MANY AIR CRASHES

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 114, 31 May 1937, Page 7

MANY AIR CRASHES

i— Press A*»n,-

»■ 111 1 ■ Black Day for British Aviation TEN DEATHS IN 24 HOURS

(By Telesrspb

-Copyriebt.)

; LONDON, May 29. Tragedies marred Air Force displays hold in vsrious aerodromes in commemoration of Empire Day. Squadron-Leader Power was killed instantly at Waddington when his 'plane nose-dived during a loop. . Pilot-Offlcer Elms, participating ' in formation flying at Salisbury, nosedived from 300 feet. Thousands, including many women and children, witnessed these crashes. The third fatal crash occurred at Farnbrough, where a 'plane was demonstrating an intentional spin to avoid anti-aircraft gunflre. It could not right itself and fell several hundred feet, the two occupaqts being burned t.o death. A fourth crash occurred when a pilot crashed in a field near Tangmere. The public were unaware of the mishap. The flfth fatality was when a Percival Gull 'plane, participating in the Empire Air Day race from London to the Isle of Man, crashed into a house when taking off. It canght fire, killing the pilot, while the passenger was injured. There have now been ten deaths in Britain in the last 2ft hours. Tho programmes were carried on in all cases despite the fatalities. • j-t was one of the blackest days in British aviation. There were nine deaths in the Air Force, four of whom were killed on Friday while practising in displays. The Farnborough accident was especiaflly tragic. Anti-aircraft guns were firing dummy shells, bursting smoke Tound the 'plane which, when it hurbled to the ground with smoke issuing from the exhaust, was believed by the spectators to be part of the performance. They did not realiSe that the 'plane was doomed. The last words spoken into the radiophone by Flight-Lieutenant Tanfield when his 'plane was crashing, at. Tangmere werei "Send the fire engsne." Elms' 'plane tnrned turtle, struck the aerodjome upside down and immediately caught fire. Elms was th.roTyn. clear but was dead. The Percival Guli crashed at Sunworth at the start of the Isle of Man race. The wing-tip struck a house and the 'plane burst into flames. It also set fire to two houses. The Isle of Man trace ended in a fog, obscuring the finishing point and resulting in the alteration of arrangements against which a competitor protested. The committee are withholding the prizes pending a settlement. A crash also occurred in the evening at Doncaster, where a North-eastern Airways machine, giving passenger flights, fell on the outskirts of the aerodrome. The pilot and five passengers were severely injured and two died later. Eight thousand people witnessed the aecident.