Crash cause found

Press, 28 December 1977, Page 4

Crash cause found

PA Tauranga The cause of a light aircraft crash at Mount Maunganui late Monday morning has been determined but details will not be made public till a report has been made by the Inspector of Air Accidents. Mr Wally Christophersen, of Pegasus Aviation, which had the single-engine Grumman aircraft on hire, said yesterday it was the inspector’s perogative to release details of the cause. "We have determined what caused it,” he said, "but any release should be made in the inspector’s report, not by us.” Mr Christophersen ruled out a power loss as the cause of the crash.

After the crash of the aircraft after take-off from Tauranga Airport the Inspector of Air Accidents was advised and gave his approval for the aircraft to be moved to the nearby airport hangar. An insurance assessor was due to inspect the aircraft yesterday to determine the extent of the damage. The four-seater Grumman was beginning a scenic flight with four people aboard shortly before 11 a.m. on Monday when it veered off the runway, smashing through a fence, two small sheds, and a house. Neither the pilot, a Tauranga school headmaster, Mr R. V. Crisp, nor any of his three passengers was badly injured. All were treated fori

bruises and allowed to go home. The accident severely damaged both wings but left the body of the aircraft mainly intact. Airport fire crews under the direction of Mr R. Scott, who was on duty nearby, quickly applied foam to the area to prevent a flare-up of leaking fuel. It was Mr Scott’s airport house which was hit by the aircraft. The aircraft is owned by Aerospace Industries, of Hamilton, and hired by Pegasus Aviation which had in turn hired it to Mr Crisp. The passengers in the aircraft with Mr Crisp were Alan and Ora McDonald, of Otaki, and Shirley Ann Roddan, of Rotorua.