BRITISH TRAGEDY AT TUNIS

Hokitika Guardian, 23 January 1930, Page 6

BRITISH TRAGEDY AT TUNIS

THE PROBABLE CAUSE. '.J- (British Official Wireless). , ' . , RUGBY, Jan. 21. How . Squadron-Leader Jonps-Wil-liams and Fliglit-Lieut. Jenkins met with their fatal disaster in Tunis, wliile attempting to record a non-stop bight from England to Capetown, is the subject of the following statement by the Air Ministry: The evidence gained by tlie officials who went out to Tunis to investigate shows conclusively that there was no failure of the engine or of the aircraft. It is also certain, from a log book, which has been recovered, that tlie occupants had kept exactly on their course and knew their position. The cause of the disaster is believed to have been that owing to some unexplained circumstances, which may include a failure of the aneroid, the pilot had reason to think bis monoplane was several hundred feet higher than, it in fact was. There was a severe local storm in the area where the machine crashed, and it is believed that the pilot only saw the lull at the last moment, and that, in his endeavour to clear it, the machine lost flying speed, and dived into the ground just over the brow, an additional factor being a possible downdraught caused by the prevailing wind.