FOUR KILLED NEAR BRISBANE

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXII, 29 November 1938, Page 5

FOUR KILLED NEAR BRISBANE

PLANE HITS HIGH TENSION POWER CABLE SEARCH FOR MISSING WOMAN 1 U.P.A.—Bv Electric Telegraph-Copyright] ! BRISBANE, 28th November. Three Air Force men and one policeman were burned to death when an Air Force Seagull amphibian plane struck a high tension power cable, crashed and caught fire near Beenleigh. 24 miles south of Brisbane, about noon to-day. The victims were Flying Officers Max Wyber and R. Milner, Mechanic E. | Everett, and Constable Young, of the Water Police, Brisbane. The accident happened while the [plane was flying low over the man- | grove banks of Logan River at Aiberjton. searching for a missing young i | society woman. Miss Marjorie Norval, 1 | aged 30, who had been personal secre- | tary to the wife of the Prime Minister of Queensland, Mr Forgan Smith, and [ had mysteriously disappeared on 11th I November. I The plane had searched some small I islands at the southern end or Moreton Bay and was travelling slowly up | Logan River, when it suddenly struck a high-tension wire which ripped off a float and threw the machine on to the riverbank, where it was immediately enveloped in flames. A local ferrynfan was the sole eyewitness. Being unable to approach the burning machine. he summoned help by telephone. The bodies were extricated in a blackened mass from the wreckage. Flying Officer Wyber lived at Newcastle and Flying Officer Milner and Mechanic Everett in Sydney. Constable A. Young, who was aged 43 and married, lived at Brisbane. The fourth member of the seaplane crew. Aircraftman Grainger, was left behind at Brisbane in order to make room for the constable.