THE PLANE TRAGEDY

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 21, 9 February 1937, Page 8

THE PLANE TRAGEDY

-Pren Association.)

Nurse Farmar Was Formerly at Napier PILOT WILLIS'S STORY

(By Tele^raph-

BLENHEIM, Lasfc "Night. v No Teason has yet tieen advanced by "fhose closely associated with. lier for jtEe action of Sister V. W. Farmar in tforcing open tbe door of the Marlborough. Aero Club's Waco cabin 'plane imd plunging to ber death 2500 i'eet above Cook Strait. From all accounts, Including tbat of Pilot-Officer A. E. {Willis, "who was in charge of the majthine, she was in a happy and cheer*ol mood before she entered the 'plane. ■ Mr. "Willis, who was obviously deeply hffected hy the incident, said this eveUhig that he had taken Nurse Farmar ko ihe aerodrome and on the woy tbere ■he discussed cheerfully. the tennis tourjnament that had been held over the Week-end hetween the Wellington and {Marlborough Clubs on the Marlborough jeonxrts. She had taken a leading part Ea arranging for the entertainicent of jthe "visitors, including supervising the jprovision of afternoon tea and supper, jand. she had talked of the week-end in ja, cheerful and vivacious way, displaykng not the slightest sign that she was Wnder mental stress. ■ "When we were about half way over the Strait," said Mr. Willl3, "she remarked that she wanted to get some-. thing from a handbag which was lying in the rear seat. Little movement was iieeessery for her to get it, and I had no hesitation in allowing her to move from her seat, particulaTly beeause she had ' plenty of experience of flying. "She shifted to the rear seat and the next X knew was that there was a draught in the 'plane. X looked round and saw that the door was open and Nurse Farmar was in the act of jumptng. X tried to'reach her but she elud-' ed me and she went through ihe d'.or before X could do anything iaore. "The whole thing happened almost tui a second. X got the 'plane under jcontrol again for- it needed immediate lattention and X went down to about 50 Ifeet but could see nothing. She disjappeared immediately she hit the sea land after flying round for some timo I jdecided the best thing X could do was jto return to Blenheim and report as boon as X could." Contact was made with the civil iaviatiqn authorities soou after the |*plane landed and an ordcr was rejeeived that it should not be ilown until finspected by a departmental offieer who rehia afternoon. flew to Blenheim on the jsirways service, and later accompanied jby Flying-Officer Willis (pilot.mg the ^nachine), Mr. A. A. MacNab, president »f the Marlborough Aero Club, and jConstable Smith, went up to test the idoor of the 'plane. A report will be {presented to the Depaitment and the {inquest will be held later, the date Ibeing uncertain owing to the n "essity for a reasonable time to elapse in case the body may be recovered. - tie eoroper will then consider the evidence pre-; pented by the police and mako a recomJmendation to the Minister. The tragic oceurrence, wMeh is the first of its kxnd in New Zeaiand aviajtion, has deeply affected the members of the Aero Club and hospital staff by whom deceased was highly regarded. The late Nurse Farmar joiued the; Wairau Hospital #in 1906, later going to Napier and afterwards commenciug priyate nursing. She was with the nurs--ing staff at the war and rejoined the Wairau staff in 1919. She joined Ihe Marlborough Aero Club .in 1929 aud had over 100 hours' flying expcrieneo. {She gained her A licence (endorscd) jand made several cross-country and jtrans-Strait flights both solo and with leompanxons and was to have competed at the pageant to be held at Wanganui ahortly.