AEROPLANE DAMAGED

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 39, 16 February 1933, Page 13

AEROPLANE DAMAGED

.ACCIDENT AT RONGOTAI

Caught in a down draught from the Rongotai hill after taking off, the Marlborough Aero Club's three-seater Simmonds Spartan machine crashed at Rongotai Aerodrome early last evening. The machine was piloted by Mr. A- E. Willis, who had with him as passenger Mr. R. Morrison, but neither ~ yr&s . injured. . . The aeroplane, which arrived from Blenheim on Monday, was leaving on the return trip when the mishap occurred. The pilot' took off normally over the entrance gates to £he aerodrome, but a strong northerly wind ■was blowing at the time and the drift took him to the right of his course. He was caught in a down draught, and found himself heading straight for a house near the entrance gates. He made, a turn to tho left, but the down draught caused the machine to get out of control. To regain control ho endeavoured' to complete the turn to the left, but as he had lost height the wing of the machine, which was steeply banked, struck the ground. The .wing dragged along the ground for a ''few yards aud then tho rriachine tilted up on its nose, breaking the propeller, -. and came to rest on its ..side. Under the circumstances the machine got off remarkably lightly. The engine escaped serious damage, but one wing suffered and the tail-plane was broken off. The fuselage was built in Wellington, and that good workmanship had been put into it is evident from the fact that neither the pilot nor the passenger was injured. Mr.-.A. W. Nisbet, secretary of the Wellington Aero Club, told a "Post" representative that the down draught at Rongotai in a northerly was very tricky. ' ; The Marlborough Aero Club is now without an aeroplane. The Spartan machine was purchased to replace the Gypsy Moth which crashed on the Mira roar golf links a few months ago. Squadron-Leader N. E. Chandler, pilot-instructor to the Marlborough Ciub, was to have arrived at Wellington today to inspect the damaged machine.