Woman's Evidence At Inquiry

Chronicle (Levin), 8 December 1948, Page 5

Woman's Evidence At Inquiry

Press Association)

(Per

* • WELLINGTON, December 8. If the Kaka had continued on the course it was following when she was glimpsed in a cloud break over the ranges at 2.6 p.m. on October 23, it should have by-pa'ssed Mount Ruapehu by about a mile and a half, although it was then off its usual course by about that'distance, said Mrs. Beth Weedon Gilberd, the first witness when the Board of Inquiry into the Ruapehu disaster resumed today.

The chairman of the board is1 Sir Harold Johnston, K.C., and the other members are Wing Commander J. W. H. Bray, R.N.Z.A.F., and Captain K. A. Brownjohn, of Tasman Empire Airways. Mr. W. H. Cunningham appears for the Air Department and Mr. D. W. Virtue for National Airways Corporation. Mrs. Gilberd, the wife of a railwayman at Rangataua, whieh is about eight miles distant from the summit of Ruapehu, said she had had experience in identifying aircraft types during the war. The machine she glimpsed through the break in the cloud on October 23 was definitely the Lockheed. It was flying in a north-northwest direction, to the west of her house, against strong head winds. The engines sounded normal. . Robert Henry Schofield, stationmaster at Rangataua, which is a f ew miles south east of Ohakune, gave corroborative evidence. He said that the plane was definitely to the west oi' the station and was flying in a northerly or possibly northnorthwesterly direction. Findings At Wreckage Constable Walter G. Adsett, of Ohakune, who was in a police party which reached the wreckage on October 30, said the plane appeared to have struck a perpendicular rock outcrop and then slid down the valley for 50 yards. He described the position of various portions of the wreckage. Most of the passengers were in the passenger cabin on the floor of the cabin, witness continued, and most of them had the back portion of the seat strapped to them. The pflot was at the controls. The other bodies were found in the snow beside a break near the third window. They had apparently fallen through this break on the port side. There was no break 011 .the starboard side. If Second Offieer Russell had heen in the co-pilot's seat he might have been able to escape, added witness.

The cockpit was crumpled. All the« dead had suffered shocking head inquiries and probably died instantaneously. Constable Adsett said he was asked by the inspector of accidents to examine wrist watches or any other instruments he could read. He recovered three watches, all ladies' watches/ Commander Hare's wateh had only the hour hand in- ! tact. Four more watches were later handed to him. They had broken away from their owners. He looked for a clock on the instrument panel, but could not see one. Later, the dial of a clock and a portion of an altimeterfc dial were found at the rock outcrop where the plane had struck. Constable Adsett said that the trailing aerial was found in the plane. The right-hand side of the cockpit was the more damaged, but there was no indication th^t Second Offieer Russell had been injured in that side of the cabin. Witness gathered up papers and books from the control cabin. He also found a leather wallet containing a navigating instrument satchel which had Second Offieer Russell's initials inside it. Constable Alexander Stewart Ward, of Ohura, another member of the police party which reacned the wreckage, corroborated Constable AdsetL's evidence, adamg that a fourth body was found outside the plane. It was alongside the machine by the centre windows. One body was also found against the rocks by the port wing, which was torn off when the plane hit the rock outcrop. Second Offieer Russell was found about 2ft., 6in. from the top of the starboard wing and under 3ft. 6in. of snow. There was 110 indication inside the machine that Second Offieer Russell had been sitting in the copilot's seat. Difficult Conditions Peter Durning, an N.A.C. commander pilot, who flew from Paraparaumu to Whenuapai on the morning of October 23, returning early in the afternoon, said he encountered about 18 degrees of starboard drift on the way north and about 20 degrees of port drift on the way south. The radio was subject to a great deal of atmospheric interference.

As always from the centre of the island, no reliable betrings could be taken from the Wanganui and Hamilton homers, nor from the New Plymouth homer and radio range station, said Durning. Bearings from the Wanganui homer became reasonably steady when he was within 20 miles of it. Durning said that he had not definitely been able to identify the i New Plymouth East reporting! point. The usual procedure wasto take the approximate time to that. point and then try to get an accurate radio bearing. The position was never an accurate one in cloud. To Mr. Virtue, hd said that the | rain was heavier on the southbound trip and atmospheric interference on the radio was also, more pronounced then. In setting his course he made a greater drift allowance than his flight plan gave,

*as he was going up the centre of the island on a dire'ct track from Wanganui to Auckland. It was his practice in dirty weather to go on a direct track and, when approachtng Hamilton, to turn towards the Hamilton reporting point. The hearingis proceeding.