Risky Manoeuvre In DCB Aircraft

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31113, 16 July 1966, Page 1

Risky Manoeuvre In DCB Aircraft

(New Zealand Press Association) AUCKLAND, July 15. The advice sent airlines operating DCBs, as a result of the Air New Zealand crash investigation, was dispatched only three days after the investigation began.

In the form of a cautionary message, the advice was sent by Wing Commander O. J. O’Brien, the chief inspector of air accidents, to the Civil Aviation Department, Wellington. On July 7, the department relayed the message to the United States. The message contained information about a manoeuvre that would only occur in training.

As a result, the Douglas Aircraft Company sent a communication to all DCB operators on July 8. Four days later, the United States Federal Aviation Agency advised Wing Commander O’Brien that it had “initiated an operation alert”

to advise all DCB operators of his findings. The content of the cautionary message is not likely to be released until the Minister of Civil Aviation (Mr McAlpine) has considered Wing Commander O’Brien’s report. The investigation part of the report is not likely to be completed before the end of next week. Then it has to be written for the Minister. There was no change in the conditions of the three survivors of the crash, tonight. First Officer Kenneth Altister Sawyer is still seriously ill, and Captain Bernard Joseph Wyatt and First Officer Brian Ruffell are both satisfactory.