AEROPLANE TRAGEDY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19279, 18 March 1926, Page 8

AEROPLANE TRAGEDY.

A CRASH AT PAPAMJI. TWO OCCUPANTS KILLED. THIRD GRAVELY INJURED. MACHINE FALLS IN GARDEN SIXTY CHILDREN CLOSE BY.

[B,T TELEGRAPH. —PRESS ASSOCIATION.]

CHBISTCHURCH. Wednesday. A shocking aeroplane accident occurred at Papanui at 5.30 o'clock this afternoon, resulting in the loss of two lives and serious injuries to the third occupant of the machine. Details of the victims are as follow: — KILLED. Captain F. J, Horrell, a Territorial Air Force officer. L. T. Eeid, an employee of the Sockburn A-erodromj. INJURED. Lieutenant P. A. Turner, a Territorial Air Force officer, broken left arm and facial lacerations; also a broken lower jaw. The two officers, Captain Horrell and Lieutenant Turner, were two of a group of flying men now undergoing a "refresher" course at the Wigram Aerodrome. Mr. Reid, before joining the aerodrome staff, was a jockey, and he was in the machine as a passenger when it crashed to the ground.

The aeroplane fell in the rose garden of the Methodist Orphanage. It struck the ground 12yds. from a room in which 60 orphanage children were sitting down to their evening meal. It was providential that none of the inmates were out of doors at the time, otherwise the results of the accident would doubtless have been more serious.

People who heard the crash ruslied to the scene. It was found that Captain Horrell was dead. His head had been fearfully crushed and both his legs were broken.

Mr. Reid was still alive when picked up. He had also sustained terrible injuries to his head, and he died on the way to the hospital. Although in a very grave condition itis considered that Lieutenant Turner has a fighting chance of recovery. The scene of the accident is a quiet suburban neighbourhood, and consequently few persons saw the actual crash. All eye-witnesses agree that the machine was flying" low at the time and was "stunting." The immediate cause of the crash was an unsuccessful attempt to loop the loop, a manoeuvre the pilot had accomplished successfully several times before.

The machine dived at terrific speed burying its nose deep in the ground. FORMER CRASH RECALLED. LOSS OF THREE LIVES.

SAD NEW PLYMOUTH ACCIDENT.

The most serious aeroplane tragedy previously recorded in the Dominion occurred on the afternoon of November 11, 1920, near the New Plymouth racecourse. On this occasion Messrs. Walsh Bros.' Avro aeroplane, carrying a pilot and two passengers, crashed, the machine being wrecked and the three occupants being killed. The victims were Captain Richard Russell, D.F.C., Croix de Guerre, pilot; Mr. James Clarke, Mayor of New Plymouth,- and Miss Kathleen Warnock, aged 24 years. The aeroplane had been engaged daily on passenger flights from the racecourse, and Mr. Clarke and Mnss Warnock were making a shori trip when the disaster occurred. Prior to the accident Captain Russell had given an exhibition of fancy flying, but when the accident occurred he was making an ordinary passenger flight and was descending when he crashed. The aeroplane made . a sudden lurch and, falling rapidly, crashed into a paddock not far from the racecourse. When the doctor arrived all were dead. On the ground was a mass of wreckage. Giving evidence at the subsequent inquest Vivian C. Walsh, of Auckland, said the machine went into a spin and continued thus until it crashed. At one period it seemed as if the machine was going to straighten, but it did not do

The coroner found that the accident was due to an unforeseen occurrence. Such accidents happened occasionally. He extended his sympathy to all concerned.