Topdressing pilot killed

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33191, 3 April 1973, Page 1

Topdressing pilot killed

A topdressing pilot was killed instantly when his aircraft (pictured) crashed into a hillside at Mr K. S. Rutherford’s property, 13 miles west of Hawarden, about 8.40 a.m. yesterday.

The pilot was LAWRENCE CLEMENT DAWSON, aged 24, married with one child, of 82 Springfield Road, Christchurch.

Mr Dawson was sowing clover seed from a Piper Pawnee aircraft at “Melrose” when the accident happened.

Mr Rutherford and a loader driver, Antony Basil Quaife, of 67 East Belt Rangiora, were working on the airstrip when Mr Dawson failed to return from a sowing run. “One trip from the strip took about 20 minutes,” said Mr Rutherford. “We were working in the bin and we would not have noticed the noise of the crash. But when we drove along the ridge we

saw the plane burning in the gully. It had been burning about a quarter of an hour when we got there. “It hit very hard. It had just gone flat on the ground without moving,” said Mr Rutherford.

The aircraft’s engine will be removed by the Civil Aviation Division of the Ministry of Transport and examined later this week.

After hitting the hillside the aircraft caught fire and grass was burnt for about 40ft where burning fuel was sprayed when the fuel tarn? exploded. Mr Rutherford made several trips to the wreck to ferry civil aviation inspectors, police and an insurance assessor the three miles from the “Melrose” homestead. Several of Mr Rutherford’s neighbours carried Mr Dawson up the gully from the wreck to a waiting vehicle. Visibility was good in the morning and there was a

light southerly blowing. The aircraft was loaded with about 6001 b of clover seed when it took off for the second trip, said Mr Rutherford.

A topdressing aircraft was damaged near Waikari last week while taking off with a full load.

The aircraft hit a parked truck and some trees and both wings were damaged.