TRAGEDY OF THE AIR

Taranaki Daily News, 31 December 1929, Page 7

TRAGEDY OF THE AIR

STORY OF SOLE SURVIVOR . . RISKS IN FOGGY WEATHER. t • - SUGGESTION BY A JURY. London, Nov. 26. It is not often that there is a sur- • vlving passenger who can tell what happened in a serious air disaster. At the : inquest on the seven victims of the wreck and burning of the German air liner in Surrey, however, Commander Glen Kidston was present to tell his . story. He was the only surviving passenger. Seven lives were lost. The evidence of the mechanics who had inspected the machine before flight showed that the engines were in perfect order. Mr. R. A. E. Jahn, manager of the German company, said that a normal service and not a fog service, was being flown by his company on Novemher G. Two machines left Croydon.that • morning before; the one that crashed, ‘ one being a Luft Hansa freight machine. When it was a bad’day the Air Minis ' try laid down "corridors” in lucli J' machines were to fly. He told the pilot ' to ..take this corridor, but the . machine ‘ crashed at a spot out of the corridor The’ services of other companies ..were ’ flying normally that day and all the. ' machines got through. ’’ The coroner, Mr. Nightingale, said that one would think that on a foggy day a.pilot would be on the iafe side • r and fly at an altitude of 500 ft or 600 ft;. ; If-lie had been 1000 ft up he would have been quite safe. ' ' ' >■■• ; 'Mr. Jahn;agreed’that if the machine ■ had' flown at 500 ft there would have - • been no danger. The pilot had instr lie ; tidns not to fly lower than 1500 ft, cr - • j copt when the weather was bad. >. ; ' Commander Glen' Kidston was next ’ (called. ’He said:, “j . was one oc, .the "passengers in the machine and was'tray- ■ c oiling from London to Amsterdam. The 1 machine left shortly’before 10 and -took ’ off ’very well." • / k> ? - MACHINE BURSTS INTO/'FLAME' ‘ The Coroner: You are an experienced' ’pilot? ’ ' t ’ Witness: Yes. I have had some ex- j ’perience. .1 was reading my paper and < did not notice the fog at first. Then the pilot gave a sharp upward turn to j.’the machine and I sat up and took . .notice. We were then flying at 30i „metres. .Twice the pilot pulled tin .‘-'joy-stick" up sharply. I looked out .tmd saw wo 'were perilously-, near tlie • trees. The •machine had to turn arid .was flying level',-and-at that time wo appeared to be quite normal. : “I realised we were turning backhand .then there was a -slight crash, followed > by a terrific one, 1.-think the first .crash was when the machine first hit the treetops. The two crashes wore almost .merged Into one, but there .was a slight .interval between them. Immediately I put .up one hand to protect my face and with the other .took hold of the side pi •■the machine. Then the second crash occurred and I found myself lying across .the .cabin. I just had time to think ♦Will it catch tiro?’ and absolutely at <mce,. like the turning on of an electric light switch, the whole thing flared up. “I had a slight struggle to get free, as there was a lot of stuff on my. logs, and then I fell out on to the ground. My. clothes were alight and I rolled over on the wet giw to put out the .flames. The whole' machine was burning red hot when I got out. I tried to go back to the machine, but it was absolutely impossible to approach. ' I went round to the other side, but could • not see anything nt all except wreckage. I filially got to a gavage a*'* l tele ' .phqncd for assistance." ■' • THE PILOT’S INTENTIONS. Commander Kidston told Major Cooper (a representative of the Air Minis'trvl. who sat with the coroner, that ho did . not see the ground for more than 15 seconds at a time after the machine took off. Within two or three miles of the take-off they were flying very low. , ■ - Mr. Beresford: Were the other passengers who did not hold on as you aid thrown higgledy-piggledy in the cabin? b-They may have boon stunned. ' Have you any idea what the pilot Tvas trying to do? —Ho was trying to find whore he was, and his mechanic was looking over the side with a map in his hand. I formed the opinion that the pilot was trying to get back. ■ Commander Kidston agreed, with Major Cooper that after brushing the tree-tops the pilot would have been unable to use his wireless to assist him •in finding Croydon again, as his aerial juvould certainly have been carried away. AN UNFAIR RESPONSIBILITY. Commander Kidston was recalled. for Mr. Beresford to put further questions to him. . , ! Mr. Beresford: In your view as a pilot do you think the pliot that morning should have taken off from Croydon or not?—ln the light of after events Ido not think he should have.done. • Mr. Beresford: As wo have heard from Mr. Jahn, a discretion is left to the pilot. What is your view about that? Have you any desire or wish to express an opinion in regard to it? ; Commander Kidston: ‘Yes; I thin.c a pilot is placed in a very awkward position under these conditions. He is ex- ‘ neoted to make his flight because he is a paid servant of the company, and if he may not like it he thinks he ought • to make' a shot flt it. I think that is unfair, because it places great rosponBibilitv on the pilot. I consider there ehould be an experienced official appointed at Croydon' to look at the weather reports, and then if he thinks it necessary say there should bo no flying that day, or for a couple of hours or

P0 '“I think pilots ought to have the final say. but there are occasions when the pilot does take a risk, and; I think this day was one of them. I think such a practice would save a lot of undercurrent, a lot of that feeling, ‘Oh, ho is not going up today; ho is funky. 1 think it would save an enormous amount of risk.” The coroner said that one or tno duties of the jury was to say whether thoro had been any criminal negligence or not. It appeared that there was a aworvo to the right or left, and it might bo that in altering his course ho did not realise that ho was so near Foster Down, with the result that ho camo into contact with the treo-tops. .He din not think there was any evidence of criminal negligence on the part of the jurv. after retiring for 10 min-

utes, returned a verdict of ‘accidental death.” They added a rider ‘‘that the pilot should bo relieved of starting on a foggy morning and that Commander Kidston’a suggestion might be gone into bv tho proper authorities.” ’The Coroner: Your rider is an expression of opinion? The Foreman: Yes. The Coroner: I think you may take it from mo that all the points raised at this inquest will bo taken into consideration by the Air'Ministry. —New Zealand Herald correspondent.