STRUCTURAL DEFECT
MELROSE'S 'PLANE
CAUSE OF HIS DEATH
MELBOURNE, July 31,
After an inquiry into the death of the aviator James Melrose on July 6, the Coroner returned a 1 verdict that his aeroplane got out of■ control shortly after leaving Essendon' Aerodrome, resulting in the accidental death of a very competent airman.
Expert evidence was given that a structural defect in- the port main wing developed ■ while the aeroplane was in flight, resulting in its complete destruction in mid-air. An examination of the wreckage revealed a fault in that wing. ,
Melrose was flying a Heslon Phoenix cabin 'machine made in England. On early long-distance flights he used a Puss Moth and then a Percival Gull, but bought the Heston Phoenix to make a good-will flight from London to Adelaide under the auspices of the committee organising the centenary celebrations of South Australia. He dropped leaflets over centres of population on the route to advertise the centenary celebrations. In Australia he used the machine-in air taxi work, and on the last flight was ■ taking a mining engineer to Darwin so that he could inspect gold-bearing areas in the Northern Territory.
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Bibliographic details
Evening Post, Issue 28, 1 August 1936, Page 9
Word Count
190STRUCTURAL DEFECT Evening Post, Issue 28, 1 August 1936, Page 9
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