COLLISION IN THE AIR

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22432, 29 November 1934, Page 10

COLLISION IN THE AIR

MOTH AND DE SOUTTER PLANES ONE MACHINE CRASHES CLUB CAPTAIN KILLED (Per United Pbess Association) AUCKLAND, November 28. The Te Aroha aerial pageant was marred to-day by a tragedy which resulted in the death of Clarence Waite, aged 29, of Te Aroha, and minor injuries to Stanley James Blackmore, aged 40, of Hamilton. Waite and Blackmore were piloting a* Gipsy Moth biplane and a de Soutter monoplane respectively, and were engaged in a dog fight when the two machines collided in mid-air and fell to the ground. About 300 people attended the pageant, which was held on Mr G. Goodfellow's farm at Waihou. The weather was fine and there was a slight southerly breeze. It had been arranged that two Gipsy Moths should take part in a dog fight as one of the spectacular items on the programme, but the second Moth was not available. In order not to disappoint the gathering, Blackmore agreed to engage Waite in mimic combat in his de Soutter, which is a much heavier machine than the Moth and not quite suitable for the purpose. Shortly before 3 o'clock the two machines left the field. They mounted to a height of about 1500 feet, and each tried to obtain an advantage over the other by flying over his opponent's tail and rendering him vulnerable to attack. Four times the two machines came close together, each attempting to beat the other for position, and a thrilling spectacle was provided for the onlookers for about three minutes. The two aeroplanes were then seen to come very close to each other, and before anyone on the ' ground realised it a collision had occurred. The right struts of the Moth were seen to be splintered and to fall. • It was obvious then that the tail of the heavier de Soutter had come into contact with the right wing of the Moth and had caused it to crumple up. The extra weight thrown upon the left wing caused the machine to spin rapidly and' to fall with increasing velocity to the ground. At 700 feet from the ground the fabric fell away from the fuselage and the machine gathered terrific impetus as it fell. On striking the ground the engine was completely embedded and the whole of the remainder of the machine was smashed to pieces and laid level with the field a quarter of a mile away from the point at which the machine had left the ground. Waite suffered a fractured skull, and both his wrists were fractured. Death was instantaneous. The de Soutter machine was crippled by the collision, portion of its tail being damaged. Blackmore maintained control of the machine during its descent, and by skilful manipulation caused it to strike the ground gently. The monoplane landed on its propeller in a field on Mr Goodfellow's farm adjoining the paddock used by the Te Aroha Club as an aerodrome. The machine fell backward and came v to rest upside down. Apart from the propeller and the tail, which were both smashed, the monoplane appeared to have suffered little damage. Blackmore crawled out of the cabin, and his only injury was a broken nose. He suffered slightly from concussion, but after receiving medical attention he was able to proceed to his sister's residence at Harriesville. EXPERIENCED AIRMEN MR WAITE AND MR BLACKMORE (Special to Daily Times) AUCKLAND, November 28. Mr Waite was the second son of Mr W. Waite, of Wellington. He was trained in Wellington as a pilot five years ago, and became captain of the Wellington Aero Club. He was a member of the New Zealand Territorial Air Force and recently underwent a refresher course at Wigram. A year ago Mr Waite removed from Wellington to Te Aroha and became a member of the firm of Waite and Grant, garage proprietors. Mr Waite was appointed captain of the Te Aroha Aero Club six months age, and since then he had done useful work in promoting the welfare of the club. Mr Waite was exceedingly popular in Te Aroha. He is survived by his wife, who lives in Te Aroha. The Gipsy Moth in which Mr Waite was killed was owned by Mr Martin Scott, of Auckland, and was flown to Te Aroha to-day by Mr R. G. Tappenden, of Auckland. -\ Mr Eiackmore has been a resident of Hamilton all his life. For many years he was a garage proprietor in Hamilton, but more recently he has spent his time exclusively in flying in his de Soutter monoplane. He and his machine have been involved in numerous mishaps, but to-day's accident was the most seriouc He is a married man with one child. The aerial pageant was abandoned when the fatality occurred.