FATAL AIR CRASH

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXVI, 23 April 1934, Page 3

FATAL AIR CRASH

FINDINGS OF AUCKLAND CLUB INQUIRY CONDITIONS NOT TO BLAME As a result oi' its inquiry into tins crash of an aeroplane on Hawkins Hill, south-west of Brooklyn, and at the head of the Red Rocks stream, on 17th March, in which the pilot, Mr E. R.Boucher was killed while en route to Nelson, the committee of the Auckland Aero Club has found :

(1) That care was taken to get weather reports, and that flying conditions on that morning were perfectly satisfactory in the vicinity of Wellington. (2) That tile obvious and correct procedure was to fly underneath the clouds, as there was ample room to do so. (3) That tlie clouds were entered voluntarily by the pilot, who evidently considered that they were of no great density, and the object in entering them could only have been the advantage of saving a small amount of time by gaining height while actually flying through the cloud.

The foregoing information is contained in a letter to the Wellington Aero Club from the Auckland secretary, Mr L. W. Swan, who was the passenger in the wrecked machine. “It has been proved beyond question that care was taken to got weather reports and also that the flying conditions were perfectly satisfactory in the vicinity of Wellington on that morning,” says tlie report. “As is known there are two main ways of flying from Rongotai to the South Island. One is to fly over the city in approximately a di rcct line, gaining height all the time. The other—m the event of tlie city being covered with clouds —it to fly round the coast, then turning across Cook Strait:

“On the morning in question, if it had been desired to fly direct over the city, there was no obstacle in llie way of taking off from Rongotai and gaining height over the aerodrome, as cloud conditions over Rongotai, !.yu!l Bay, and the harnour p'esi tiled no cb-iacle to ll.i.'ig Upon gaming the necessary height, in the eh.-eiiee. of a deal pas•juue t., the South island, die remedy was merely to descend and land again. “The alternative course of flying round tlie coast was, however, followed by the pilot, who had apparently gained a height of something in the vicinity oi 1500 feet, when clouds were encountered ovei the slopes of the hills adjacent to the coast line.

“The obvious and correct procedure was to fly underneath the clouds as there was ample room to do so. Then, upon reaching a point round the coast, opposite the South Island, the aeroplane could he turned to fly across. In the event of clouds either round the coast or across Cook Strait being too low to prevent this course being followed it was merely a matter of returning to Rongotai. ' The clouds were, however, entered voluntarily by the pilot, who evidently considered . they were of no great density, and tlie object in entering them could only have been the advantage of saving a small amount of time by gaining height while actually flying through the cloud “The committee of this club also feels that any inquest following an air fatality should include persons who are competent to ask questions for the purpose of seeing that the lull and correct facts arc elicited and thus brought home to the public. “My committee feels that a great deal of harm has been done to the cause of aviation in the Dominion and in particular to those who indulge in flying in the vicinitv of the Wellington district,” says Mr Swan. "Many opinions have been expressed which apparently have given rise to the opinion in the mind ol Die public that Wellington of all places in New Zealand is a menace to aviation and the mere crossing of Cook Strait bv air has assumed the nature of a dangerous cnterpiise ' “In the first place flying across Cook Strait is already governed by rules laid down by the Controller ot Civil Avi,ilion and that these are clear and adequate is evidenced bv the celerity with which a search was commenced on tlie morning of 17tli March.. , “It must bn clearly emphasised that the particular fatality cannot in any way he attributed to cither Wellington aerodrome, Wellington bills. Wellington air currents, or any local conditions whatsoever. “It is true that Wellington may not be quite so favourably situated as many places for amateur flying bccouse of a certain amount of cloud formation, but apart from this qualification precisely the same safeguards in flying have to be adopted in any district, and the lesson to be learned from this totality is not-that some special rule should be made governing Cook Si nut and W ellington flying, but that rules should be made governing voluntary cloud living- “ Cloud flying, with the aeroplanes now in use in New Zealand, constitutes the one danger which must be avoided by the amateur, but, notwithstanding the various lessons in this respect, 't seems to be quite impossible to convince certain amateur pilots of the danger. “The Auckland Aero Club regrets exceedingly that tlie progress of aviation lias been injured by the recent fatality, and it also regrets that the Wellington district has been penalised quite unjustly, but if tlie matter is considered in a logical manner it will be seen unit aviation is no more responsible for the accident that would be tlie motor industry should, for instance, a motorist decide to drive round a precipice on a dark night without any lights.