CRASH AT BLENHEIM

Greymouth Evening Star, 30 October 1933, Page 4

CRASH AT BLENHEIM

EVIDENCE AT INQUEST PILOT EXONERATED [FEB PBESS ASSOCIATION.] BLENHEIM, October 28. A graphic story of the tragic flight in an uncontrollable aeroplane was told al the resumed inquest this afternoon into the death, after a crash at Blenheim aerodrome on September 24. of Edgar Thomas Maindonald. of Reefton, aged 29. The Coroner. Mr E. J. Hill, in returning a verdict, of accidental death, said the evidence disclosed that tho pilot. Mr A. E. Willis, deserved commendation for his presence of mind, and his aviation skill and the nerve he displayed. He said: “In my opinion ho did everything humanly possible in the circumstances. With a less experienced pilot the tragedy might have been much more appalling.”

Sergeant C. Petersen conduetd the inquiry on behalf of the police, while Mr P.'.l. O’Rogan, of Wellington, with him Mr C. T. Smith (Blenheim) represented Mrs Maindonald, and Mr A. E. L. Scantlebury (Blenheim) represented the surviving passenger, Mr Bert Cummings, of Ikamatua, near Reefton, who has just been discharged from hospital.

The formal evidence disclosed that llio aeroplane had been thoroughly examined by Flight-Lieut. Bolt, of the Wellington Aero Club, at the request of the Marlborough Aero Club, on the Friday before the accident, and it was then in. good order and only flew one and a-half hours afterwards before the crash. The medical evidence was that death v.as due to a fracture of the skull.

Bert lan Cummings, contractor, Ikamatua, who was a passenger in the plane, described how the party left Blenheim on the morning of Saturday, September 23, for Wellington, where they spent the day. The following morning, they left on the return journey to Blenheim. Willis piloted the piano on both occasions. On the way to Wellington, the plane functioned perfectly and also on the way back up to within a few minutes before landing.

The Sergeant: What did you notice then? —I noticed that the plane was inclined to dive as soon as the power was shut off.

Did the pilot try to draw your attention to anything after you noticed that the plane was not behaving as usual? —He tried to, but we could not hear what he was saying. We realised something was wrong and concluded that that was what he was trying to tell us.

From the time the machine behaved strangely, what policy did the pilot adopt?—He kept shutting the engine off and putting it on again, and the plane came down in a series of steps. And that continued up to the time of the crash? —Ys.

What was the last thing you remembered? —Hitting the ground. My next conscious recollection was being in the hospital.

Have you any idea, of the elevation you were at when the pilot last shut off the power?—l don’t know. I was well down in the cockpit by then, as 1 realised what was coming.

You tied yourself up in a ball, ready for a crash? —Yes.

The pilot of the- ill-fated plane, Alexander Estcourt Willis, stated that on the day preceding the. crash, he piloted the same machine to Wellington with deceased and Cummings as passengers. Thy returned on Sunday. The Sergeant: Prior to leaving Wellington, did you test the controls? — Yes.

The Coroner: including the elevator control?—Yes, they functioned perfectly.

Did you have any difficulty in leaving the ground?—None at all. On the jorney over, did you notice any trouble? —About opposite the entrance to Port Underwood, I first noticed there was something wrong. I found immediately that the elevator control was not working as it should. That was at an elevation of about 5,500 feet.

From then on, did you at any time get control of the elevator? —No. Did you test it? —No, I did not in any way touch it until 1 was over the land. Then 1 started to- test the controls, and discovered they were all functioning normally except the backward movement of the stick, which raises the elevator. 1 looked over my shoulder' and could see that the elevators were not functioning. What course did you then adopt?—■ After I had gone through the test, I tried to notify Cummings, who was sitting immediately in front of me, that something was wrong. Then T throttled back the engine, and the machine went into a steep dive. 1 immediately opened the throttle again wide. The nose came up gradually and the machine levelled out. Then I decided the only way to get down was by working the engine and coming down in a. series of short dives, which 1 did. When the machine was over the aerodrome. 1 gave the engine a final burst to level the machine, and then switched off the ignition. The machine started to dive again, and it hit the ground, I should say, at. an angle of 45 degrees. Of its movements on the ground, I don’t know.

The Sergeant: ft was too erratic to follow?—I was rolling about inside it. when the machine came to rest. I pulled the passengers clear, and then ran for assistance.

Cross-examined by Mr O’Regan, witness said that he was aware that a passenger machine must be inspected by a, licensed ground engineer every 21 hours. In this case it had not. been so inspected since the Friday before the crash, 28 hours before, except, by himself. The reason was that. the Marlborough Club’s ground engineer happened to be absent from Blenheim.

EXPERT EVIDENCE

Squadron Leader T. M. Wilkes, Controller of Civil Aviation, gave evidence of his inspection of the damage to the machine in the afternoon of the accident. He described the tests made. which disclosed that one of the control cables was detached from th;' bell crank lever, and on investigation amongst, the debris in the rear of the fuselage, he located a broken hackle-pin, and a split pin, such as would be. used for securing the cable to the lever. There was nothing to show that it. was the actual split pin that had boon in the shackle, and it might have been an old pin that had been dropped three, but he could find no other.

The Sergeant: What would bo the effect of the pin being out of the shackle? —The pilot would be unable

to raise the nose of the plane. The Coroner: To what do you ascribe the accident ? —That is what I am’trying to find out. The accident could have been caused by a split pin coming out of the shackle and the shackle becoming detached, but it could have been due to there being no split pin in the first place. I want your opinion of whether the pilot did everything possible to make landing with the least ill effects? —I think he put up a very excellent showing. Mr O’Regan: None of us is here to say anything to the contrary, sir. The Sergeant: If the cable had been disconnected, he could not have left Rongotai?—No. If the ground engineer’s inspection had been made before the flight and the controls had been found to have been functioning, it. is reasonable to say that, the plane would have been certified ? —Yes. It is quite apparent then, that Ulis disability occurred •during the flight? —Obviously. Would a. ground engineer’s ordinary inspection have disclosed that this cable was not all right?—Not a daily one. Replying to Mr Scantlebury, the wit-! tiers said that the split pin he found had only one wing bent back, lhe| other being broken off where it would come through the shackle pin, and he took it that such a pin would be rejected by a ground engineer, if the defects showed when the pin was put

in. Examined by Air O'Regan, witness said that the Departmental inquiry, which had been conducted at Blenheim, Wellington and Christchurch, had not yet been concluded. It was not a public inquiry, and the relatives of the passengers were not represented, but the finding would be made public. Mr O’Regan: If the split pin had been properly put in at the outset, it would not. have come out? —The machine was repaired some three months ago by N.Z. Airways, at Timaru. It was practically rebuilt, and the cables would be dismantled and replaced. This completed the evidence offered by the police, but. Air O’Regan submitted that, as the inquest was of great public importance, Flight-Lieutenant Bolt, the Wellington Club's ground engineer, should bo called. The Coroner, however, said that he had made up his mind as to how the deceased met his death, and there was no need to call Bolt in these proceedings. He delivered a. verdict as staled.