WAIHO AEROPLANE TRAGEDY INQUEST

Grey River Argus, 1 August 1935, Page 2

WAIHO AEROPLANE TRAGEDY INQUEST

RUDDER PREVENTED FROM WORKING

By a Bundle of Newspapers

(Our Own Correspondent.) HOKITIKA, July 31. The inquest on Mrs Esther Jane Newman,, the victim of the aeroplane tragedy at Waiho on June 20, was concluded here to-day before Mr A. E. Benjamin. Coroner, who heard the evidence of John McDowall, the Ground Engineer at Southside Aerodrome Hokitika, and of Flight-Li cut. William Frederick Park, Instructor at the ’drome. They referred to the ’plane ns having been in perfect condition when it left here that morning tor Waiho in charge of Pilot Harold Thomas Lawn, who is still a patient, at the Westland Hospital, a« the ic suit of burn s he received. Lawn also gave evidence.

The Coroner returned the verdict as follows: “That Mrs Esther Jane Newman was accidentally killed on June 20th ns the result of an aeroplane, piloted by Harold Thomas Lawn, crashing when about to land; that the ’plane caught fire, and was destroyed;, that the ’plane was in perfect order, on leaving the aerodrome; that the mishap appears to have been caused by a bundle of newspapers jambing the rudder control in 'the pilot’si cockpit; that the pilot is to be commended for the efforts he made, at great personal risk and injury, to extricate the passenger from the. burning ’plane?’ Engineer McDowall said that on ■ June 20 he was instructed to give tho ’plane Z.K.A.D.O. the usual examination. It was brought out of the hangar, where the inspection was made. Tin considered the machine airworthy. Mrs Newman was placed in the front of the cockpit, and was strapped in ns usual. He saw Pilot Lawn take his p’aee In the rear of the pockpit. The engine was running. He “ftw the ’plane take off from the. west end. It flow over the bridge and turned. He completed the inspection at 9.30. and a eertiflca'to of safety for the flight. As the ’plan o circled »t func tioned perfectly. He had known Lawn since he came here, and considered him. as far as his ability to judge went, to be a competent pilot. Witney was not a pilot. Flight-Lieut. Park, of 'the New Zea land Air Force. Pilot Instructor to the West Coast United Air Club, deposed: T know Ha’old Thomas Lawn, who holds a B license. T was at the aero drome on June 20. Lawn engaged the ’plane Z.K.A.D.O. that morning for a flight to Waiho. Assisted by the ground engineer McDowa 1 !, I ran the ’plane out nf the hangar. McDowab made the usual daily inspection., find chocking it up found it correct. T removed the dual control from the front of the cockpit. T saw Pilot Lawn and Mrs Newman arrive on the ground and informed Lawn Ihe machine wa> O.K. f saw Mrs Newman being as sisted into the front of the cnrkpii, and Pi’ot Lawn take his place. Prior to Lawn taking his seat T placed two flying helmets, a travelling rug and a small parcel of papers on 'the pilot’s seat. After that, he started the engine, and took off. Everything went smoothly. T flew this ■ machine on the previous day. and it was then in per feet condition. T consider Pi lo* Lawn a competent pilot, and he had obtained his B certificate. H e had been under my instruction at the loea’ aero drome, and he proved thoroughly compotent. T have never seen any signs of liquor on him. In reply to Hie Coroner, witness said it was not unusual to carry papers and Final’ parcels in ’planes. lie had himself done so.

In reply to Mr J. A. Mnrdocly witness stated that the carrying of paror the (1-OO’'’’l'»• th. ip frn-n) commercial aircraft was prohibited by the Navigation Act, 1931, unless special permission is given by the Minister. The regulation did not apply tn Private aircraft and did not apply ti Pilot. Lawn’s flight. had been engaged as instructor in the British Air Force since 1916. and was flying for 18 months. PILOT LAWN’S ACCOUNT. The evidence of Pilot Harold Lawn was as follows: I am the holder of a B 'icense under the Air Regulations. My license got burnt on J ’he ’plane, but I have the covering letter. The B license entitles a pilot to cany a passenger, or pi’ot a commercial aircraft. On the morning of June. 20. I ’■ook off in ‘the Z.K.A.D.O. from the sopth side of the aerodrome on a flight to Wa’ho. with Mrs Newman as passenger. When T arrived at the aerodrome, the machine was ready and I was informed by the engineer. MeDowall. that it was O.K. Mrs Newman was strapped, in according to re

gulations. I took my place in the aero cockpit. I had to take out- the two helmets, rug and paper 8 to get in. The rug was put over Mrs Newman, and Mrs Newman had one helmet, and I the other. After I -was seated, the papers were handed to me. There were two or three Christchurch papers and the local papers bundled together, and they were placed across my knee. I intended to put them on the side of the seat after taking off, but I forgot all about the papers 'till coming back in the ear after the accident. To Sergeant King: When I took ‘he air. the machine was in perfect order and functioned correctly all the way tn Waiho. On reaching Waiho, I came up tne Waiho river, and made a left-hand circuit of 'the aerodrome. Knowing workmen were engaged on the aerodrome, T flew down to the runway to see if all was clear. T rose again, ano then made a right-hand turn,, bringing me back in the direction 1 came applied a right-hand bank and the rudder for a right-hand turn. When the turn was commenced, T attempted to ease off the rudder, but I found that the rudder would not work,

and I realised that this would cause the ’plane to nose-dive to the ground, so T applied the full left stick and engine. This brought me out of the turn, but on account of the crossed position of the controls, the ’plane was skidding and sinking. Th© ’plane sank nearly to the ground, when it started ‘to lift slightly. I be’ieve the wheels hit the fence, or a tree. T did not see thn fence. I was co much occupied with the crossed controls, and it immediately nose-dived the remaining distance to the ground, striaing heavily. After the ’plane struck th© ground.. I must have been unconscious for a little while. The next thing T remembered after coming io was seeing the machine ablaze. 1 was still strapped in. I undid the belt scrambled out. and tried to get my passenger out from the front, cockpit. I could not see her as the ’plane was then a mass of flames. The petrol tank had burst and was, pouring out over the. front cockpit. The woodworK and fabric is very inflammable. In my endeavours, I went round the othci side to help, but it was worse there, and my elothe s caught fire. T had no chance to rescue my passenger,, who made no sound. A workman then came along and assisted nip to take off my burning clothes, and I was put into a ear and taken away. The ’p'ane was completely destroyed, and was still burning when I was taken away. I am confident the machine wag

not on Are before it struck the ground. The impact -would be thp causejof the fire. The actual cause of the accident was the rudder failing to respond. It would not move from the right-hand position. The only cause of this T can think of was the papers I carried. They must have fallen off my knees 'to- the floor of the cockpit, where they probably worked their way against the rudder bow. This is only supposition. The impact crumbled up the undercarriage, when I was trying to get the passenger, but the fuselage appeared to be on the ground. Aly speed on approaching the aerodrome would be about 70 miles an hour, reducing to 65 at. the turns. I do not know of anything e-lse o f her than the papers that would cause the rudder to fail to respond. Since the accident T have been a patient in the Westland Hospital and am still a patient. AV. F. Park, recalled, handed in his officia’ report on the accident, which was read by the Coroner. Tn this he stated he considered the papers were directly responsible for the accident. Since -the accident, ho, with Pilot Thomas, had tried out a similar machine wth a parcel of paper, and the result satisfied him that the papers were responsible for interfering w : th the centre's, and therefore. the cause of the .accident. Sergeant King commended Pilot Lawn. Mr Murdoch, on behalf of the Lawn family. thanked the Coroner and Sergeant King for the kind references.