PASSENGER KILLED

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 1, 2 January 1937, Page 12

PASSENGER KILLED

FOUR OTHERS HURT (By Telegraph—Press Association.) INVERCARGILL, January 1. A Fox Moth aeroplane, carrying five persons, crashed in the surf while attempting a landing at Jig Bay on Wednesday, one passenger being killed and all the other occupants injured. The machine was taking a party to Franz Josef Glacier, and was making a halt to drop one passenger at the trampers' hut at Big Bay. on the West Coast, about thirty miles north of Milford Sound. As it was landing the aeroplane apparently stalled, and witnesses saw the machine dive into the surf from a great height. Those in the aeroplane were:— Killed. Sutton Jones, aged 21, a journalist employed by the "Southland Daily News," of which his father, Mr. Walter Jones, is editor. Injured. Sister Catherine Buckingham, of the nursing staff of the Southland Hospital, fractured right thigh, fractured left forearm, fractured pelvis, and scalp wounds. George Koss, 31 Clyde Street, employed by Carswell and Co., Ltd., fractured left thigh. W. E. Hunt, Wallacetown, son of Sir William Hunt, severe bruises. A. J. Bradshaw, Beatrice Street, pilot of the aeroplane, severely cut head. The accident, as described by witnesses to an Invercargill doctor who flew to Big Bay when news of it was received, occurred with startling suddenness. The aeroplane was expected by trampers at the hut in Big Bay, who were to be joined by one of the passengers, and they saw it approach at about 4 o'clock. It was clearly visible above the • sandhills, which, however, obscured their view of the beach. A SUDDEN DIVE. It was approaching the beach to land when suddenly it seemed to go into a straight dive, disappearing behind the sandhills. Realising that it must have crashed, the onlookers rushed to the beach and found the aeroplane wrecked in the surf near the shore. The pilot was able to help in the rescue of the passengers, in particular in that of Sister Buckingham, who had to be carried ashore. A stretcher of sticks and flax was improvised and the injured were taken to the trampers' hut some hundreds of yards across the sandhills.

Mr. Jones, who had suffered a blow on the head, was unconscious when he i was extricated from the wreckage and \ brought to the beach, where efforts ( were made by artificial respiration to bring him round, but these were unavailing. ' Fortunately, among those at the hut j was Nurse Robins, of Invercargill, who, with the assistance of Miss Mehaffy, ' also of Invercargill, and Mr. David ' Gunn, was able to make the four in- \ jured as comfortable as possible for c the twenty-four hours until the arrival of a doctor by aeroplane. Sister Buckingham and Mr. Hunt were brought ' back to Invercargill and Mr. Ross to l Mossbum by Southland Aero Club Reroplanes last evening, Mr. Ross being J transferred to an ambulance at Moss- ? burn. ' The pilot, Mr. Bradshaw, who had E an air taxi licence, was a frequent s visitor to Big Bay which, although J easily accessible by aeroplane, is in ' the heart of the wild and unsettled ' country, and is very difficult of ap- ' proach by land. It was 24 hours be- 1 fore news of the accident reached } Invercargill. and this was only made i possible by an extraordinary fast J overland crossing of 21 hours from the ' scene of the accident to the nearest v telephone a+ the upper end of the r Hollyford Valley. Such a trip usually e takes three days, but Mr. David Gunn, ' fanner, of Martin's Bay, near Big Bay. did it in less than one day, doing * much of his travelling through the f night. J ASSISTANCE BY AIR. t News of the accident was received t in Invercargill shortly before 4 o'clock 1 on Thursday afternoon. Two Southland Aero Club aeroplanes, one carry- e ing a doctor, left about 4.30 for Big i Bay, each making the trip in about t 90 minutes. It was essential that the t machines should leave on the return \ trip in time to make a landing at the aerodrome before dark, so that all the doctor was able to do was to give such immediate attention as was possible to make the patients comfortable for the journey to Invercargill by air. Sister Buckingham and Mr. Ross were' taken to the Southland Hospital, and Mr. Hunt went first to his home and then *oday to a private hospital. Two trips were made back to the city from Big Bay today, one aeroplane bringing back the doctor and Mr. Jones's body, and the other Mr. Bradshaw. The wrecked aeroplane, a Fox Moth e cabin machine, was purchased by the c Southland Aero Club in 1932, and had r just been overhauled and certified as in perfect order. It was under hire j to Mr. Bradshaw for a month, with an j option to purchase at the end of that , period. The loss is not covered by c insurance. Mr. Jones had served for four years . on the reporting staff of the "South- | land Daily News." He was educated t first at Waihopai School and then at j Waitaki Boys' High School. During t his five years at Waitaki he represent- y ed the school at cricket, at which in r his working years he continued his [ active interest, playing for the Union i club. He found time also to play fre- , quently as a member of the Invercar- j gill Tennis Club and St. John's.Bad- , minton Club. 1 Miss Catherine Buckingham is the . daughter of Mr. and Mrs. R. Buckingham, of Putangahau, pioneers of the coastal settlement in Southland between Fortrose and Chaslands, She was born at Waikawa Valley and re- , eeived her primary education at, the .; Waikawa Valley School. She joined ; the staff of the Southland Hospital about ten years ago and proved a popular and capable nurse, and has risen to the position of sister with a minimum of delay.