AIR CRASH INQUIRY

Dominion, Volume 38, Issue 3, 28 September 1944, Page 4

AIR CRASH INQUIRY

Recommendations Made By Department CONCLUSION OF HEARING (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) NELSON, September 27. •, The board of inquiry into the Mount Hope air crash concluded the hearing of evidence this afternoon, and announced that its findings would be given at a later date. Continuing his evidence, the pilot, P. C. Lewis, said-that Captain Mercer asked which route the pilot was taking, but did uot express any opinion. It would have made no difference to the actual crash if the plane had been equipped with wireless. He Aaid he knew the plane was loaded to within 181 b. of the maximum, but that caused him no concern. Counsel for Lloyds underwriters quoted the Air Navigation Regulations, 1933, which stated that all planes to which the regulations applied should be equipped with radio. Roy C. Kean, inspector of. accidents, said that as a result of investigations by the accident branch of the Air Department, the following recommendations were made:—That two-way radio be required on all commercial planes capable of carrying two or more passengers; that such facilities be of sufficient power to ensure two-way communication between such aircraft and ground stations on the route; that the use of unofficial codes be investigated and either approved or prohibited; that the question of weather minima, on airline ; routes, particularly between Nelson and the West Coast, be examined; that types of first-aid kits and whether particular attention should not be given to the adequacy of the contents in relation to the number of passengers and ease of access to the contents be investigated; and that all civil aircraft operating on scheduled routes be required to be equipped with the means of making visual signals to search planes or ground parties. The evidence indicated, he continued, that while crossing a ridge directly against a strong souVh-south-west wind, the plane was caught in an up-draught and the pilot lost control of the aircraft, which assumed a right wing and nosedown attitude which developed into a steep right-hand turn 'and continued through a .swing of ICO degrees. One plane struck a tree and caused the aircraft to go completely out of control and finally to fall to the ground. Dr. N. A. Foden, representing the Air Department, during a discussion on the question of radio equipment on passenger planes, said that in war-time conditions it had not been found possible to insist on compliance with the regulations in all commercial planes, though most of them had radio. He would now recommend that special efforts be made to get radio suitable for the types of plane concerned.