Airman Seriously Injured

Manawatu Times, Volume 62, Issue 69, 23 March 1937, Page 5

Airman Seriously Injured

CRASH AT HOKITIKA PAGEANT. ACCIDENT IN LANDING COMPETITION Per Press Association. GREYMOUTH, March 22. Making the last landing in the senior landing competition at the official South Island pageant at Hokitika, this afternoon, Mr. Frank Sharman, Christchurch, a competitor from the Canterbury Aero Club, met with a mishap involving him in serious injury and extensive damage to the club’s Moth. Mr. Sharman appeared to be making a good landing when, about 50 feet from the ground, he went into a spin off a turn, crashing on the left wing, the undercarriage hitting the ground with considerable force, and the propeller blades were both snapped off. Tho plane narrowly missed a New Zealand Royal Air Force machine about to take off. Mr. Sharman’s head evidently came into violent contact with the front of tho pilot’s cockpit and he suffered a compressed fracture of the skull. . He was attended on the ground by Dr. W. McKay, of Greymouth, and was removed to the Westland Hospital, wher9 it is reported his condition is serious The accident was seen by over 2000 people. The woather at the time was feggy. Mr. Sharman was married about a year ago. He is a former well-known amateur speedway rider. Mr. Sharman was operated on. Late to-night it was reported that his condition was still critical. Mr. Sharman has been a pilot member of the Canterbury Aero Club for six or seven years, and has beeu a successful competitor at several of the pageants of the New Zealand Aero Club. He is a member of the committee of the Canterbury Aero Club. ’PLANES DELAYED BY FOG. WESTPORT, March 20. Seven aeroplanes on their way from Nelson to the air pageant at Hokitika landed on the new aerodrome at Westport this morning owing to bad visibility caused by fog. They waited for an improvement in the weather and left later in the afternoon.