LOST AIR LINER.

Waikato Times, Volume 116, Issue 19461, 28 December 1934, Page 5

LOST AIR LINER.

STRUCK BY LIGHTNING. FINDING OF THE COMMISSION. i . CRASHED WHEN OUT OF CONTROL. United Press Assn.—Elec. Tel. Copyright. LONDON, Dec. 26. The correspondent of the Times at The Hague states that the commission of inquiry set up by the K.L.M, Company to investigate the disaster to the Douglas air liner in Palestine has issued a prelimihary report. This states that the machine was found to he in flying condition, the retractable landing-gear being withdrawn. The wings wore in flying position, the engines were on the normal gas ignition, the landing lights had not been switched on and the wireless aerial had been taken in, which is normal when flying in a thunderstorm. However; at the spot where the small fixed aerial touched the baggage hold the fuselage, was, severely burned. Thus lightning apparently struck this aerial. The company stales that the pilots could not be blamed for dying at night as the weather reports were not Unfavourable when they left Cairo except for indications of a small local thunderstorm over the Syrian desert, A medical examination reveals the fact that the occupants Of tile air linel' were all killed by 1 lightning. This is the drst time this has occurred in the history of aeroplanes although airship disasters have been attributed to that Cause. The inquiry shows that the “dying hotel" crashed when out of control, indicating that the pilots were killed instantly in the air.