THE AIRSHIP DISASTER

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21300, 2 April 1931, Page 11

THE AIRSHIP DISASTER

INQUIRY INTO CAUSE NO INTERNAL WEAKNESS DETAILS OF COURT’S REPORT (British Official Wireless.) (United Press Association.) (By Electric Telegraph—Copyright.) RUGBY, March 31. The report of the Court of Inquiry into the loss of RlOl is devoted entirely to the ‘course and the cause of the specific event. The court started with a series of definitely ascertained facts, which the inquiry established. First among the explanations definitely rejected is any idea that the vessel from internal weakness broke up in the air. Secondly, the explanation is set aside of any failure of control. Thirdly, the court reaches the conclusion that the accident is not to bo explained solely by reference to the abnormal weather conditions, although the weather was a predisposing cause. Fourthly, there is no reason to attribute the accident to any failure in the competence of the officers and crew, but in view of the change of the watch and the prevailing weather it may well have been impossible to bring the ship rapidly back to a horizontal position if her nose was forced down in the way suggested. Fifthly, the longitudinal gasbag movement was so limited in extent that by itself it was quite insufficient to account for the serious loss of control, even in tempestuous conditions. The experts believe that the explanation of the disaster must be associated with a substantial loss of gas. The report discusses whether or not the loss was general throughout the length of the ship or was chiefly concentrated in the fore part. Was the loss gradual or due to a sudden catastrophe which would empty the forward gasbags immediately before the dive, or is it explained by natural loss spread over a considerable interval, culminating in further serious loss? After examining the. reports of the experts, the court reaches the conclusion that there were three phases in the initial movement of 11101. “In the first she drops her nose and descends at a noticeably steep angle for half a minute before, by use of the up elevator, she is brought back to an approximately horizontal position. The second phase then begins and continues for a short period, during which, in spite of her utmost efforts, she does not succeed in keeping her nose appreciably up, but continues horizontally until she suddenly plunges. The third phase is when she dives again and strikes the ground almost at once at an angle of at least 50 degrees.” In concluding its examination of the possible causes of these successive movements, the reports proceeds: “How the vessel lost gas can never be definitely ascertained. The weather was exceptionally bad. The gasbags were hard up against the padded projections, some of which may have begun to wear the fabric. The bumping and pitching of the ship would intensify the strain, and earlier flights had indicated the possibility of weakness, hut it is very probable that the more serious and sudden loss of gas which followed is connected with a specific cause, such as the ripping of the fore part of the envelope. Something of this sort happened on a previous occasion, and no amount of care could assure that it would never happen again. If the ship was torn in the fore part of the envelope it would tend to develop into a larger tear, which would both check the speed and expose the gasbag to an additional strain. This seems the most probable explanation of the loss of gas in increasing quantity and suddenness.”