DID THEY MEAN TO GO UP?

NZ Truth, Issue 1255, 19 December 1929, Page 8

DID THEY MEAN TO GO UP?

♦ ■■;, -'■ ■- ■ " ' , ] PILOT MAN'S THEORY OF AIR TRAGEDY BOARD HEARS EVIDENCE

(From "N.Z. Truth's" A Was the flight which iinishe Ernest Harkness, D.S.C., and Che them by' reason of the Dornier-L: unexpectedly? , This new and somewhat start] first time on Monday -by Captain R.A.F., m his evidence before the gate the accident. THE court consists of 'Major L. M. 1 Isitt, Offlcer-in-Charge of Hobson ville; Aerodrome; Captain 'S. Wal-ling-ford, N.Z.A.F., and Flying- Officer R. H. Copley, ground engineer to the Auckland Aero Club. Captain Man said he had done 900 1 hours' flying, 800 of 'which were m seaplanes. He hau declined to accept a position on the staff of Aero Services, Ltd., the company which owned the machine, until the 'plane was passed for commei-cial purposes toy the examining authorities. His services, however, had been freely given to the company both as engineer .and test pilot, and the position of permanent pilot had been offered to him. He was told that an auxiliary petrol system had been installed. The flight "which ended so disastrously was made without his knowledge. He- was satisfied the pump was unable any longer to supply the petrol the distance required of it, through toeing too weak. Captain Harkness, said Man, . had never flown with him m the machine, nor had he received any dual instruction on the, machine from him or any other pilot. He had only been a passenger when . the machine was taxi- ing across the water. He knew that a lai-ge stone had >been found m the 'plane when salvaged, and it. was his conclusion that it had been carried as ballast on the flight, though he himself, when flying solo, had never carried ballast. Major Isitt: You do not think that Captain Harkness intended to. fly? — It is my, firm conviction he did not. He also thought it possible that Goldsbro made an effort to lift • the stone from tlie rear seat with the object of jettisoning it, but the 'plane ■

.uckland Representative) . d so fiatally for Captain' Donald irles Field Goldsbro;.£orced upon ibelle seaplane leaving "the water Hug- theory was advanced for the "William Man, late E.N.A.S. and court of inquiry set up to investigetting into a spin through the shifting of balance and loss 'of power, threw the mechanic back into his Seat \v,Hh the stone. ' ' ■'. This stone was removed; after jthe'plane had'been towed into four . feet of water, when an effort was made to release the bodies. ; Jt subsequently disappeared, but attempts to recover it are to be made m order to see if it fell into, and was caught m the cockpit when the 'plane sank. ,» . Replying to Mr. D. Seymour, representing the company, Man said, "I am satisfied -the 'plane was correctly assembled and also repaired after the first slight collision." Major Isitt: Did you find the mar chine airworthy when you flew it on the previous day? — Absolutely, m allrespects. Harold Brown, who was on the salvage launch, said the 'plane's left wing was caught with the grapple and, the machine hauled gently up. It was right side up, and on getting nearer shore he removed a stone from Harkness's knees, Its weight would be about fifty ; pounds. -; ' Hubert Roy Bur ret t, who said he was financially interested m the company, stated that Harkness had visited him at midday on November 12 and asked him to tow the 'plane out on the harbor with his launch. Burrett asked if 4.30 p.m. would be suitable.' "Yes, provided you don't hear the machine over your office before," was the reply he got. "I assume this must have been said jokingly," Burrett added. ; He had arrived at the waterfront at four, o'clock and towed the .machine with <3oldsbro m the cockpit o\}l on the harboi*, Where Haz-kness boarded It and taxied off. ' ' !