GRAPHIC STORY TOLD

Timaru Herald, Volume CLVI, Issue 22935, 4 July 1944, Page 4

GRAPHIC STORY TOLD

Plane Crash On West Coast Injured Have Trying Ordeal iN.Z.P.A.) NELSON, July 3. From statements made by two of the passengers to-day. it appears that the Air Travel iN.Z.i Ltd. plane crashed on the slopes of Mount Hope on Friday afternoon about three-quarters of an hour after it had left the Nelson aerodrome. Until then the trip had been a pleasant one and, although rain was met over Glenhope, visibility remained good. The passengers had no warning that anything was amiss, until the plane banked steeply and suddenly dropped into the bush on the hillside. The fuselage was torn open on the trees and most of the passengers hurtled to ground, some from a height of about 30 feel. Mr G. M. Strathmore was the only one who remained in the plane. The others were scattered about among the trees, one of the women corning to rest iii a sitting position still strapped in her seat.

Graphic stories of the crash and the subsequent happenings were told by Miss A. Patterson, matron of the Buller Hospital, when interviewed at the Nelson Hospital. Until the plane struck the trees, said Miss Patterson, she had no suspicion that there was anything amiss. The weather was fine tvhen they left Nelson anil remained so until they reached Glenhope, when they ran into light rain. Visibility remained good, however, and the rain was not sufficient even to mist the windows. Everything on the ground was clearly visible and she remembered seeing Glenhope before the plane left the road line to cross the saddle where the crash occurred.

The trip was very comfortable and she believed she might have dozed for a while but she felt the plane start to turn off its course, and it was immediately after that that they hit the ground. It seemed to her that the plane must have been caught in a down draft and dropped straight into the bush.

Before leaving Nelson the 'passengers were strapped in their seats by either the pilot or Captain Mercer, and when the crash occurred. Miss Patterson said, she found herself sitting on the ground, still in her seat. It seemed that the fuselage had fallen to pieces on striking the trees. Pilot Thrown Clear The pilot, Flight Lieutenant Lewis, appeared to have been thrown clear and was on his feet almost immediately but he was very dazed. Mr Perry had been hit on the chest and felt very ill and she had advised him to rest. Captain Mercer was lying further up the hill and he was pinned by a leg with one of the seats. The pilot was able to free him and he rolled down to Miss Patterson's feet. At the same time she noticed that the plane's first aid kit was also alongside her and she was able to give Captain Mercer an injection of morphia. She would have liked to have done the same for Mrs Russell, who was some distance away, but as neither of them was able to move this was impossible and she gave herself an injection. Captain Mercer seemed to sleep after this and the others sat down and rested.

Until then nothing had been seen of Mr Strathmore who had apparently suffered injuries to his head, but he was later heard moving round in the plane and Miss Patterson said she was very concerned lest he should fall through on to one or other of the injured. Finally he did drop to the ground and rolled down the hillside to Mrs Russell’s feet.

It was about 2 o'clock when the crash occurred, said Miss Patterson, and it was more than two hours later before Mr Perry and the pilot were fit to attempt to walk back to the road, which they estimated to be about a mile and a-half away. While Captain Mercer was conscious he and the pilot had attempted to work out their position in relation to Glenhope and the main Nelson-West Coast road. They could hear a creek quite close to the plane and the men decided to follow this down. Bitterly Cold Miss Patterson added that she was very concerned that the men would lose themselves in the bush because both were in very bad shape. Mr Strathmore left with the other two, but was unable to go very far and he returned to the scene of the crash. He was very dazed and did not realise what he was doing and caused a great deal of pain to the injured who were unable to move when he stumbled about the hillside and fell over them. Finally he settled down alongside Miss Patterson and slept until the rescue party arrived.

Rain started to fall early in the evening, continued Miss Patterson, and it continued heavily throughout the night. Conditions were bitterly cold and the rain seemed to be blowing right into their faces. There was no food or drink and the hours dragged slowly by with hope of rescue in the immediate future seeming very slight. It was 1.30 a.m. on Saturday when the calls of the rescue party from Murchison were first heard. Guided by a. series of calls from Mrs Russell and Miss Patterson they were able to locate the injured but in the thick bush it was halt an hour before they were able to reach them. The injured were given injections of morphia by Dr. Kunzweil who accompanied the rescuers and were warmed with drinks of hot coffee and cocoa. Little could be done for the injured in the way of first aid. They were strapped to stretchers. An arduous journey to the road commenced, through the thick undergrowth and clown the rough creek bed the going was hard, and it was four hours before the party reached the road

Miss Patterson paid a tribute to the rescuers. She said the injured were very lucky to have been brought out as quickly as they were. The cold and the ram were so terrible that none of them could have lived long.