PILOTS KILLED IN AIR CRASH

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26846, 10 August 1948, Page 4

PILOTS KILLED IN AIR CRASH

DAKOTA FREIGHTER STRIKES HILLSIDE ON JOURNEY NORTH

P.A. WELLINGTON, Aug. 9. Crashing into a hillside near Port Underwood soon after it left Woodbourne aerodrome, Blenheim, for Paraparaumu this morning, the railways Dakota freighter was wrecked and the crew of two killed instantly. The crew were:

Murdo Campbell McLeod, aged 41, first pilot, of Palmerston North.

Richard James Robert Haldane Makgill, aged 41, second pilot, of Auckland.

The aircraft was the railways Dakota Parera which left Woodbourne at 8.30 a.m. with 77.411 b of general freight. It Avas due at Paraparaumu at 9.20 a.m. The last report received from the pilots Avas at 8.38 a.m. when they Avere crossing the Wairau bar.

The whole of the air-sea search and rescue organisation of the Air Department was put into operation when it was reported that the plane was overdue about 10 a.m.

Twelve aircraft took part in the search, and many other aircraft were diverted from their normal routes to keep a close lookout for wreckage or survivors.

Air-sea rescue launches were brought into the search, and at least four launches carried out a surface search. Two high-speed radio-equipped whale-chasers were used in the search by Perano brothers. Low cloud conditions hampered the searchers in the area in the earlier part. of the day. One of the search and rescue organisation’s Catalina flying boats was sent from Auckland and landed at Evans Bay. News that wreckage had been found came before the Catalina could leave. She was fully prepared for rescue and search operations. Reports from searching aircraft of oil slicks five miles south-east of Cape Terawhiti were investigated, but since whale blubber was also seen in the vicinity, it was concluded that the oil was the result of whaling operations and had no connection with the missing aircraft. The first news of the wreck came when another Dakota freighter, keeping a special lookout on its southward service run from Paraparaumu, reported sighting wreckage on a hillside just behind Fighting Bay, south of Rununder Point, between Tory Channel and Port Underwood. The wreckage was on the eastern (seaward) slope of the hillside, not many feet below the crest.

Three land parties were. despatched to the scene of the wreckage. A party of volunteer searchers from Picton went by way of Port Underwood. A police party, headed by Sergeant T. Johnston, and accompanied by Dr J. Boyd, left Blenheim at 3 p.m. and went by way of the Wairau bar by launch. The third party went ashore from one of the whale-chasers. Reports received from them stated that it appeared that both pilots had been killed instantly. The bodies were removed by the police, who carried them to Blenheim.

When the aircraft left Woodbourne it was carrying sufficient fuel for 1 hour 20 minutes’ flying. The load of freight was several hundreds of pounds below its maximum payload. The flight; plan of the aircraft showed that the' cloud base was 1000 to 1500 feet, and at this height there was a light layer of strata-cumulus cloud.

CAUSE OF CRASH NOT YET KNOWN

“It is one of the worst air accidents to take place in New Zealand for some time,” said Flight Lieutenant A. W. P. Hayman, Wellington area controller of air traffic. “It is the first major accident the National Airway? Corporation freight service has had.” He said it was impossible to state the cause of the accident until the circumstances had been fully investigated There would be a normal inquiry. Experienced pilots who flew over the scene of the wreck formed the opinion that low-flying cloud had caused the accident.

When the plane reported to the ground after leaving Blenheim, its altitude was then stated to be 1500 feet. The meteorological forecast of conditions in the area had predicted a cloud ceiling of 1000 to 1500 feet. When the search was being conducted during the later part of the morning and in the afternoon pilots found ceiling at a little more than 700 feet in places Since the hillside was struck by the aircraft at an altitude of at least 1100 feet—it may, it is said, be found to be higher than that when an R.N.Z.A.F.

ground party makes accurate determinations to-morrow —it is probable, pilots say, that the ridge was enveloped in cloud at the time of the crash. i The normal course from Wooabourne to Paraparaumu takes .an aircraft well clear of the hills behind Fighting Bay and there is no explanation available as to the reason it was west of the normal course. From the angle at which the search parties report it to have struck the hillside—it was at a spot very little below the crest—it is estimated it was flying a course parallel to the normal one. Those who have flown over the area say little of the aircraft remains. The fuselage forward of the doors broke away at the impact, the thrust of the cargo, it is surmised, acting as a battering ram. All that remains of the forepart of the fuselage and cargo is a twisted mass of charred wreckage and a considerable area of the hillside to the northward has been scorched by the heat of the fire. A wing, is lying near the rear portion of the fuselage broken away. There is no sign of tne engines and it is thought they must have broken away from their mountings and rolled down the hillside into the gully beneath. The wreckage apparently skidded some distance after the impact.

PILOT WAS HEIR TO A BARONETCY

P.A. AUCKLAND, Aug. 9. Commander Makgill was heir presumptive to the Baronetcy of Makgill, his brother, Sir Donald Makgill, being twelfth baronet. He had flown extensively in Britain, Europe, the Middle East, the Pacific and New Zealand, and in addition to being an experienced pilot of both land planes and marine aircraft, he held an international first class navigator’s certificate.

Commander Makgill was the younger son of the late Sir George and Lady Makgill. For exceptional devotion to duty and in particular for his exemplary handling of an aircraft in a storm during the visit by the then Governor-General, Sir Cyril Newall, to the islands, Squadron Leader Makgill was awarded the Air Force Cross in the New Year honours of 1945.

Empire Games Allocated to New Zealand

Rec. 11.30 p.m. SYDNEY, Aug. 9.

A London cable published in the Sydney Sun says the next Empire Games have been allotted to New Zealand. Commenting on the report. an Empire Games official, Mr H. G. Alderson, said to-day that the staging of the games in New Zealand would he a great thing for Australia, which would be able to have a big representation. Athletes would be able to do most of their training in Australia and ■ then fly the Tasman and arrive in first-class condition. He added that Canada was after the 1950 games, and it was a surprise that they went to New Zealand.

BOTH PILOTS HAD LONG EXPERIENCE

The first pilot of the aircraft. Commander McLeod, was born at Napier and was a rharried man. He had 10,400 flying hours to his credit. He joined the staff of Union Airways in December, 1935, and was promoted to command in November. 1937. He was transferred to National Airways Corporation when this organisation took over Union Airways. He was a flight lieutenant in the R.N.Z.A.F. reserve, and was one of New Zealand’s foremost pilots. The second pilot, Commander Makgill, was born at Bournemouth, England, and was educated at Harrow School. He was married. He was a squadron leader in the R.N.Z.A.F. and was awarded the Air Force Cross in January, 1945. He had gained his first class navigation licence, had 7200 flying hours to his credit, gained in service with Imperial Airways, Ltd., 'Cook Strait Airways. Tasman Empire Airways, the R.N.Z.A.F., and with the National Airways Corporation. The railways freight service was carried out by one Dakota throughout to-day, but another will be supplied to augment, the service by National Airways Corporation to-morrow.

EARLY ARRIVALS AT THE WRECKAGE

P.A. BLENHEIM, Aug. 9. The first land party to reach the scene of the crash found the wreckage littered over an area of about 400 square yards. The bodies' of the crew were thrown a considerable distance in front of the wreckage. It was apparent that they had been killed outright. The fuselage of the plane was burnt out, but the tail assembly and the wings were still intact. The first eye-witness account of the disaster came from a party from the Te A waite whaling station in Tofy Channel comprising J. A. Perano, J. H. Perano. G. P. Perano, J. Hooey and B. Parkes. The party, which had set out along the coastline in a whalechaser, accompanied by the vessel Tuatea, which acts as mother-ship to tha chasers, first sighted the wreckage just before 3 p.m. It took the party about half an hour to climb the steep, tussock-covered ridge, and as soon as it was ascertained that the crew of the plane haU been killed, word was sent back to Flying Control, Wellington, by wireless from the Tuatea.

Commander 1 McLeod, who was a member of the Hokowhitu Golf Club, of Palmerston North, had been playing in the Picton Golf ? Club’s championship tournament yesterday and returned the best gross score of the day.