AIR FATALITIES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 23891, 15 February 1941, Page 7

AIR FATALITIES

AUSTRALIAN VICTIMS FIVE DEATHS IN TWO DAYS COLLISION IN QUEENSLAND By Tasman Air Mail SYDNEY, Feb. 14 Three airmen were killed and one died later when two Royal Australian Air l'oreo machines collided on Wednesday at Ainberley, Queensland. The body of Flight-Lion tenant, If. W. Ross, victim of another Royal Australian Air Force crash, was found near his wrecked machine at Moss Vale yesterday. Those killed in the collision at Amber ley were;—-Flying-Officer I'. A. j Black, of South Australia; Flight-Ser-Jgoant X. Watson, and Leading-Air-jcraftrnan It, A. Humphrey. LeadingI Aircraftman I). P. Scott suffered a j lacerated face and severe burns on his j legs, arms, face and neck, and died | later at Ipswich Hospital, j Flying-Officer Black, with Humphrey | as passenger, had taxied his machine I across the aerodrome for a take-off as : the aeroplane with Flight-Sergeant I Watson and Scott came in to land, j The landing machine touched down, ! lost speed, and was turning to taxi in I when the other aeroplane met it head I on. Both machines hurst into flames, j Scott was pulled clear, but the others j were dead. Wreckage Found In Gully I Flight-Lieutenant .Ross had been j missing since Tuesday afternoon, when ! the aeroplane he was piloting solo in la flight of five from Laverton, Victoria, jto Richmond, left th« formation and 'disappeared in a cloud hank near Moss Vale. The rest iii ihc squadron returned to (iouihuni because of low-lying cloud on the mountains. Police and airmen searched all night for (hp missing aeroplane, but it was not until IH a.m. on Wednesday, after ;i farmer at Meryl,a found a pilot parachute in one of his paddocks, that the wreckage was located in a gullv l(! miles from Moss Vale. More than at) men had taken part in the search, inj eluding skilled hu.slimen, police and : airmen. ; Service in Last War j The aeroplane had crashed through I heavy timber and hurst into flames | when it hit the ground. The scrub 40 yards around was burned black, and I parts of the fabric of the machine were ! still smouldering when the search party j fou 11 d it. j The body of Flight-Lieutenant Ross i was near his machine. It took more than an hour and n-half to bring the j body from the dense timber in which it | was found to a track where an ambulance waited. Flight-Lieutenant Ross was educated at Sydney Grammar School and enlisted for service in the Australian Imperial Force in 1014. He joined the Australian Flying Corps in 1018. and was called up for active service again in Julv, 1040.