PUNE CRASH INQUIRY

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXIII, 24 June 1939, Page 5

PUNE CRASH INQUIRY

PILOTS ERROR OF JUDGMENT GREAT BARRIER ISLAND FATALITY l United Prera Association! AUCKLAND, 23rd June. In accordance with a report made by the Air Department, the coroner, Mr F. K. Hunt, S.M., at an inquest concluded to-day, concerning the death of William Holman Claris, passenger in a Miles Magister monoplane which crashed on Great Barrier Island on 17th May. found that the accident was caused by an error in judgment on the I part of the pilot, E. M. Walker. The death of Mr Claris was the ! result of a shock after injuries consistl ing of a wound to the left side of the | face and a compound fracture of the I left leg. Mr Claris was single, aged 32, and resided in Kaitoke. The accident happened just after the machine took off from Kaitoke aerodrome, Great Barrier. To-day the police produced a copy of the report of an inquiry carried out by the Air Department. It stated that Mr Walker held a passenger-carrying license. It found that the monoplane was completely airworthy. By an error of judgment the pilot allowed the machine to lose forward speed to |such an extent that it became stalled jand went into a right-hand spin. The i altitude was such that full recovery could not have been made, even had the correct technique been applied by the pilot.