MISS SPOONER'S CRASH

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 137, 8 December 1930, Page 11

MISS SPOONER'S CRASH

MACHINE FLEW INTO SEA

United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright. "HOME, 6th December. Miss Winifred Spoorier and FlyingOfficer Edwards are both at Belmonte recovering. Miss Spooner, the British airwoman, who, with Flying-Officer Edwardsj left Croydon on Wednesday on an- attempt to beat the record flying time to Capo Town, was forced down by engine trouble in the sea off the Italian, coast tho same night. Their machine has been found to be damaged beyond repair. The. Italian authorities sent a seaplane to be entirely at their disposal, and the Italian Press publish lengthy articles praising Miss^Spooner's part in the adventure. * Miss Spooner was asleep, and FlyingOfficer Edwards was piloting at the time of the crash. Miss Spooner got into the water and lost sight of the aeroplane in the darkness, but through a driving rainstorm she saw a light at the railway station and managed to struggle ashore after swimming in heavy flying clothes for two hours. She asked that search parties bo sent to looff for Flying-Officer Edwards, and went in one of the rescuing boats. EDWARDS ALMOST UNCONSCIOUS. They found Edwards almost unconscious from loss of blood and exposure. He was clinging to the tail of the deeply submerged aeroplane,. but insisted on remaining there to superintend the towing of the aeroplane into harbour. Miss Spooner's own narrative throws fresh light on the adventure, and shows that the aeroplane flew directly into the sea. . After leaving Borne she. went to sleep. Three hours later she awoke and noticed that they were flying in a fog. She asked Edwards their whereabouts, and he asked for a navigation chart. While he was reaching for it there was a terrific crash. A few moments previously the altimeter showed 11,000 ft. She could not understand how the mistake occurred. Directly the machine struck, the sea water entered the cabin. "I made an exit through the window and began to swim," said Miss Spoonor, "I called out to Edwards, 'Swim for it!' He apparently did not hear me, I swam for two hours before I reached the shore." Members of the Italian Air Force dismantled Miss Spooner's machine for dispatch to Naples. Flying-Officer Edwards and Miss Spooner will proceed there before going to London in Edwavds'a moth.