INQUEST ADJOURNED ON VICTIM OF PLANE CRASH AT KOEKE

Wanganui Chronicle, 2 November 1950, Page 4

INQUEST ADJOURNED ON VICTIM OF PLANE CRASH AT KOEKE

TAIHAPE, Last Night (OC)._“At the time of the accident there was about a 10-mile-an-hour wind from the north-west. Thera was no low cloud, and flying conditions were good,” said Lloyd Kenrick Burch, of Wellington, when giving evidence at an inquest today on Stephen Ellis Symes, who died on Tuesday from injuries received in the crash of a Tiger Moth aircraft at Koeke. Burch, a pilot employed by the same company, the Aerial Fertilising Co, Ltd., of Wellington, said the aircraft had taken off with a load of cwt of fertiliser and was no' ever loaded. He said Symes took off at about 3.55 p.m. with a load of superpho phat°, and about five minutes later he landed and reloaded. “He took again and when v? had not returned within six min. dos, I became alarmed,” said witness “With assistance, I set off in a car to look for the plan?, which <1 c??rr«-d a valley wnere it was not possible to see or hear it from the paddock from which it was operatine. Shortly after leaving in the car, I was told that the plane had crashed. Wnen I reached the scene. I found Svmes I'l to 15 feet from the crashed plane. He was on the bank of a creek. Tie vs removed to the Reve’l homesie-'1 and later nlacm! in the p’"’ nlnnro p" removal to the Taihape Hospital. I accompanied hi”-* in th* -.mv,,,,.,. . * the request of Dr. D. L. Sm-’.?? . Symes died at approximately 6 p.m. while on the way to the hospital.” The inquest was pdjourned sine die by the coroner Mr E. Loader. The Inspector rf Aircraft Accidents, J. W. Kean, will visit the scene of the crash.