GHASTLY SCENE

Evening Star, Issue 22954, 11 May 1938, Page 3

GHASTLY SCENE

THE AIRLINER CRASH SPECTATORS HELPLESS WHILE PILOTS INCINERATED KOTARE IN TROUBLE FROM TAKE-OFF PORT PROPELLER OUT OF ACTION [Special to the ‘ Star.’] AUCKLAND, May 10. In tragic circumstances to-day a senior pilot pf Union Airways Ltd., Commander C. M. Duthie, and his co-pilot, Second-officer W. J. Peel, were burned to death when the Lockheed Electra monoplane Kotare crashed and burst into flames a few minutes after taking off on her return flight from Mangere to Wellington. There were no passengers in the liner. Union Airways officials, who watched the crash with horrified eyes, were powerless to help the airmen, who were incinerated in the blazing machine within a few seconds of the crash. A graphic story of the crash is related by those who saw the disaster from the Mangere Aerodrome and from points further distant. Their stories show that the crash was so sudden that it would have been impossible to save either of the two pilots. “ I was working on a farm a few hundred yards away,” said a youth, Ray Andrews. “ I first saw the plane just as she was clearing the aerodrome buildings, and then I noticed that the left-hand engine had cut out. This caused me to watch the plane closer, and I saw it turn through south-west and west and towards the north-east. It was starting to lose height, and when it reached the trees I saw the whole machine split in half. The wings struck the trees near one of the engines. “The machine was banking steeply when it crashed, and I could see clearly that the lefthand engine had stopped. I ran as hard as I could towards the clump of trees and lost my shoes in the mud on the way. The plane was a . mass of flames when I reached it and I could do nothing.”

A pupil member of tie Auckland Aero Club said he was in Papatoetoe, several miles away, when he saw the plane just after it had taken off. He noticed that it was making a right-hand turn, and this fact held his attention, because, he said, it was usual for the pilot to keep the aerodrome on his left hand when making such a turn. The plane was low off x the ground when it reached the clump of trees, and the wings seemed to be straight up and down, so steep was the bank. ‘ It was a very tight turn and the plane just seemed to fall into the tree,” he added. “ Not long after that I saw the smoke begin to rise.” _ . “ I am spending a holiday in the district, and went across to the aerodrome to see the Lockheed arrive and take off again,” said Mr Haddon Smith, a member of the New Plymouth Aero Club. “ The plane arrived about 11.30 and took off again an hour later. I took particular notice of the take-off. The pilot commenced to taxi into the wind just at the tail end of a heavy downpour of rain, and the Lockheed appeared to get into difficulties just as she commenced to rise. It was only by clever manoeuvring that the pilot missed hitting the Aero Club’s hangar. He was obliged to rise steeply to avoid a crash here. As he got into the air I noticed that the right-hand propeller was not functioning, which, of course, accounted for the trouble. I “ I watched the machine clos*ly, and called out to some of the mechanics on the ground that one of the propellers was not working. The plane proceeded in a circular direction as if the pilot had decided to get into the correct position to come back and land. He was making towards a clump of trees, and after a few moments i heard a loud crash, and, simultaneously with this sound, flames burst out of the clump of trees and leaped High into the air/ “ With others I rushed across the field. A number of the Union Airways officials had extinguishers with them, but we found that nothing could be done. The plane was a complete mass of metal and burning petrol, and it was difficult to get near.” “ I stood on a bank about 20ft from the blazing plane, 1 ’ said a driver of a St. John Ambulance, who went out to attend the accident, “ and I could see the bodies of the pilots. It was a ghastly scene.”

WRECKAGE GUARDED ENGINE FAIRLY INTACT MAIL DESTROYED [Per United Press Association.] AUCKLAND, May 10. In a blackened mass of wreckage scattered among burned trees in a gully it was difficult to recognise the gleaming silver monoplane, edged with scarlet, that had droned safely over the city less than an hour before. A cursory examination, however, showed that the engines were fairly intact and, though the airscrews were bent, it is possible that the motors will be in a condition to indicate to experts the cause of the sudden stoppage of one of them. With the departure of three ambulances, which had been called from the city, the helpers turned their attention to the machine. Fire extinguishers were used to quench what remained of the flames, and precautions were taken to prevent the removal of wreckage, by reason of the fact that a number of people looking on had already taken away pieces of torn metal as souvenirs A Vickers from the Royal New Zealand Air Force base at Hobsonville, passed over the wreck and landed at Mangere. The pilot was Pilot-officer L. A. Robertson, who was accompanied by a sergeant. The machine was followed by one of the Naval Walrus amphibians, bringing more men, who

formed a guard over the wrecked monoplane. The officer in charge at Hobsonville, Squadron-leader Olson, later arrived by motor car to take charge of the preliminaries to the official inquiry. Representatives of the Post and Telegraph Department also travelled to Mangere, as the wrecked machine had been carrying a small quantity of mail, which was completely destroyed in the fire. The mail comprised 180 letters and three parcels, one bag being for Palmerston North, one for Wellington, and one for Nelson. The mail included letters for Palmerston North, Wellington, Nelson, Timaru. and Christchurch.

Officials of the company or those otherwise associated with the Lockheed machines* will reach Auckland to-morrow morning from Wellington by train. They include Mr F. Maurice Clarke, manager of Union Airways of New Zealand, Ltd., and Mr W. H. Kindle, manager for New Zealand of Brown and Bureau, Ltd., agents for the Lockheed Corporation. It is expected that Mr F. Sorrell, assistant aircraft inspector, will also travel to Auckland.

UNION LINE’S FINE RECORD 26,500 PASSENGERS CARRIED WITHOUT MISHAP WELLINGTON, Mqy 10. Since the inception on January 15, 1936, of the first passenger service to be flown by Union Airways, Ltd., the company’s machines have conveyed approximately 26,500 passengers without a mishap of any kind. On that date the Palmerston NorthDunedin service was inaugurated with the D.H. 86 express airliners. The Wellington-Auckland service was opened on June 26, 1937, with three Lockheed Electra monoplanes. These machines have since carried approximately 8000 passengers without mishap. The total mileage covered by Union Airways planes since the first passenger flight in January. 1936, is approximately 1,100,000. 1 The D.H. 86 machines operated on the route between Palmerston North and Dunedin are the Kotuku, the Karoro, and the Korimako. The three Lockheed Electras were purchased in 1936, and after a number of service tests had been made over the proposed route, the regular service was inaugurated on June 26 of the following year. The Kotare (kingfisher) plane wrecked to-day made its inaugural flight from the southern terminal, and before its departure was christened at Rongotai by the Mayor of Wellington (Mr T. C. A. Hislop). MODIFIED SERVICE WELLINGTON, May 10. Union Airways announced to-day that the usual services between Auckland and Wellington and vice versa will be flown to-morrow As from Thursday, however, there will be only one daily service each way. The 8.45 departure from Wellington and the noon departure from Auckland will be cancelled until further notice. Starting on Thursday a Lockheed plane will leave Auckland at 8 a.m. daily and flying via New Plymouth and Palmerston North will carry passengers and mails to Wellington, being due at Rongotai at 11 a.m. The same plane is scheduled to leave Rongotai again at noon. It is due iat Auckland at 2.30 p.m. INVESTIGATION OF ACCIDENT ' WELLINGTON, May 10. Steps taken to investigate the accident to the Union Airways plane were outlined by the Minister in Charge of Aviation (Mr F. Jones) this evening. Mr Jones said he had arranged for officials of the Air Department to proceed immediately to the scene of the accident to make a thorough investigation and furnish a full renort to him. “ Preliminary ~ steps have been taken to prevent unauthorised interference \ with the wreckage,” said the Minister, “ and Squadron-leader Olsen, from Hobsonville, was instructed to proceed to the scene of the accident immediately the advice was received. CAREERS OF VICTIMS WELLINGTON, May 10. The pilot of the wrecked Lockheed plane, Mr C. M. Duthie, was 30 years of age, and was born at Wanganui. He received his initial flying training with the Wellington Aero Club and obtained an A pilot’s licence in April, 1930. In the following year he qualified for a commercial pilot’s licence, which he held almost continuously to the time of his death. In addition to a pilot’s licence, Mr Duthie held an instructor’s licence and a certificate of proficiency in advanced instrument flying. In June, 1935, he was appointed to the position of pilot instructor to the Middle Districts Aero Club at Palmerston North, a post previously held by Squadron-leader M. C. McGregor. ' Mr Duthie joined the staff of Union Airways in 1935. and was appointed a “ first pilot ”' in the company’s Palmerston North-Dunedin service on March 20, 1936. He was with Union Airways when'the Welling-ton-Auckland service was inaugurated and was co-pilot with Mr B. A. Blythe in the Lockheed Electra ■plane Kuaka which made a test flight from Auckland to Wellington And back in June, 1937 At the time of his death he had completed approximately 2500 hours of flying, including more than 700 hours in Lockheeds.

In addition to his experience of civil flying, he was also a member of the Air Force (Territorial). On October 1, 1930, he was posted to No. 2 Squadron with the rank of pilot officer. In 1933 he passed the examinations with honours and was promoted flying-officer on May 1 of that year. In 1934 he was successful in his examination for the rank of flight-lieutenant. He also served for several years as a member of the 15th Battery. He was a first-class rifle shot, and on one occasion won the battery championship belt. Mr Duthie was married only a few months ago. His widow is at present spending a holiday in Feilding with his parents. Mr W. J. Peel was born at Masterton 24 years ago and received his

first flying training as a member of the Hawke’s Bay and East Coast Aero Club at Napier. His total flying time was slightly in excess of 600 hours, and since joining the staff of Union Airways in 1937 he had served as co-pilot on the Auckland-Welling-ton service. He was unmarried. After receiving his training in Hawke’s Bay Mr Peel obtained a pilot’s A licence in October, 1935. In August of the following year he qualified for a commercial licence, which was issued to him on November 3 of that year. From 1928 to 1934 he was a private and non-com-missioned officer in the Ist Battalion of the Hawke’s Bay Regiment. In August, 1933, he passed the examination for appointment to a commission, and on March 1, 1934, was gazetted as a second lieutenant in the New Zealand Military Forces. MOTORISTS’ SYMPATHY The disaster was the first subject of reference at last night’s meeting of the Automobile Association (Otago), the president (Mr P. W. Breen) remarking that the association had been closely identified with aviation, and had at all times done its best to further the interest of the local club. Such disasters as this certainly did not help aviation. The sympathies of all members would go out to the_ relatives of the dead pilots. A motion to this effect was carried in silence.