LOST FLYINGBOAT

Press, Volume LXXIX, Issue 23976, 17 June 1943, Page 4

LOST FLYINGBOAT

STRUCK SEA DURING DARKNESS NO EVIDENCE OF ANY ' SURVIVORS From Our Parliamentary Reporter WELLINGTON, June 16. The crew and passengers of the fly-ing-boat, which was a Catalina, reported missing on a flight to New Zealand on June 5, 1943, have now been officially reclassified as “missing, believed killed.” This reclassification is based on the recovery of identified wreckage on Dravuni Island, some 50 miles south of Suva, and the absence of any evidence to suggest the survival of the crew or passengers. Next-of-kin have been informed accordIngiy. ... In making this announcement this evening, the Prime Minister (the RtHon. P. Fraser) expressed his deep sympathy, and that of the Government, with' the relatives of the personnel involved. “All possible action has been taken to find survivors,” said Mr Fraser, ‘‘Sea and air searches have been most thorough, but unfortunately no trace of the crew or passengers has been found. “An official inquiry has been held in Fiji, attended by all the authorities, including representatives of the Air Department, and the findings show that the aircraft was in sound condition when it left for New Zealand, and that the accident can in no way be attributable to any action or negligence on the part of the shore organisation. The loading of the aircraft was well below the maximum permissible. “It is clear from the established facts,” Mr Fraser continued, “that the flying-boat struck the sea during darkness, and was broken by the impact, but there is no evidence to show the primary cause of the accident. The crew were highly competent and experienced, and the captain of the fly-ing-boat, Squadron Leader H. B. L. MacGregor, was regarded as one of the most capable and expert pilots in the Air Force' “Although continued efforts will be made to shed some new light on this most regrettable loss, I fear that the cause may remain unknown. The record of our reconnaissance squadrons for reliability has been of the highest, and the lost flying-boat, only recently flown out from America by a New Zealand crew, was in first-class condition and of modern design,”