EYE-WITNESS’ EVIDENCE

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 17408, 5 November 1930, Page 7

EYE-WITNESS’ EVIDENCE

THE RlOl DISASTER NO BREAKAGE IN THE AIK {British Official Wireless.) Rec,. 10 a.m. RUGBY, Nov. 3. The RlOl court of inquiry to-day heart French witnesses from Beauvais and 'Allonne, including Albert Rabouille, who was on a poaching expedition and was qnite close to the spot where the airship crashed. The main point of Jus evidence was that the-airship, alter twi- 1 dipping, struck the ground, and that she did not break until she touched The witnesses generally agreed that the airship was flying low horizontally and rolling and dipping slightly. It nose-dived twice and the lights went out after each dive, and came on before the fire. , Alfred Rabouille, however, stated.that the airship was flying about 600 ft. a( a slight angle towards the earth and from there dived more steeply, but it had only dived once when it struck the ground. It did not rebound, but flattened out and exploded. He added that it came down 275 yards,, front him. There was no breakage in mid-air before the fall

Sir John Simon expressed the opinion that the witnesses’ statements that the lights went out was probably due to disappearance from view as the vessel turned its nose into the wind.