AIR LINER CRASH

Greymouth Evening Star, 2 July 1942, Page 2

AIR LINER CRASH

EVIDENCE AT INQUIRY NELSON, July 1. The inquiry into the air-liner crash at Mount Richmond on May 7, m which the two pilots and three passengers were killed, was continued this afternoon.. lhe board of inquiry consists ot Mr F. W. Stilwell, S.M., Captain Oscar Garden, and Squadron Leader G. B. Bolt. Dr. N. A. Foden appeared for the Acting-Controller of Civil Aviation, Mr D. W. Virtue appeared foi Union Airways, Ltd., and Mr M. C. H. Cheek for Mrs Johnston, widow of one of the pilots. Charles Stebbings, a radio operator employed by the Post and Telegrapih Department at Nelson, said thai at 8.5 the aeroplane asked Blenheim for its true bearing, and at 8.6 Blenheim gave the aeroplane a magnetic reciprocal bearing. At 8.8, Nelson gave the aeroplane its true bearing, and the aeroplane told Nelson: Listen to my motor.” Also at 8.8 a message from the aeroplane asked for a magnetic reciprocal bearing. The aeroplane indicated that it was sending a dash to enable the station to take uie bearing. At 8.9 Nelson gave further bearings; at 8.9 also the aeioplane notified that it had received the previous message, and asked Nelson to tell Wellington to keep quiet. At 8.19 and 8.13 further bearings were given and acknowledged. The witness stated that a further magnetic reciprocal bearing was sent, but was not acknowledged. From then on a numbei of messages inquiring if the bearing was received were .not answered. Cross-examined, the witness saia he was very busy that morning, Decause .the other man usually on the station was not present, and he had made some log entries concerning the ’times of messages from memory. The bearing given at 8.16 was 295. Theie was no possibility that he had sent a bearing of 248 instead of 278 at B.l<j a.m. He had heard counsel say that another station claimed to have heard him say 248. Mr Virtue interjected that *ie oelieved all the bearings were not recorded in the Nelson log. If another station heard 248 at 8.13, Johnston, the pilot, might also have. heard it. It would make the pilot think he was 'north of his course, whereas he was probably south of it.

NAVIGATION INFORMATION.

NELSON, July 2.

The evidence of the chief radio operator at the Nelson air radio station was heard, this, morning, by the Board of Inquiry. Dr. Foden submitted to the Board, evidence given by Commander Gerrand, former Union Airways pilot, before going overseas. Gerrand had stated that he had seen “a notice to airmen” issued by the Air Department, which stated “it has come to the notice of the Air Department that pilots on commercial plane services are using D.F. stations which have not been cleared for general use, for the purpose of navigating in cloud and through overcast conditions, and this practice must cease immediately. Unless (a) the station has been notified as available for general use, (b) the procedure for employment of D.F. is covered in an approved operations manual, for the route bearings from D.F. stations are not to be relied upon in navigation, or used for instrument approach and breaking ceiling.’’ Gerrand also said that he had himself used bearings from D.F. stations for the purpose of assisting his navigation in and above cloud, and he though a pilot was justified in using any means at his disposal to assist him in increasing the accuracy of his dead reckoning position. Robert William Saunderson, chief operator, said that from entries in the log he had the impression that the plane had passed Nelson and the primary duty of the operator was to give the plane as many accurate bearings as possible. If it was necessary to sacrifice anything it had to be the recordings in the log. Positional reports were not sent by the plane on this occasion, though it was usually done in flying through cloud. Those reports could be estimates only. The Court of Inquiry adjourned to resume at Wellington next Monday.

THREE MEN MISSING

CHRISTCHURCH, July 1

Verdicts that the crew met their deaths when an aircraft of the Royal New Zealand Air Force, which went missing on March 26, got into difficulties and was forced down or flew into the sea, were returned by the Coroner (Mr. E. C. Levvey) when the inquests were held to-day. The members of the crew were Verdun Arthur Godfrey, of Hastings, Cecil Harold Cook, of Wellington, and Donald Alexander Paterson, of Auckland. Flying Officer D. S. Hamilton said that he instructed the navigational flight on which the aircraft was engaged. It left at 8 a.m., and when it did not return by 11.30 a.m. he reported and a search was made By other machines without success.

Flying Officer R. H. Kinsett, station signals officer, detailed the radio messages received from the machine up to the time the operator on the machine indicated that he was changing over to work another station. Nothing further was heard from the machine.

Leading Aircraftman G. L. Moultrie, flight mechanic, Aircraftman C. J. Miller, flight rigger, F. G. Thompson, instrument mechanic, and I. R. Lowe, electrician, gave evidence of their inspections of the machine before the flight when they found everything in order. Constable T. J. Johnson described the efforts made by the police to trace the machine. The last message heard from the machine was at 10.4 a.m. when a signal was picked up by a southern radio station, he said.