CRASH IN MIST

Dominion, Volume 26, Issue 28, 27 October 1932, Page 10

CRASH IN MIST

Two Airmen Killed MACHINE HITS HILL Tragedy Near Tawa Flat INSTANTANEOUS DEATH On a lonely hillside to the west of Tawa Flat, the Wellington Aero Club’s Moth, which disappeared in the rain clouds about 3.45 on Tuesday afternoon, was found by SquadronLeader G. L. Stedman, shortly before 6 o’clock yesterday morning. It was a complete wreck. Both the occupants, Mr. F. Gresser, the pilot, and Mr. G. B. S. King, had been killed instantly. From the amount of petrol remaining in the tank, it was clear that the machine struck the hillside soon after it had been last reported. In the mist, the machine had been flown straight into the hill, striking it about 20 feet below the summit. Leaving Rongotai aerodrome at 5.20 a.m. yesterday in accordance with the plans for the aerial search detailed in yesterday’s “Dominion,” SquadronLeader Stedman proceeded to explore the ranges of hills running along the western side of the island. He had not been long at the task when he sighted some splashes .of yellow and silver shining in the rays of the early morning sun on the green hillside in the neighbourhood of Tawa Flat. Closer investigation revealed the remains of the missing machine, which had been completely wrecked.

Squadron-Leader Stedman circled the spot, confirming his fears that disaster had overtaken the machine and its occupants. He then returned to Rongotai, reaching there after being absent for half an hour. The Free Ambulance was immediately communicated with and dispatched a car to the spot. The Director of Air Services, Squad-ron-Leader T. M. Wilkes, was also notified, and, with Squadron-Leader Stedman and the secretary of the club, Mr. A. W. Nisbet, left for the scene of the accident before 6 o’clock. On arrival at Tawa Flat the car had to be abandoned, and the climb to the top of the hill undertaken on foot. After nearly an hour’s hard climbing, they reached the wrecked machine. The engine was well buried in the ground, and the fuselage of x the machine, which was 15 to 20 feet away, was lying on its back, the central portion reduced to matchwood. Mr. Gresser had been thrown clear, but Mr. King was pinned among the wreckage. Both men had fractured skulls, and there was scarcely a bone in either of their bodies which had not been broken. Tragedy Reconstructed. From this evidence the concluding acts of the fateful drama could be easily conjectured. The pilot had flown into the mist, which was moving on the southerly wind, and had evidently decided not to continue his flight to Wellington and turned in his tracks. He then found himself completely surrounded by the fog and lost his bearings. He came down low over Johnsonville with the idea of finding his position. Sighting Johnsonville, he turned westward, and began to climb with the intention of coming round by the coast.

Still in thick fog, moving at between 50 and 60 miles an hour, and with his immediate forward view obscured by the block of cylinders on the nose of the machine, Mr. Gresser must have seen .his danger too late to avert, disaster, and flew straight into the hill. Speed at Time of Crash.

Reports were current among the sightseers that the aeroplane struckthe hill at a speed of 90 miles an hour. This is incorrect. The rumour was basgd on the fact that the air speed indicator in the wreck was showing that speed, but in the shock of the crash the instrument had been jarred, and no inference can be drawn from it. One of the victims was wearing a wrist watch which had showed -3.33 beneath its broken glass. A factor which may have been a contributory cause to the accident was that the altimeter, which works by barometric pressure, was set at Palmerston North, and on account of the difference in barometer reading in the vicinity of Wellington, would not give a true indication of the height at which the areoplane was flying. Consequently it might have been telling the pilot that he was rather higher than he was in actual fact. The point where the aeroplane struck was approximately 1500 feet < high. Had the machine been a few feet higher, both Mr. Gresser and Mr. King would have been alive today. The point at which they struck the hill was only a few yards from its peak. As soon as it became known that the wreckage of the machine had been discovered. a steady stream of people began the arduous journey to the summit, and they gave willing assistance to the ambulance bearer in his task of removing the bodies from the scene of the crash to the ambulance waiting in the roadway, an undertaking that was accomplished by the use of canvas slings. Funeral Arrangements. A combined funeral will be given the victims of the crash, and this has been timed for 2 o’clock on Friday afternoon. The newly-formed aviation section of the Legion of Frontiersmen, of which both were members, will furnish a guard of honour. Prior to the funeral an inquest will be held.