NEGLIGENT PILOT

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 169, 4 August 1937, Page 14

NEGLIGENT PILOT

-Presii Aasociotion.)

Board's Finding Into Big Bay Air Crash LICENCE ENDORSED

(Bv Telcgraph-

WELLINGTON, Last Night. The conclusion that the Big Bay *air tragedy of December 30 of last year, when a passenger was killed and others injured, was due to the negligence- of the pilot, Mr. A. J. Bradshaw, was reached -*■ "by the hoard of inauiry appointed hy the Government to investigate the circumstances of the crash. , The report says that Bradshaw was issued a commercial pilot 's licence in June, 1934 He arranged to take, with himself as pilot, four passengers from the Myross Bush 'drome to Waiho Gorge. A party of trampers was at Big Bay, and one of the four passengers was to be landed there to join this party. When about to land the machine stalled and fell int6 the sea 75 or 100 yards from the shore. There was nq telephone in or about Big Bay, and it was impos§ible for liim to get exact information as to the landing conditions, hut he had flown .over the dividing ranges that morning and observed that weather conditions on that portion of the West Coast were satisfactory. The pilot said that the beacli was well ltnown to him and, when not carrying passengers for hire, he had landed there 12 to 18 times. Machine Overloaded The report said that, according to the evidence, the machine was overloaded 151bs. 2ozs. as to. passengers, and 301bs. 2ozs. as to commercial load when it took off, and by the time it reached Big Bay this would have been redueed by approximately 93^1bs of petrol and 3£lbs. of oil. Bradshaw did not actually weigh his passengers. He gave instructions that they were to weigh themselves before arriving at the aerodrome. He said one gave his weight as lOst. 71bs., whereas the weight of this passenger, wearing ordinary clothes and overcoat, three weeks before, was 12st. 21bs. Tlie pilot also had a loose four-gallon drum of petrol, weighing about 361bs. The report, dealing 'with the actuaJ approach to the landing at Big Bay, finds that the machine stalled througb insufficient speed, and finds also that the pilot 's practice of a low-speed glideapproach with use of a little engine to landings left a small safety margin. Even assuming, as the pilot thought, that the air-speed indicator developed a fault, an experienced airman knew by air-sense when the speed was such as, if not increased, a stall would occur. Indicator Did Not Eail. "The board is satisfied, on the eviftence, that there was no failure of the indicator. The aero club's pilot-in-structor, Mr. Smith, gave 80 m.p.h. a° i. minimum safe air-speed, and Bradshaw admitted that he was instructed by Smith, who trained him, that, with a load of 4201bs., he was to glide in at 70 to to 75 m.p.h. The pilot said that the indicator gave 70 m.p.h. at tho time of the tragedy, but, taking into consideration the rapid deeelejation oi the plane and the lag of the air-speed indicator, it would be quite normal foT the actual speed to be 65 m.p.h., when the indicator was showing 70." Smith said that in the machine concerned he always approached the landings by means of a glide without using his engine, and he so instructed trainees. Bradshaw, on the other hand, used the little engine and redueed the gliding speed. He admitted that, 5ft approaching, this machine squashed, and was, therefore, . in a partially stalled condition. This method had always been looked on with disfavohr by experienced pilots in single-engineS machines. . When, at a critlcal time approaching Big Bay, there was evidence of the Aachine being in a stalled condition, there would be a tendency to spin through having a little engine on. x-he pilot at this stage misusod tne controls by easing the stick back u rractlon, the effect being to force the machine into, and maintaining, a spin. "In the board 's opinion it would have been possible to avoid the spin or even correct the _ partially developed spin, if the pilot had taken the correct action immediately, putting the stick forward and giving the engine full throttle." Only Three Passengers. The report says that, to comply with the requirements, the pilot should have taken up only three passengers. That morning, also, he had landed at Myross Bush with four passengers and noticed .the machine did not behave .well, but forgot about the incident till after the accident. The incident should, however, have warned him that, when gliding-in, he should increase the margin of safety. He failed to exerciso that care and skill whieh the circumstances demanded. "Because this is the first formal in-jQ-iiry into an air accident; that the pilot is liable to pay £800 (the value of the machine); that he was incapi-

cated for a lengthy, period through mjuries; and that, although seriously injured and suffering much pain, he, by almost superhuman efforts, brought three passengers ashore and so probably saved their lives, no order will be mado against Bradshaw for the payment of costs." The board also recommended that his licence be not cancelled, but that it be endorsed with the material particulars of the accident. The view was expressed that, in future, lie pay more regard to the opinions of more experienced pilots, conform to regulations and directions, and provide a large r inargin of safety in his ilights. The board recommends that .no petrol, other than that in approved petrol tanks, be carried in aircraft carrying pasengerr-; that direction be issued to all pilots making cross-country flights that they send a telephone, telegraph or wireless messago to thelr destlnation, notifying the expected time of amval; aJso that they should leavc a route

card with a responsible offieer' at the hoine aerodrome,; that the provisions of section 18 paragraph 2, of sehedule 2 of the regulations governing aircraft employed on a regular line of serviee of public air transport be extended to include a provision for the certification by the pilot that the load is suitably secured; and that aero clubs and companies owning or hiring aircraft be advised that they should appoint some person wlio will be responsible for notifying the Controller of Civil Avialion of a^cidonts to thcir aircraft.