TWO AEROPLANES CRASH

Hawera Star, Volume L, 24 February 1931, Page 5

TWO AEROPLANES CRASH

CAUGHT IN AIR POCKET. NONE OF OCCUPANTS HURT. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) TIMARU, Feb. 23. Two Government ’planes, one piloted by Wing-Commander Grant ‘ Dalton, Director of Civil Aviation, who had a passenger, and the other piloted bv Flight-Sergeant Simpson, who had as passenger Flight-Sergeant L. A. Dmi, crashed near Silverton, the homestead of Mr J. M. H. Tripp, 14 miles from Geraldine, shortly after ten this morning when returning from Dunedin to Christchurch. The four airmen escaped [•with a severe shaking. Atmospheric conditions were particularly bad, clouds being low and electrical disturbances taking place m the vicinity. Air pockets gave trouble and without a moment’s warning the ’planes crashed almost simultaneously. The metal ’plane piloted by T WingCommander Dalton was first to reach the ground. The undercarriage was broken and other damage was done. The wooden Moth crashed & few nioments later, its undercarriage being totallv -wrecked, the propeller smashed and considerable other damage caused The field where the ’planes crashed is a tussocky, wind-swept waste. The marvel is that the occupants oj the wooden Moth were not killed as the undercarriage was pushed vij through the flooring of the pilot’s sea and the most exposed parts were bacib A Government lorry was sent froii . Sockburn and the wooden machine _ is to be sent to Christchurch for repairs It is hoped that the metal ’plane wil s be sufficiently reconstructed to fly b > Christchurch to-morrow.

AEROPLANES’ ROUGH TRIP. ONE OVERTURNS IN LANDING. BLENHEIM, Feb. 23.. The four ’planes which left Dunedin yesterday for Wellington had an exceptionally rough trip. All went well until they were approaching Blenheim last evening when, as the result of a four hours’battle against head windsfrom Christchurch, the petrol supphes ran low. Captain J. Stedman, of the Wei lington Aero Club, who bad Mr G C Waite as a passenger m the club Spartan ’plane, made a forced J in a paddock near Blind Eiv ® r * machine overturned and smashed th propeller. The airmen escaped unhurt. Pilot Jamieson, Wellington, solo in a Moth, turned back and landed safelv alongside the Spartan. The other two "machines, piloted by Mr Sinclair, of Masterton, and Mr F. McJ. Donald of Wellington, reached Blenheim with their petrol exhausted just as they swooped iuto the aerodrome, i A propeller for the Spartan is being sent from Wellington and the machine will fly home when the weather eleais.