CAUSE OF CRASH

Manawatu Standard, Volume LV, Issue 208, 1 August 1935, Page 2

CAUSE OF CRASH

AEROPLANE AT WAIHO. PAPERS JAMB CONTROLS. Per Press Association. HOKITIKA, July 31. The inquest in connection with the aeroplane crash at Waiho on June 20, which resulted in the death of Mrs Plsther Jane Newman, concluded today. John McDpwall, ground engineer at the Hokitika aerodrome, certified that the plane was in perfect order when the pilot took charge. It functioned perfectly after leaving the ground. Flight-Lieutenant William Frederick Park, pilot-instructor at Hokitika, said lie also checked up the plane, removed the dual control, and saw the plane leave. A small parcel of newspapers was handed to the pilot before leaving. Harold Lawn, the pilot, had received tuition at his hands and proved thoroughly competent. He said there was nothing unusual in carrying papers on a cross-country flight, though the carrying or dropping of parcels from commercial aircraft was forbidden by the Air Navigation Act, except with the special permission of the Minister. The prohibitory regulations did not apply to privatelyowned aircraft and did not apply to the flight of Lawn on June 20.

Harold Thomas Lawn, who is the holder of a B license, which entitles him to carry passengers, said he took off with Mrs Newman as passenger in the front cockpit. “Witness was handed a bundle of three or four newspapers tied together. He placed them across his knees, intending to put them on the side of the seat after taking off, but forgot all about them till after the accident. The machine behaved perfectly all the way. On sighting the aerodrome ho made a left-hand circuit, and knowing that work was proceeding at the aerodrome he flew down low over the runway to see that everything was in order. He noticed a workman point to a heap of gravel clear of the runway. He rose from the landing ground, made a right-hand turn, bringing him back in the direction from which he had come, parallel to the landing ground. Going well down to allow plenty of room for his turn and approach, he applied a right-hand bank and rudder for a right-hand turn. When the turn commenced he tried to ease off the rudder and found that it would not move. He realised immediately that this would send the plane nose-diving to the ground. He knew ho had to abandon that turn, so lie applied full left stick and engine. This brought him out of the turn, but owing to the crossed position of the controls the plane was skidding and sinking. The piano sank nearly to the ground and then started to lift slightly ; then the wheels struck something, probably a fence, and the machine nose-dived to the ground, striking heavily. He was knocked unconscious.

Tho next thing he remembered was seoing the machine ablaze. Ho was still strapped in, but undid the belt and scrambled out. He could feel the heat, but was not on fire. He then rushed to the front cockpit to rescue his passenger, but could not sec her. Tho whole machine was a mass of flame; tho benzine tank had burst, and 14 gallons of benzine were pouring over the machine. When endeavouring to reach bis passenger his clothes caught fire. Failing on one side, he went to the other, but the flames were worse there, and he had to abandon his endeavour to reach the passenger. Ho heard no sound from the passenger. Then workmen came along, who assisted him to remove his burning clothes. The piano was completely destroyed, but was not on fire before reaching the ground. REASON FOR CRASH.

The cause of the accident was inability to move the rudder-bar from the right-hand position. The only way lie could account for tbo accident was that tho bundle of papers had slipped off his knees to the floor and had worked its way against the rudder-bar, causing it to jamb. There was no other foreign matter in tho cockpit that would cause'the accident. Since tho accident witness had been a patient in Westland Hospital, and was still a patient as a result of tho burning injuries he had received. William F. Park, recalled, stated that he considered the pilot’s explanation of the accident was feasible, and probably the true cause of the mishap. Since tiie accident he had tried out a similar machine with a parcel of newspapers, and the result had satisfied him of tho possibility of the paper jainbing the rudder control under the conditions as explained. Tho Coroner returned a verdict that Mrs Esther Jane Newman was accidentally killed oil June 20 at Waiho as a result of an aeroplane crashing when about to land; that tho plane was in perfect order for the journey; that the mishap appeared to havo been caused by a bundle of newspapers jnmbing the rudder control, and that the Pilot, Harold Lawn, had made commendable offorts, at great personal risk and injury, to extricate his passenger fiom the burning plane.