Two Killed When Tiger Moth Hits Tree

Chronicle (Levin), 8 March 1948, Page 5

Two Killed When Tiger Moth Hits Tree

Press AssociationJ

(Per

CHRISTCHURCH, March 7. The two occupants of a Tiger Moth aircraft were killed when the air^aft struck a belt of pine trees near Cust about 3.5 o'clock yesterday afternoon. They were: Geo'rge J ames Keith Robertson, the pilot, aged 35, lnarriecl with tliree children, of 5 Wariington Street, St. Albans. Elinor Winifred Larsen,. aged 20, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. hofus Ltirsen,- of Springbank. 1 he aircraft bui'st into ilumes when the accidem occurred and liotli bodie.wej'e burnt almost beyond reeognition. Ihe trees the aircraft struck were 011 ihe property of 11. . ('. K, yiarshall. uncle of ihe dead giri. The aircraft took olf at about L'.oO 0 clock from a lield near Cust and was seen by .Mr. .MarshaJl aml his son (Mr. J. P. Marshall) circling their property. As it eame over the belt of j.ine t ree.about lod vards from the honlestead the right uing tipped a tree aml the air cral'l c raslied aml burst iuto tlames. Tliey rau over to ihe aircraft but could not get near it because of the intense heat. Alr. .1. P. Alarshall infoiined the police at Rangiora wlio arrived shortJy ai'terwards and extinguished the tiro. Alr. Robertson, wlio was a qualitied piiot and a member of the Cauterbuiw Aero Club, was an electrieian on tlustafl' of Airwork (N.Z.j Ltd. Ile was a I seigeant in tiie TLN.Z.A.P. cluring tho j war. The aircraft was owned by Alr. J. Neave, of Air Trausport Ltd.

At ihe iiKpiost, which was opened before the Coroner (Air. Raymoml Kerner) at Rangiora this afternoon, Charles Lincoln Buckling, farmer, of Spring bank. said about 2.50 o'eloj-k ou Suturdav afternoon his sister-in-law, Aliss Larsen, took oil" in a Tiger Aloth air craft tlown by Air. Robertson-. Ivater he saw the bodies of tivo persons by the sule of the aircraft which was stili burning. Jt xvas evident tliat they were the tiodies of tho two who had goue u]. in the aircraft. He said he ideutilhnl a wristlet watcli on the girl s bodv-as oue worii by Aliss Larsen. . Another witness, Jolui Campbell Wil liamson, inspector of vehicles, Dunedin, gave evidence that he was present w hen the aircraft took olf. Ile expected the flight to be a short oue and was concerned when the aircraft- did not return 10 or 15 minutes later. Short ly aftei 3 o'clock he was told that the aircraft had crashed. He iclentiiied the wristlet watel) worn by Rol)ertson, The inrpiestwas adjourned sine die.