PLANE CRASH INQUIRY

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19777, 3 November 1938, Page 7

PLANE CRASH INQUIRY

SUGGESTION OF ERROR JUDGMENT OF PILOT (Reed. Nov. 3, 9 a.m.) MELBOURNE, Nov. 3. Further proceedings were heard yesterday at the inquiry concerning the crash of the Australian National Airways Douglas monoplane Kyeema on Mount Dardenong, with the loss of 18 lives on the afternoon of Oct. 25. The cause of the disaster was an error of judgment on the part of the pilot but the error would not have occurred had the radio beacon been in operation, said Captain L. M. Diprose, flight superintendent of Australian National Airways. Captain Diprose said that he did not think the weather conditions caused difficulty, because it was not a bad day at Essendon for landing.

Captain Diprose said that one Australian National Airways plane had had beacon equipment, but it had been removed. The equipment could be installed again in a few days. He was unable to say when they would get equipment for all the planes.

Exeptionally Reliable

The pilot of the Kyeema, Captain A. Webb, had always been an exceptionally reliable, careful and efficient officer, said Captain Diprose. In his opinion the accident was due to an error of judgment. He thought that pilots had too many logs to make up. He added that he did not think such a disaster was likely to recur.

Wilfred Edgar Launder Cridge, radio officer at Essendon, said that he was on duty on the day of the crash. He knew the voices of the pilots. Cadet Phillip Pring was sending messages from the Kyeema practically the whole trip and gave a message that the machine was passing Daylesford at 7000 ft.

Weather Details Asked

Then the witness heard Captain Webb in the background say: “Ask Bill for the weather.”

There was some hesitation and Captain Webb took the microphone and asked for the weather. The witness gave the last report available at 1 p.m. and noticing a break in the clouds informed Captain Webb. Captain Webb acknowledged the information and said: “May I borrow a bearing from you later? We are about to enter overcast which is about 4000 ft.”

The witness said he had to operate the direction-finding equipment when pilots sought bearings. It took him about 1J minutes to give a bearing. The inquiry was adjourned.