RICHMOND AIR CRASH

Evening Star, Issue 24290, 3 September 1942, Page 8

RICHMOND AIR CRASH

RECOMMENDATIONS CF INQUIRY BOARD (P.A.) WELLINGTON, Sept. 2. The board of inquiry set up to inquire into the loss of the Union Airways Lockheed aircraft in the crash on Mount Richmond on May 7, reporting on the cause of the accident, made the following recommendations; That there should be a reorganisation in respect of the control of these stations, with a view to unification of control, and the provision of recognised and efficient training for officers. That the calibration of the direction-finding stations should be completed, and that the stations when calibrated should be cleared for general use at the earliest possible date. That the company should insist on its pilots arriving not less than 15 minutes before the scheduled time of departure of any commercial flight. That the personnel employed for recording the weather data should bo sufficiently experienced to justify confidence in their observations. The Minister said that : action had already been taken in providing for the additional training of radio operators for the direction-finding service, and consideration was being given to the hoard’s recommendation concerning the provision of unified control of the direction-finding stations. The calibration of all the main directionfinding stations had now been completed, and they would bo cleared for general use as soon as possible. The Alinister said that the other factors, including the training and testing of air line pilots in blind approach technique and the provision of efficient ground control bad to be taken into consideration before the calibrated di ruction-finding stations could be used with safety for blind approach. Union Airways bad agreed to give immediate consideration to the recommendation concerning the arrival time of pilots at the aerodrome. Concerning the meteorological observers, the Minister said that in many eases these were employees of the operating companies ami not of the Air Department. Instruction had been given to the company’s employees by the meteorological officers of the department. When qualified control officers were appointed it- was intended that they should be made responsible for furnishing meteorological reports