AIR LINER CRASH

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 118, 21 May 1930, Page 12

AIR LINER CRASH

THE PILOT'S STOEY

BROKEN TAIL-PLANE

(From "The Post's" Representative.) LONDON, 4th April.

On 10th February, Mr. A. B/odges, a naval schoolmaster, who had recently returned from New Zealand, and. his wife were killed in the disastor to the French air liner, which crashed arid caught fire- at Harden, Kent. The inquest was adjourned, pending .the recovery of the pilot and the mechanic of the 'plane. It was resumed at Staplehurst last week, conducted by Major Eric Clarke.'

Mr. Hugh Curson, of Hull, an official of the Paris branch of Thomas Cook and Co., who was the third and only surviving passenger of the liner, said that the machine had to return to Le Bourget owing to sparking plug trouble: Afterwards nothing untowards happened until they had crossed the Channel.

"There was a noise that sounded like a report, and other passengers and myself were told to get to the rear of the machine.'' He heard one of the crow ask about a suitable landing ground, and was told not to got alarmed as they had a good pilot. They were also advised to "hold tight. ■''.

Mr. Hodges, apparently, did not know French, and could not understand what the, mechanic had said. Mr. Hodges gathered that something was wrong, however. . .

M. J. Nevot, the pilot of the machine, said that they, first returned to the arcodrome to change five or six sparking plugs. "Everything was then satisfactory until just after passing Maidstone, when he heard a very load crack, and the machine commenced to dive. He attempted to hold the nose of the 'plane up, but it answered his controls very slowly. It then began to glide.

Looking round, ho saw that the whole-right-hand tail-plane was broken. He then made a wide turn towards the Marden landing ground. He tried to avoid some sheep on the ground, and as he throttled down the engine the. machine shot up into the air. The control produced no effect, and the machine crashed. If everything had been'normal with the machine he would have landed successfully. : RIGHT ACTION TAKEN. Eeplying to Mr. E. T. Copland, solicitor, representing the family of Mr. and Mrs. Hodges, the pilot said the mechanic did quite right in ordering the passengers to go to the rear. It was entirely due to this that the machine began, its normal glide.

A jijiyman asked what was the condition of thS tail-plane when it left the aerodrome, and Major Cooper, ot the Air Ministry, explained that every machine was inspected for airworthiness before it left the ground. He understood that it was done in this case.

M. Albaux, a mechanic of the French Air Union, who walked with the assistance of cratches, also described the events leading to the accident. His leg was- broken in the crash, but he managed to crawl out and help drag the pilot from the wreckage, which then burst into flames.

An official of the French Air Union said that the machine was put in commission in 1921, and rebuilt in October, 1929. Certificates of airworthiness were produced, and Mr. Fox Andrews said that he wished it to be made clear-that the machine was in fact an absolutely new machine in 1929, when it was completely overhauled and reconstructed.

The jury returned a verdict of accidental death. ,