AIR DISASTERS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20906, 21 December 1929, Page 13

AIR DISASTERS

THE CRASH NEAR TUNIS

FEW DETAILS AVAILABLE

KING’S MESSAGE OF SYMPATHY.

(British Official Wireless.) (United Press Association.)

(By Electric Telegraph—Copyright.)

RUGBY, December 19. In the House of Commons Mr F. Montague (Under-Secretary for Air) stated that he was not yet in a position to add any material information to that pub Ih’hed about the most regrettable disaster on the long-distance flight to Capetown The reports so far received from - the British Consul-General at Tunis stated that the machine crashed in the hills some 30 miles south of Tunis, the weather at times being both cloudy and stormy. A. military guard hud been placed over the machine, and the Consul-General left at dawn this morning for the scene of the accident with a - view to obtaining the fullest possible information and bringing the bodies to. the military hospitals at Tunis. The Ministry had already despatched a technical adviser to Tunis in order that the fullest expert inquiry practicable might be made on the spot, Pending the receipt of a report by the technical adviser, no cause could be assigned for the accident. Mr Montague -added that the responsible French authorities had given the greatest possible' assistance. He was sure that the whole House would join with him in deploring the loss of the lives of two gallant officers of such outstanding promise, and in conveying to their relatives an expression of the most profound sympathy of the House. It is stated at the, Air Ministry that, while a representative of the Ministry has already left for Tunis, to investigate the cause of the disaster,,it is not likely that a formal service court of inquiry will be held in view of the special circumstances in which the disaster occurred. . With l regard to the removal of the machine and engine, no decision can be taken until further details are received.

Among air experts little doubt -is felt that the disaster occurred some time before 8 o’clock on Tuesday evening. This calculation is based on the fact that the airmen reported their position by wireless at 4 o’clock, when they were 60 miles o2 Sardinia, and that they should have sent out another message four hours later. They crashed before the four hours had elapsed, but meanwhiU. had covered some 400 miles. Darkness would have fallen before 8 o’clock, and all the drcmnstances point to the machine getting off i + s course in the storm that was raging, nod crashing into the mountains without .the pilots being able to, see the high ground in front of them.

■ The King has sent the following message to Lord Thomson, Secretary for Air“ It is with much regret that I learned of the disaster to the monoplane near. Tunis, resulting In the death of two pilots, Squadron-Leader Jones-Wllliams and Flight-Lieutenant Jenkins. I join with the Royal Air Force in mourning the loss of two distinguished and gallant officers. Please convey to their families my sincere sympathy.”

BODIES TAKEN TO TUNIS. . LONDON, December 10. , (Received’ Dec/ 20, at -5.5 p.m.) • There is still, no connected story of the Royal Air Force disaster. French officials express the opinion 'that the airmen lost their way in the. storm, and were making for one of the tew patches of open ground when they were sucked down by n mountain current and ran into the side of the Ejchelvit Mount dn, 6f 2500 feet A lonely horseman saw the wreckage at dawn, and thought the airmen might be still alive, He tried to extricate them, but saw that they were. dead. The preliminary commission.of inquiry, found a, watch from an instrument on board, which stopped at 0.4 p.m. The bodies of Squadron-Leader JonesVViUlains and Flight-Lieutenant Jenkins were brought to Tunis this afternoon. French soldiers stood on guard all night by the bodies. Sometimes the bodies had to I 'be lowered by ropes in order to traverse narrow rocky paths,-and at other times they were swung in rdugh cradles on the shoulders of gigantic Soudanese riflemen.

GERMAN' AVIATORS KILLED,

POSTAL PLANE CRASHES,

BERLIN, December 10. , (Received Dec. 20, at 8 p.m.) ■ Two German aviators were killed by the crashing of a Lufthansa postal aeroplane, which was returning from a trial mail service flight to Teneriffe. ‘A big public reception had been arranged at Berlin for a welcome home to the aviators, but the machine crashed when trying to land in a fog at Neuruppin, 30 miles from the city. The pilots, von Schroeder and Albrecht, were killed, and the mechanic, Eichentoff, was seriously injured.