AUSTRALIAN AIR CRASH

Press, Volume LXXXII, Issue 24900, 13 June 1946, Page 5

AUSTRALIAN AIR CRASH

REPORT ON INQUIRY (Rec. 9 p.m.) MELBOURNE, June 12. Stricter medical examinations for civil airline pilots are recommended by Mr Justice Simpson as part of his findings on the crash of a Douglas Dakota airliner into the sea near Hobart on March 10, with the loss of 23 lives. Mr Justice Simpson’s report also recommends a review of the conditions under which pilots are carried for instruotion and experience, the use of flare paths for night take-offs and maintenance, until there is no possibility of aircraft having to return, and the selection and payment by th® Department of Civil Aviation of doctors making an examination of pilots applying for the issue or renewal of licences. Mr Justice Simpson said it was impossible to prove any nf the theories advanced for the cause of the crash. The plane’s plunge into the sea was caused by the forward movement of the control column. The diabetic condition of the pilot was the most likely cause. Theories rejected included structural failure, collision with a bird, and failure to remove the control clamps before taking off. The Acting-Minister of Civil Aviation (Mr N. J. Makin) said last night that a new system of medical examination was already under consideration.