AEROPLANE CRASHES

Dominion, Volume 30, Issue 63, 8 December 1936, Page 13

AEROPLANE CRASHES

Narrow Escape of Pilot and Passenger By Telegraph—Press Association. Oamaru, December 7. Shortly after noon to-day. a Canterbury Aero Club Moth, piloted by Mr. Vincent Cotton, of Christchurch, crashed into a gorse hedge and turned turtle when attempting to land in a paddock on Major H. S. Orbell’s property, Eveline, a few miles north of Oamaru. The pilot and passenger, Mr. H. Hahn, also of Christchurch, had a very narrow escape, and apart from slight cuts to Mr. Hahn’s forehead and knee, were uninjured. Both suffered slightly from shock.

It appears that Mr. Cotton was bringing Mr. Hahn, who is a photographer, to Oamaru to take photographs of the Waitaki Boys’ High School, and was attempting to land in a field not very far from the school when the plane over-ran on account of an assisting wind, crashed through the gorse hedge, and completely overturned some yards out from the hedge in an adjoining paddock. Tlie propeller of tlie plane was broken off, the wings broken, and other fairly extensive breakages to various parts of the machine were caused. It is indeed remarkable how tho occupants of the plane escaped serious injury.