INQUEST

Hokitika Guardian, 31 July 1935, Page 6

INQUEST

WAIHO TRAGEDY. THE CORONER'S FINDING. The adjourned inquest into the death of Mrs Esther Jane Newman at Waiho on June 20th, was concluded at the Magistrate’s Court to-day, the Coroner, Mr A. E. Benjamin, presiding. The Verdict. That Mrs Esther Jane Newman was accidentally killed on June 20th 1935, at Waiho, as 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 when it left the aerodrome at Hokitika; that the mishap appears to have been caused by a bundle of newspapers jambing the rudder control in the pilot’s cockpit; that The pilot, Harold Thomas Lawn, was to be commended for his efforts, made at great personal risk and injury, to extricate his passenger from the burning plane.

THIS EVIDENCE. At the previous hearings evidence had been given by V. J. SomersetThoinas, pilot of R.N.Z.A.F., F. W. Thornton, leading aircraftsman at Wigram aerodrome and Alexander Graham, of Waiho. £ jr A, ~ Sergt King appeared for the police license and Mr J. A. Murdich on behalf of Mr A- H. Lawn. John McDowell, certificated ground engineer at Southside Aerodrome, stated on June 20, he got the aeroplane ZK—ADO ready for .flight, making his daily inspection, and considered the machine was airworthy. Saw Harold Lawn and Mrs Newman come to the ground. Mrs Newman was seated in the front cockpit, and was strapped in. The pilot then took his place in tlie pilot’s cockpit. The usual routine was followed and the pilot then taxied to the west end of the ground and took off, flew over the bridge, turned and came over the hangar, and then went on towards Waiho-. Completion of inspection and’ certificate of safety for flight was given at 9.30 a.m. The plane wa s functioning perfectly as it circled over head-

To Mr Murdoch: He considered Harold Lawn to he a competent pilot as far a s his ability to judge went William Frederick Park, flight lieutenant of the N.Z.A.F., a pilot instructor for West Coast United Aero Club and stationed at Hokitika, stated was the holder of license 89. I kno>y> Harold Lawn who holds a B licensed He engaged the aeroplane ZIC—ADO for a flight-to Waiho <on June 20. The ground engineer, McDowell, gave the plane the usual daily inspection, and witness checked it up afterwards and found it correct. Removed the dual control from'the front cock nit. Saw Harold Lawn and Mrs Newman arrive on t«e ground. Informed Lawn that the machie was o.k. Mrs Newman was: assisted ■.into, the'front cockpit. Then saw Lawri -take his jpfttcc. Previous to him dtiing'«o" witness' placed two helmets, a rug and a small bundle 'of newspapers on the pilot’s seat, The usual course; of starting (iff was then carried out, everything going, smoothly. Had personally flown the machine the previous day and it was then in perfect condition. Harold Lawn is a competent pilot and had shortly before passed his B certificate. Previous to passing Lawn had been under the tuition of witness and he had proved to be thoroughly competent. Had never seen any sign of jiqnor on him at any time. It was nothing unusual to carry some papers in the cockpit when going on a cross country- flight. The carrying of parcels or the dropping of parcels is prohibited by "the Air Navigation Act, 1931, hut the prohibition is subject to special permission by the; Minister.; These do not apply-to privately owned aircraft;-|Jie;Aproliil)L tory regulation would iwt apply to the flight of Haro-id Lawn on June 20. Witness had been an instructor of the British Air Force since l9lff, and was on flying service for 18 months before that.

Harold Thomas Lawn stated he was the holder of a B license as pilot under the Air Navigation Act 1931 regulations. A B license entitles a pilot to carry a passenger. On June 20 he took off in aeroplane ZK—ADO from Southside aerodrome on a proposed flight to Waiho. Mrs Esther Jane Newman of Hokitika was a passenger. When he arrived at the aerodrome, was informed that the machine was o.k. That covers everything that is necessary for a flight. He assisted Mrs Newman into the- front cockpit and strapped her in, in accordance with the regulations, and made her snug. Then' took his place in the pilot’s seat. Before doing so took out the rug, two helmets and papers that had been placed tlicre. The rug was put round Mrs Newman, one helmet was put on by -Mrs Newman and the other by himself. After he was seated in the cockpit a bundle of 3 or 4 newspapers tiocT together were handed to him. He placed them across his knees, intending to put them on the side of the seat after taking off and getting into the air. He forgot all -about the papers after taking off, and did not remember anything more about them until returning in a car after the accident. When he took the air the machine was in perfect order and functioned perfectly all the way to Waiho. On sighting the aerodrome at Waiho after having come up from the coast,, following the Waiho river he, made a left hand circuit cf the aerodrome, and knowing that workmen were at

work nn it lie flew down low over the run way. to see that everything was in order. H© noticed a workman point to a heap of gravel that was clear of the runway. He rose up from the land ground and made a right hand turn bringing him hack in tiie direction in which he had come, parallel to the landing ground, going well down to allow plenty of room for the turn and approach. Apjtied right hand bank and rudder for the right hand turn. When the turn was comment- , ed tried to ease off rudder and found it would not move. , He realised immediately that this' would send the plane n.o s o diving to the ground. He realised immediately that he had to abendm that -m, so applied full left stick and engine. Thi s brought him out of the turn, but on account of crossed position of -controls, the plane was skidding and sinking. The plane sank nearly to the ground and then started to lift slightly. Then the wheels struck something, probably a fence, and immediately nose dived the remaining distance to the ground* and struck heavily. He was knocked unconscious. The next thing he remembered was seeing the machine ablaz* * He was still strapped in. He undid the safety belt and scrambled out of the machine. . H.o could fool the heat when undoing the 'belt, but was not on fire at that time. Ho rushed, to the ■front cockpit to rescue his passenger. He could not see her. The whole machine was a. mass of flames. The benzine tank had hurst and it would have had about 14 gallons of benzine in it and it was pouring out over the machine. In his endeavours to reach his passenger his clothing caught fire. Failing to reach hi s passenger from one side, he rushed to the other side* but the flames here word worse and he had to abandon his • endeavour to reach his passenger. He heard no sound from the passenger. Then a workman came along, and soon, after others, who assisted him to act his burning clothes off. There no possible hope of saving his passenger. The plane was completely destroyed. Towns still burning when he. wa s taken away for attention to his injuries. Tie was sure the machine was not on fire previous to^ -hitting the ground. The cause of the* accident was the inability to move the rudder bar from tne right hand position. The only way he could account for the accident was that the paners he had with him had slipI ped off Ids knees on to the and | worked their way against the rudder. [ bar, causing it to jam. When attempting to rescue his- passenger the furslago of the plane appeared to be right on the ground. Hi s speed on approaching the aerodrome would he about 70,’-reducing to '65 at cadi surn. That' was; -sufficient toi give plenty o' air- speed ' With some to spare, :He did •‘notlknow Of any foreign matter in the .cockpit that would' cause the accident, except the papers. 'Since the accident he had been a patient at Westland-. Hospital and was still a patient there ja s a result of the burning injuries he j had received. i William F. Park, recalled, stated ! he had heard Pilot Lawn’s evidence. ; He considered his explanation of the j possible cause of the accident was fca* i sible, and probably the true cause of the mishap. Since the accident, with Flight-I.ieut. Somerset Thomas he tried out a similar machine, Moth No. ',875; with a parcel of newspapers and as !-‘>i result of that experiment he was ••satisfied ot the possibility of papers j 1 jamming the rudder control under con- ; ditiops explained by the pilot. This concluded the evidence, and the j Coroner returned the verdict as given , above.

Sergeant King said he wished to endorse the references of the Coroner in connection with the pilot. -He consideied that the pilot had done everything that was humanly possibly to save his •passenger. Mr Murdoch on behalf of Mr A. H. Lawn thanked the Coroner and Sergeant King for their generous kind references, Which were deeply appreciated. H ———