had not been listening to my wife reading her mother’s letter,” he said. "One wheel came to rest not far from where the aircraft hit and another one hurtled across the paddock and stopped about 400 yards from me.” said Mr Kearins.