CRASH ON LAWN

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 47, 18 November 1937, Page 6

CRASH ON LAWN

Our Own Correspondent.).,

Children^ NarroW Escape from Aeroplane MISSED DEATH BY INCHES

(From

. SYDNEY, Nov. 11. ' Tkree children . escaped death by . inches wken an aeroplane^crashed On to tke lawn of tkeir kome at Condobolin, New Soutk Wales. Tke pilot, .Mr Don. Dawson, of Sydney, and tke passenger, Mr Dunean Knox,. of Henty, part owner of tke aeroplane, were badly skaken but uninjured. S » Mr Dawson is a member of a "flylng circus." wkick was at Condobolin for an air pageant. Elying a. single-engined monoplane cabin De Souttar, ke was at an altitude of 1500 \ft. wken ke no-" tieed tke engine getting "sick." "Without warning," ke said, "tke engine cut dead completely, wkile 1 Was over tke town. I lost keigkt rapidly and decided to make an'attempt to land-on a vacant allotment at tke corner of two streets.'- 1 put down tko aeroplane 's nose and purposely crasked tkrougk tke street electric wires to tryand break down th'e speed. " 3rt was then tkat I noticed tko children, and, believe me, tkat the worst moment of my life. I dld not tkink I could miss tkem. In a flaslx tke crask came. Tke nose of tke aeroplane hit tke ground, tke engine dropped out and tke fuselage landed on tke fence and swung completely round. "I was dazed, and petrol from a broken pipe flowed over us. I feared iire, tkinking tke broken wires wkick were tkrowing blue sparks would cause an explosion. Knox and I scrambled out aud it was witk great relief tkatI saw that the children were stilll alive." Tke kouse by wkick tke aeroplane crashed was tkat of Constable Haray. His son Robert, aged 12, and daugktera Marie, aged six, and Molly, aged hjo, were on tke lawn wa-tcking tke aeroplane overhead. Marie, was sitting"ron tke fence and tke other two were Standing close by. On kearing tke cras-h Constable Hardy rau from tke kouse. The aeroplane was straddled acros3* •tke fence, tke tail touching tke verandak. Marie was still sitting on ker post a' few feet from tke aeroplane, and Robert and tke baby were crawling nnharmed from beneatk tke broken wing. Broken wires were round tkeir bodies but tkey kad not been toucked by live wires. Later Robert said: "We were watcking tke aeroplane and suddenly it started to drop down. It came nearer and nearer. and in no time seemed only a few feep from us. I tkougkt it was going to hit ns, and I grabbed Molly and dropped bekind tke fence."