AEROPLANE CRASH

Wairarapa Daily Times, 18 April 1935, Page 5

AEROPLANE CRASH

OCCUPANTS ESCAPE INJURY. AUCKLAND, Wednesday. A Gipsy Moth aeroplane, when taking off from the Morrinsville recreation ground for a flight to Hawera,. looped the loop at a height of about 200 ft., went into a spin and to the horror of about 50 spectators crashed to the ground. The ’plane was completely wrecked but the two occupants escaped injury. They were Mr B. L. Haybittle, of Hawera, pilot, and Mr Gordon Carter, of Morrinsville, a passenger. Mr Haybittle had arrived in his ’plane from Hawera earlier in the afternoon with a passenger and he was setting out on the return flight at 4 o’clock with Mr Carter as a passenger. Soon after rising from the ground he looped the loop and when the machine went into a spin the spectators thought the pilot was again "looping.” The crash was a great shock to the onlookers, more especially as the wreck of the machine was so complete and anxiety was felt for the two occupants. It was fortunate that as soon as they were got out of the wreckage they received attention from Dr. King, who was among the spectators. Apart from severe shock which both men sustained, Mr Haybittle had only a minor cut on the head. Mr Carter escaped without a scratch. — (P.A.)