AIR TRAGEDY

Southland Times, Issue 22461, 22 December 1934, Page 5

AIR TRAGEDY

BIG PLANE BURNED ALL OCCUPANTS DEAD DUTCH DOUGLAS LINER SECOND IN AIR RACE (United Press Assn.—Telegraph Copyright.) (Rec. 12.35 a.m.) Cairo, December 21. The missing Douglas air liner, the machine that was second in the Centenary Air Race, was located by Royal Air Force planes near a spot ten miles south of Rutbah Wells. It had crashed and was burnt to cinders. The crew and three passengers, all Dutch, were killed. They were:— Crew. Commander Belkman. — Sleenbcrgcr (second officer). H. Waalewyn (mechanic). — van Zadelhoff (wireless operator). Passengers. D. Berretty (director of the Aneta News Agency, Batavia). D. Kost. Professor Walch, of Batavia University. The ill-fated machine, which was described as a flying hotel, was found near the spot whence she asked bywireless for her position yesterday. After that nothing was heard. The plane was 250 miles from Baghdad, whence the KLM (Royal Dutch Air Lines) Imperial representatives are now flying. A tragic coincidence is that the crash must have occurred while K. D. Parmentier and J. J. Moll, who piloted the machine in the air race, were being entertained to dinner in London in honour of their Melbourne flight. The Royal Air Force planes which spotted the wreck were unable to land owing to the bad state of the ground. The position of the wreckage makes it clear that the plane must have burst into flames the moment it struck the ground. One theory- is that the machine was struck by lightning before it sent out the last wireless message. These sudden thunderstorms send up whirling columns of dust and sometimes form a sand spout.

The scene of the tragedy is within reach of the British armoured car station at Rutbah, but motor traffic is impossible owing to torrential rains. News of the disaster caused consternation in Amsterdam. Relief was expressed that Parmentier and Moll were not on board.