BRITISH AIRMAN KILLED.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1725, 16 April 1913, Page 9

BRITISH AIRMAN KILLED.

FALL FROM MONOPLANE. EEMARICABLE EVIDENCE AT INQUEST, Mi*. Geoffrey England, tho twenty-year-old brother of Mr. Gordon England, the airman, was killed in a flight over Salisbury Plain on Wednesday, March 5. Mr. Geoffrey England ascended alone in an 80-h.p. Bristol monoplane from Lurk Hill about mid-day. He flew in circles round the plain, and his machine appeared to ,bo in perfect order. The accident happened when he had been in the air about half an hour, and when he ivas about a mile from Lark Hill. The monoplane appeared to be -descending, when it swerved, and fell to the ground from a ■ height of some 200 ft. Tho pilot was killed outright and the machine badly damaged. The inquest took -place at Bulford Camp Hospital. Mr. Greville Smith represented the England family. Mr. George England, of tho Hollies, Walton-on-Thames, said his son was twenty years of age, and was a certified .pilot■ in tho employ of, the British and Colonial Aeroplane Company. A letter was received from tho dead man on Monday by his .mother, in which he wrote:— "I have just como down from tho. sheds. We are going to test four Rumanian 80-h.p. monoplanes. Piston went up in one, but found it a jolly sight too bad. Tho Prince had the cheek to ask me to do the duration test of one hour find live minutes in a very bad and gusty *vind, ,but I wa9 not having any. "Last night we had . a wire from the firm saying that the tests had to be done by next Iwirsday, good or bad weather. At any rate,'we will have another go this evening. Any day I may have to go to Germany, and you must not mind if you hear no moro from me until you hear of me in the Fatherland. —Your everloving son,—Geoff." i His son had told him ho did'not like the 80-h.p. machine, but said, he 'could not put his hand on tho weak spot. M. Jullerot, manager of the Bristol Flying School at Lurk Hill, said the mono, piano in , which England was killed'was one of four ordered for Rumania. Witness and Mr. Piston had completed the duration test in two of the machines. Mr. Geoffrey England mado a request -himself that he should be given the chance of flying one of the machines. Ho started tit five minutes past twelve on March 5, on an;hour's duration test. Over Stonchengo ho. was nearly 5000 ft. high. Over Fargo Wood it appeared that Mr. England MWas-'preparing'to comei .dowij/V Ho'- liad ■been 1 flying' about ' thirty-ninei ' minUtesl' The wind had jumped up to thirty miles fin hour. '

-Witness thought' the descent seemed a little steeper than usual. When the machine had dropped -to a thousand feet the engine' was cither being switched on and off or was running badly. "He turned sharply, and was making a cork-screw descent. I suddenly saw tho left iving of tho machine go down, and the' right wing go up to an agio of fifty degrees. I suppose ho got, a frightful wind shock niter tho bank. The pilot tried to warp, but I saw' tho left wing ily oil and the' machine fell like a stone." ' ■ Asked whether Mr. Pixton expressed any opinion about tho weather, witness remarked that' Mr. Pixton said it was unsuitable for climbing, but that flying was possible. England was not taking the climbing test, in which a passenger had to bo carried. England said he did not think a passenger would like it much. He knew that he would bo tossed about. Answering, further questions, M. Julierot said the letter from Mr. England to his mother surprised him. • Mr. |Smith: Are you aware of any order,' that good, bad, or indifferent weather, tho tests were to be carried out by Thursday?—l received no such order. Do you know of that order being received? M. Jullerot: Pixton had an order of that kind, from the head office. Mr. Smith: And that order would have to be obeyed?—Wo can use our own discretion. Was any time limit put upon tho delivery of these machines by the Rumanian Government ?—There was no, limit, but certain conditions made it desirable that the tests should bo finished by Thursday. Later the witness said ho heard Prince Cantacuzeue of Rumania request Mr. Pixton to take the duration flight on Sunday morning. England was standing close by, and the request was probably addressed to both. , Mr.-Smith: If you had had a longer time, would you have allowed the test to stand over yesterday?—l would decidedly have let it go. Later, however, M. Jullerot 6aid ho had misunderstood that question, but admitted that if there had been a week longer they would probably have waited for a better day. A verdict of accidental death was returned.