PLANES COLLIDE

Greymouth Evening Star, 22 March 1945, Page 4

PLANES COLLIDE

ONE PILOT KILLED . WELLINGTON, March 21. Flying at 2500 feet a Ventura aircraft collided with a Douglas Dakota near Whenuapai to-day. The pilot of the Ventura. Flight Lieutenant William John Farnsworth, who remained with the aircraft, was killed. The Dakota had 14 feet broken off one wing, but its pilot, Flight Lieutenant D. L. Bade, made a brilliant recovery. and safely landed it at Whenuapai.” Flight Lieutenant Farnsworth was killed instantly when the Ventura crashed, but four other members of the crew bailed out and escaped unhurt. They were: Sergeants R. N. Smith, navigator (Dunedin), C. V/ellington, wireless operator (Whangarei), R. M. Hall, air-gunner (Oamaru), and I. E. King, air-gunner (Temuka). As well as the first pilot, Flight Lieutenant Bade, and the second pilot, Flying Officer James Logan Ross, the Dakota carried two radio experts belonging to the United States Army Air Corps. The Ventura was undertaking range familiarisacion practice, and the Dakota was undergoing an official radio range test.

The cause of the accident is not known, and inquiries are proceeding. Flight Lieutenant Farnsworth’s ather lives in England. His wife is Mrs M. Farnsworth, of Darfield Canterbury. TWO MORE PILOTS KILLED WELLINGTON, March 21. Two Royal New Zealand Air Force pilots Avere killed near Ohakea tolay when the Warhawks they were flying in formation collided when joining in to land. They Avere: — Pilot Officer Neville Benton Quigley, aged 21; mother, Mrs C. C. Quigley, Napier. Sergeant Frank Ernest Rout, aged 20; father, Mr E. Rout, Awapuni.