CRASH IN MID-AIR

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22767, 29 June 1937, Page 6

CRASH IN MID-AIR

'AEROPLANES COLLIDE BOTH PILOTS KILLED DAUGHTER OF PASTORALIST STORY TOLD BY EYE-WITNESS [from our own correspondent] BRISBANE, June 25 A farmer, Mr. Gibson Maudslev, •whose property is about a inile from Archerfield aerodrome, Brisbane's principal airport, has had two distressing experiences with air crashes in recent months. Last March a Stinson air-liner crashed and burst into dames in one of his paddocks, the pilot and a passenger being incinerated. On Saturday, he saw two aeroplanes collide, and in the resultant crash, each pilot was killed. The aeroplanes were "Royal Queensland Aero Club Gipsy Moths, piloted by Miss 'Esther Tully, aged 24 years, a pastoralist's daughter, and Mr. John W. Barrett, aged 27. The two aeroplanes converged diagonally as they were banking soon after taking off. Apparently Miss Tully made the turn short, and the nose of her aeroplane crashed almost side-on into Mr. Barrett's machine, cutting off the tail. The aeroplanes hurtled to the ground and burst into flames. Miss Tully's body was incinerated, but that of Mr. Barrett, which fell from the cockpit from a height of about 200 ft., was found midway between the two wrecks. A Loud Explosion An eye-witness said that Mr Barrett's aeroplane fell to pieces as it dived Sideways to the ground. Miss Tully's. machine careered on for about 100 yards and, developing a spin, crashed perpendicularly. The two machines were burned beyond recognition. Only Miss Tully's shoe identified the victim as a woman.

Mr. Maudslev, who had been watching the aeroplanes, remarked to a boy how low they appeared to be flying. "The words were hardly out of my mouth when the aeroplanes came together with a loud explosion," Mr. Maudsley said. "The tail of one machine seemed to bounce away from the main body. This aeroplane banked steeply and slid sideways to the ground. It was followed by two hurling objects. One was the tail and the must have been the pilot's body, 'ihe second aeroplane seemed to travel on for a couple of chains and then go into a sharp spin, nose-diving out of sight among the trees. The first machine to crash burst into flames almost before the other hit the ground. A second later I could see a column of smoke arising. '*

Ordeal For Her Friend Miss Betty Wilson, who was in another aero club machine, saw the crash from the air. Miss Wilson was severely' shaken, particularly as she and Miss Tullv were eloso friends. They worked together at the General .Hospital as masseuses, and Miss Wilson lived at her friend's home. They ■were companions also in a formation flight over St. John's Cathedral a week ago on the occasion of Miss Ivy Pearce's wedding to Mr. Jason Hassard. Miss Tully held an A class licence and Mr. Barrett was qualifying. Miss Tully 'had nearly 40 hours' flying to her credit and Mr. Barrett had completed 23 hours. Both were regarded as promising pilots by the Queensland Aero Club.