AIRSHIP DISASTER.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LI, Issue 6, 6 December 1930, Page 9

AIRSHIP DISASTER.

RUMOURS DENIED AT INQUIRY.

EXPERT EVIDENCE,

(British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, Dec. 5. Certain rumours concerning the flight of airship RlOl, which the Court had thought it right to investigate were referred to to-day by Sir John Simon, who is presiding over the inquiry into the disaster. The baseless character of these rumours was well illustrated by the story that. Miss Winifred Spooner the well-known airwoman, who is flying to the Cape and was.forced down near Belmonte, had’ been in the RlOl, and had perished in-.\the crash at Beauvais. . V. •.’.'A

Rumours that gw me pf those ion duty were not sober when the journey started, and that a large quantity of intoxicants was taken on board were denied. Sir John Simon called on Dr. Eckener, commander of the Graf Zeppelin, and expressed the gratitude of the Court and the British people to him for coming to assist the investigations.

Dr. Eckener reviewed the facts of the disaster. He said that the first downward movement was caused by a gust of wind and head heaviness due to the leakage from the fore gasbag. In a sudden movement the damaged gasbag received a large rent, and the escaping gas went into the tail and increased the difficulty of righting the ship. In a second dive, due to the same causes, she crashed. He considered that tiro fire after the crash was probably caused by a short-circuited wire. The commander would naturally have been reluctant to throw out the oil ballast until lie saw that it was-im-possible to right the ship by. putting up the elevators. Then he rightly decided to throw out the fuel and slow down the engines, but the continuous escape of gas caused a second dive and then a crash. Dr. Eckener said he thought that the coxswain going on duty at the elevator at 2 a.m. would have to feel his way into the static condition of the ship, which was most difficult to get immediately. It might have happened that a slight gust of wind forced the ship downward, which movement the new coxswain did not immediately correctly counteract, because he was not yet clear about the ship’s condition. The greater air-pressure thus brought against the airship’s nose accentuated the steepness of the dive, and the airship’s heaviness at the head. . Squadron-Leader Booth, in his evidence, agreed with Dr. Eckener s view.’ He always had, he paid, the opinion that something definite pmst have happened to the airship, notably a steep dive after the changing of the watch He declared that he had always felt that RlOl was rushed regarding her trials by influence brought to bear. She /was rushed out for the Hendon flight against Cardington’s • recommendations. ‘ I am sure she would never have set out for India if the Imperial Conference had not been taking place, he said.