BRITISH INQUIRY

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22240, 28 January 1947, Page 3

BRITISH INQUIRY

DAKOTA LOADINGS OVERWEIGHT ALLEGED PREVENTION OF FIRE (10 am.) LONDON. Jan. 27. The all-up load orf Dakotas taking off from British aerodromes in view of their numerous recent crashes is likely to be one of the questions taken up at the official inquiry into the Dakota crash at Croydon on Saturday, says the Times areonautical correspondent. It is pointed out that although in the United States and some other countries the maximum weight for take-off is limited to 25,2001b5.. the regulations in Britain allow a Dakota to take off at a weight of 28.0001 b. The added greater weight would obviously be a severe handicap'in the event of failure of one engine during take-off. meaning the loss of half the power when the weight is at its maximum.

Norway, Sweden and Denmark recently ■ jointly requested that - British Dakotas operating on their routes should be limited to a loaded weight of 25,2001 b. The British Government is now inquiring into the whole -question of the Dakota aircraft's safety, says the Daily Herald's aviation writer. The problems being considered are load carrying capabilities, adequacy , of fire precaution equipment (fire broke out in both the Copenhagen and Croydon crashes in the week-end), and their handling in the event of engine failure. The pilot, an American, made 350 flights over “The Hump” between India and China during the war.