AIR FATALITY.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIV, Issue 307, 24 November 1934, Page 2

AIR FATALITY.

THE ST. ANDREWS TRAGEDY. Per Press Association. TIMA It LI, Nov. 24. The name of the victim of the crash in which a - Dunedin . ’plane was involved was Mr W. H. Bailey, of Dunedin, not Mr Williams. • The pilot was Mr F. Taylor. It appears that at the time a heavy fog was over . St. Andrews and the crash took place ,a mile west of the township when drizzling rain was tailing. It is thought that the ’plane was endeavouring to find a landing place. It circled round several.times, evidently seeking a suitable ground, and came over a belt of trees and apparently spun down, as the nose of the machine is deeply embedded in the ground. The machine came to rest close to a drain and within a lew feet of a deep pond of considerable dimensions.. The engine was forced back through both cockpits and the machine was extensively damaged. Mr Bailey was dead when removed from the ’plane, having suffered severe injuries. His neck was broken, whilst a leg was practically Lorn off. Mr Taylor suffered lesser injuries,, including abrasions on the head, which necessitated several, stitches. He is at present in a private hospital. The farmer in whose paddock the ■plane. crashed, Mr L. A. O’Loughlin, said he and several men were repairing his threshing mill in the yard when he saw the ’plane . travelling south, apparently coming from the direction of, Pareora. .It was .travelling at a very low altitude, about 200 feet up,l doubtless on account, of the fact that there was a thick drizzling rain at .the. time. ' The ’plane circled twice in the vicinity of the farm and then went over the township and circled back, and went over the belt, of trees near the house. The ’plane then appeared to dive down and struck the ground with a' dull thud about 60 or 70 yards in front of tlie house. . .

Mr O’Loughliii said that he and about six others rushed to the scene and pulled Mr Taylor from his seat. He was bleeding from a wound at the mouth and was dazed. and ■ suffering from shock. The passenger, Mr Bailey, was dead when they took him from the* cockpit. Another bystander remarked that apparently the machine went into a spin and came down. Mr. O’Loughlin’s story was corroborated in the main by one of his employees. Rev. J. Hay also stated that lie saw the machine circle over the paddocks several times before it came down.