FLYING DISASTER

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22317, 15 January 1936, Page 11

FLYING DISASTER

CITY OF KHABTOUM PILOT'S THRILLING STORY ALL THE ENGINES FAILED By Telegrnph—Press Association—Copyright ALEXANDRIA. Jan. 13 In giving evidence at the inquest on the victims of the disaster to the air liner City of Khartoum on December 31, Pilot V. Gorry Wilson, the sole survivor, said that within a minute of sending the last wireless message —the signal that he was winding in the aerial —all the engines failed simultaneously. The altimeter was registering 600 feet and visibility was good. Witness said he put the machine into the correct diving angle, but lost 100 feet before attaining it. The glide was normal except that it was a little steeper than if the engines had been running. The aeroplane struck the water in 15 seconds, shattering any hope of making a safe landing. " Before hitting the water," said Wilson, "I was only slightly anxious owing to the fact that I had not the normal aids for landing, like flares or buoys. I flattened out the aeroplane at the moment of contact with the sea. It was impossible to' see the water in these circumstances, since the nose lights are only for picking out obstacles ahead. I had never before landed with only the nose lights. "One of the petrol gauges showed 25 gallons and the other none. There was enough petrol for 20 minutes' flying." Nose of Machine Buried in Sea Wilson expressed the opinion ,that possibly a breakage in the petrol feed or an obstruction caused the disaster. He gave a dramatic account of the final scene. He said: "I made a good normal contact with the water, but almost immediately afterwards the nose of the aeroplane i was buried in solid water as though she had run into a large swell. "I found myself in the water one second after the machine had made contact with the sea. I extricated myself from the cockpit, which was open. "On reaching the surface I saw the aeroplane standing on its nose, practically vertically. It took from 15 to 20 minutes for me to strip off my clothes. Only the starboard wing-tip and the tail structure were then visible, silhouetted against the sky. I drifted, holding on to the cockpit cushion, which soon became sodden, and then I swam to the aeroplane. ' Fate of Two of the Passengers "I climbed on to the tail, where I found a passenger who asked what were the chances of being picked up. I reassured him. I saw another passenger who was swimming and trying to climb on to the tail, but was repeatedly swept off by the swell. I pulled him on to the tail. The swell was 9ft. from crest to trough, which is considerable as far as landing a flying-boat is concerned. Both the passengers swam off into the darkness. "By this time 45 minutes had elapsed. I remained on the tail and then on the rudder until they were submerged, and then I swam to the tip of the starboard wing, where I remained until 9.30 p.m., when the aeroplane sank. My luminous watch had not stopped. I was on the tip of the wing an hour." Wilson then described how he kept swimming until he was picked up by the destroyer Brilliant at 12.50 a.m. How the Victims Died Medical evidence disclosed that Mr. A. L. Garrett, a passenger, and two of the crew died from drowning. Seven others suffered fractured skulls and were killed instantly. The Court listened tensely while a doctor gave this evidence. The coroner asked the Court to stand in silence in sympathy with the dead. It will be at least three or four weeks before the technical investigation is concluded.