PLANE’S CRASH INTO HOUSE

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 82, 31 December 1940, Page 8

PLANE’S CRASH INTO HOUSE

Fuselage Passes Right I Through Building : TWO AIR FORCE MEN; KILLED Family’s Remarkable Escape Dominion Special Service. PALMERSTON N„ Dec. 30. A Royal New Zealand Air Force training machine from Oliakea aerodrome, a twin-engined Airspeed Oxford, engaged in a cross-country flight, crashed into the residence of' Mr. and Mrs. C. M. A. Kebbell. near the bank ol the Manawatu River at Ashhurst, about 10 miles from Palmerston North, at 7.48 this morning. The two occupants of the plane, who were found strapped to their seats, were killed instantaneously. They were: Sergeant R. Brooke-Taylor, an instructor, formerly of Christchurch, aged 25. He was married and his wife lives at 117 Creswick Terrace. Northland. Wellington. Leading Aircraftman T. A. 11. Alexander, aged 2G, a trainee nearing the end of his course at Oliakea, and formerly of Kohukohu. Auckland. His father is Mr. W. A. Alexander. Kolmkohu.

The plum* was completely wrecked, ami damage amounting to approximately £lOOO was done to tlie house, but the remarkable feature of the crash was that none of the 10 occupants of the house, six adults and four children ranging in age from seven years to a few months, was injured in the slightest. ' About 10 minutes before the crash the four children were in their night nursery with their nurse, Miss M. Champion, and had been taken downstairs to have breakfast. Mr. J. Murphy, a sharemilker engaged on the property, and his 18-year-old son, Maurice, were the only eye-witnesses of the tragedy. They were about 100 yards away from the homestead, when they saw the machine approaching from the direction of Palmerston North. It was flying toward the Gorge, at a height of 100 feet, to tlie right of the house, when it turned to the left and lost altitude. Both thought tlie machine might hit the cowbails, but it passed these and also some power lines. While stili banked to turn, the plane lifted the roof off the wash-house, gained a few’ feet in height, and then crashed into the rear of the house with a terrific noise like an explosion. Mr. Murphy thought the engines were turning over at a normal speed, but the plane was not travelling very fast. The plane, after carrying away a eOO-gallon water tank, broke through the walls of tlie house at about the level of the roof above the ground floor, and about rhe middle of the house. It; swept away the lauding at the top of the stairs, and went through the children's night nursery at tlie front of the house, leaving a gaping hole and a trail of wreckage in its wake. Heavy timber supports were ripped away and the roofing almost completely torn off, and of the eight rooms comprising the upstairs portion of'the house, only oue remained undamaged. Went Right Through House. Pieces of the plane were found embedded in the roof, but the fuselage went right through the centre of the first .floor, taking with it portions of bedding, rooting and the bannisters, which were ploughed into the lawn along the path taken by the plane. Wreckage and petrol from the plane's tank were scattered all over the motor drive at the front of the house, and portions of the machine were found strewn ou the lawn and fields as far as 250 yards away. One of the engines was found about 150 yards from the house, with the smashed fuselage a further 20 yards away and the other engine about: 50 yards further on in a gully. Mr. Kebbell. who had occupied the house for about eight years, said that the first lie knew of anything untoward was the noise of an aeroplane engine close at hand. He thought, from the sound of the engine, that the plane was travelling fairly fast ami was very close. He rose from the breakfast table intending to investigate, but the crash came before he could leave the room. The whole family at that juncture was having breakfast, and the children had been in-ought down from their night nursery upstairs only a few minutes before the crash. lie first switched off tlie power and then ran to tlie wreckage.

Constable A. G. Johnson. Ashhurst, was quickly called to the scene by telephone. The Air Force authorities at Ohakea were advised immediately, and a party under the control of Squadron Leader I. W. Braye was dispatched without loss of time. Squadron Leader Braye, who nearly Jost his own life in attempting to save Flying Officer J. R. M. Stewart from drowning at Tangitnoana on Saturday afternoon, superintended tile clearing of the wreckage and the removal of the bodies of the occupants of the plane in an Air Force ambulance to Palmerston North. The log-book found among the wreckage stated that the plane was engaged in a cross-country flight from Ohakea to Ashhurst, to Levin and back to Ohakea. It is estimated that it was travelling at ISO miles an hour when it struck the house.

An inquest was opened in Palmerston North in the afternoon before Mr. A. J. Graham, Coroner, for purposes of identification, and an inquiry will be held by the Air Department. (Pictures on Page 5.)

Sergeant Brooke-Taylor was a son of Mr. and Mrs. R. Brooke-Taylor, T-l Raroa Road, Kelburn, and Itis widow is a daughter of .Mr. and Mrs. R. J. Hitching, Northland. Wellington. He attended The Terrace School and Wellington College, and at the outbreak of war was an optical mechanic employed by Morrison and Gilbert!, Ltd. Being a member of the Territorial Air Force, he was called up for service on the declaration of war anti had been stationed at Wigram nearly ever since. A few months ago he was given the rank of sergeant pilot and posted to Ohakea. There lie had been doing, the work of an instructor. At Wellington College Sergeant Brooke Taylor was ehampion rille shot. His wife, who lived in Christchurch while her husband was stationed at Wigram. is now iu Wellington.