PLANE DISAPPEARED

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 211, 22 September 1937, Page 9

PLANE DISAPPEARED

■Press Association.)

Inquiry Into Cook Strait " Tragedy PILOTS DESCRIBE SEARCH

(By Telegraoh—

WELLINGTON, Last Night: .The disappearance over Cook fcjtrait on March Z'6 of a de Havilland Moth 'plane belonging to .the Western Eederatcd Aero CiuD, when returning from the pageant at Hokitika, was the subjeet of an inquiry to-day. The machine was piloted by Mr. Arthur Smith, of Pungarehu, near Opunake, and Mr. J. Hamill, o'f Pungarehu, was a passenger. Several small pieces of wreckage were subsequently recovered on the coast ,north of Makara, but no trace of the ibodies was found. The Inquiry Board comprised Mr. E. . W, Stillwell, S.M., Elight-Lieutenant Burrell, Elyiug-Officer Orchard. Dr. N. A. Eoden conducted the inquiry on behalf pf the Air Department. Cyril Henjy Plumtree, pilot of the machine which Smith was following, gave evidence of not receiving any waxning of clouds in the vicinity oi,' Terawhiti. When he last saw the other 'plane he was at 200 f eet altitude. The other 'plane was thefc maintaining its position and if Smith had maintained that angle and did not turn when witness did, he would hit the water. Elight-Lieutenant E. J, Cohen, Koyal New Zealand Air Eorce, said he was at Eongotai when the first report that the machine was feared to be missing was made. He set out and flew around the coast to Cape Terawhiti at a low altitude and found cloud very much in evidence there. Eobert Erancis Smiilie, companj manager, said he took part in ,the pageant and Temembered that SquadronLeader Steadman mentioned the cloud bank over Cape Terawhiti. Elying-Officer J. M. Buckeridge, senior assistant to the Controller of Civil Aviation, produced a report describing the sequence of operations in searching for the missing 'plane. At the conclusion of the evidence, Mr. Stillwell said the circumstances of the tragedy had been covered as fully as possible. All tbat remained was thc board 's decision, which would be re served but delivcrcd iu due course.