THE AIRPLANE SMASH

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18447, 7 January 1922, Page 8

THE AIRPLANE SMASH

WITNESSES’ REPORTS. TROUBLE WITH THE ENGINE, •A; full report of the airplane accident which happened at Motunau on December ®V and which caused the death of Mr H. O. Grout, has been compiled by Cope table F. T. Pool, of Cheviot, and the repotto of several eye-witnesses ore included. A small boy, Charles Tomlinson, state* that he saw the 'plane coming across a wheat - paddock before his father’s house. It was not very high up, and seemed to be coming down slowly. Then it turned right around and flew np the paddock for a few yards, tilted'over, and dived into the ground. The boy’s father, George Tomlinson, States that he heard the crash, but did not see the ’plane fall. He went to the assistance of the pilot, who was jammed between, the front of the engine ’ and the seat,: his legs being, pinned.. The only words that Mr Grout said were: “My legs ere caught,” He appeared conscious ..at that time. “I consider that the fault lay in a blockage of petrol in the engine -or waa due to a magneto failure,” states James Cruse, a licensed ground engineer to the New Zealand Air Board, who was with Mr .Grout a* Sodden on the day prior to the accident. Ho bad examined the engine on day, and had certified everything “O.K" < Mr Bullen, of Kaikoura, who- examined the paddock in which the machine fell, says that it was not cut up at all, which would suggest that Mr Grout wae flying very low when hi* machine dived. ‘