BLENHEIM ’PLANE SMASH'

Hawera Star, Volume LIII, 25 September 1933, Page 4

BLENHEIM ’PLANE SMASH'

CAPSIZE AFTER LANDING TWO PASSENGERS INJURED. CONDITION OF 1 ONE SERIOUS LUCKY ESCAPE OF PILOT (By Telegraph—Press Association.) BLENHEIM, Sept. 24. A serious aviation crash, occurred at the Blenheim aerodrome just after mid-day to-day, when the Marlborough Aero Club’s three-seater Hermes Spartan aeroplane, piloted by A. E. Willis with two passengers aboard, struck the ground heavily in landing from Wellington, overturned and bounced several times before being reduced to a mass of wreckage. Mr Willis miraculously escaped with minor facial injuries, together with cuts and abrasions on various parts of the legs and body. The passengers were more seriously injured. They were Mr E. I'. Maindonald, motor proprietor, of Reefton, and Mr B. Cummings, motor driver, of Wakefield, Nelson. Both were rushed bo hospital in an ambulance. Mr Maindonald is suffering severe concussion and other injuries and his condition is grave. Mr Cummings has a broken nose and other facial injuries and many cuts and abrasions, but bis condition is not regarded as serious. Both are suffering severely from shock.

FAILURE OF CONTROLS Messrs Maindonald and Cummings arrived at Blenheim from the West Coast on Friday evening and chartered the ’plane for a visit to Wellington. They flew to the capital on Saturday morning and took off from Rongotai on the return journey shortly after 11 this morning. Mr jVVillis, who is an experienced pilot holding a B license, states that when he was well across Cook Strait lie noticed .something wrong with the elevator controls, it being impossible to •climb or put the machine into a glide. The machine was inclined to drop, hut he kept it in the air until over Blenheim by speeding the engine. When over the aerodrome lie shut off the engine at a fairly low height and attempted a pancake landing, but the machine had its nose down and struck heavily, turning over 'several times before coming to rest. Mr Willis was partially stunned but succeeded in dragging his two semi-conscious companions' from the passengers’ cockpit, and assistance was speedily at hand. PREVIOUS CRASH RECALLED The Hermes Spantan ZK—A.BZ was tile property of the club and was recently completely rebuilt at Timaru after having crashed at Rongotai. It proved a very useful machine, but is now a total loss, practically nothing leing solvable. The club has been' in operation since 1928 and though it has suffered a series of minor crashes this is the first occasion that members have been injured, except for a, few minor cuts suffered' by a trainee, pupil of me of his first solo flights. The only jt'her serious accident at Blenheim •occurred to a visiting machine two years ago.

Mr Willis states that owing to something jamming the elevator controls he was unable to do anything except fly more or less level, which he achieved by putting on bursts of the engine every time the machine fell. JUMPING FORI TEN MILES The machine covered ten miles “pigumping” through the air, falling every time the engine was eased and ‘‘bucking” up as the full throttle was opened. ■Mr Willis considers lie could have kept going in this fashion till the petrol ran out, but ultimately after vain attempts to free the controls he decided to effect a crash landing. The machine struck the ground at a speed of eighty miles an hour. Experienced pilots consider that in ill the circumstances Mr Willis did well in obviating a greater disaster. The Director of Air Services (Squad-ron-Leader T. W. Wilkes) and FlightLieutenant Buckley arrived by air from Christchurch and inspected the wreckage with a view to 'inquiry into the crash.

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