AIR CHIEF DEAD

Dominion, Volume 24, Issue 179, 27 April 1931, Page 9

AIR CHIEF DEAD

Planes Collide During Flying Salute LOOP, THEN CRASH Official Wireless. Rugby, April 28. The Air Ministry announces that Air Vice-Marshal Felton Vesey 'lolt, Air Officer Commanding the Fighting Area Air Defence of Great Britain, and Flight-Lieutenant Moody were killed at Seahurst Park, Sussex, to-day when a Moth of No. 24 Squadron.piloted by Lieutenant Moody collided with a Siskin of No. 43 Squadron, the sole occupant of which escaped injury. Air-Marshal Holt joined the Royal Flying Corps in 1913. In 1928 he was appointed Director of Technical Development at the Air Ministry. Air-Marshal Holt left Northolt to inspect the Tangmere air station, from which planes went up to give an aerial salute. It w r as one of the saluting planes that was involved in the collision. It returned to the aerodrome with a damaged wing. A woman on the South Downs watched nine machines flying over in perfect formation, followed by two others. One of the rear planes seemed to touch the other, which swooped down, looped the loop, and crashed. One of the occupants, believed to have been Air-Marshal Holt, attempted to escape in a parachute, but he was too near the ground. The parachute failed to open, and he fell like a stone. Air Vice-Marshal Felton Vesey Holt, 0.M.G., D. 5.0., Air Officer Commanding, Fighting Area, Air Defence of Great Britain, was appointed to the Royal Flying Corps from the Oxford and Bucks Light Infantry in April, 1913. He served with the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Air Force in France during the war; was awarded the C.M.G. and D. 5.0.; and was on a number of occasions mentioned in dispatches. During 1920-22 he was seconded for special duty with the Chinese Government, and later commanded the Central Flying School. Royal Air Force. CAUSE OF ACCIDENT Surviving Pilot’s Account By Telegraph—Press Assn.—Copyright. (Rec. April 26, 5.5 p.m.) London, April 25. At the inquiry the jury returned a verdict that Air-Marshal Holt was accidentally killed, no blame being attachable to anyone. Wareham, the pilot of the < Ter plane, in evidence, said that as he was flying on the extreme left, he had no idea that Air-Marshal Holt’s plane was further to the left. Witnesses declared that Wareham was correctly looking to the right and watching the Flight-Commander when he dived down for the salute, striking the Air-Marshal’s machine.