AUSTRALIANS CRASH.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 20115, 28 November 1928, Page 11

AUSTRALIANS CRASH.

HURLEY AND COMPANIONS.

ACCIDENT AT ATHENS.

DESTRUCTION OF MACHINE.

United Service

ATHENS. Nov, 20

Disaster- lias overtaken Captain trunk Hurley and Flying Officers Moir and Owen, who left Australia on November 5 in tho monoplane Spirit of Australia on an attempt to fly to London in 10 days.

Tlio airmen were leaving the aerodrome at Tatoi, Athens, this morning when the machine crashed. The fliers were cut and bruised and the piano was almost destroyed.

Captain Hurley states that after conquering tlio gale-swept Mediterranean they landed at the Athens aerodrome in mud and slysh. They decided they must leave immediately or remain indefinitely. The plane' was just gaining speed when it struck a boggy stretch of land and th« wheels sank.

The pilot avoided a headlong crash into a ravine and flew, tlio piano across the chasm. The wheels hit a high bank with terrific forco and tlio machine turned a somersault and landed on its back and was wrecked.

The airmen wriggled out from beneath tbo wreckage with minor cuts aud abrasions. They are determined to Bee the flight through. Captain Hurley says the " spirit of Australia " survives in them. They propose to secure a new machine in England which will cost £7500. They feel confident that their countrymen will stand by them. BOY AIR PILOT. YOUNGEST IN CANADA. FLIGHT WITH PASSENGERS. United Service. TORONTO, Nov. 26. Jack Armstrong, aged 14, the youngest pilot in Canada, has completed a trip to Toronto from Oshawa, Ontario, with two passengers. He lias more than 100 flying hours to his credit. ENDURANCE RECORD. ATTEMPT TO ESTABLISH. AIRMEN IN UNITED STATES. United Service. NEW YORK, Nov. 26. A message from Fresno, California, states that in an effort to break the world's sustained flight record, Pilots Lee Schoenbair and John Buglielmetti made a perfect take-off to-day in a single-motored plane. The total load carried was 76501b. The airmen have 646 gallons ot gasoline and 40 gallons of oil. They believe they have sufficient fuel for a flight of 80 hours. TRIPLE FATALITY. NOVICE ACTS AS PILOT. KILLED WITH TWO 'FRIENDS!. United Service. NEW YORK, Nov. 26. A message from Boston says that William Lang, aged 24, bought a plane two weeks ago. He was convinced he had mastered the art of flying- and offered two friends a pleasure flight. Tho other men accompanied him and the plane crashed from a height of 1000 feet. All three were killed.