CHICHESTER’S CRASH

Hokitika Guardian, 17 August 1931, Page 6

CHICHESTER’S CRASH

MACHINE DESTROYED. } „ . . . . . (United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copy rignt.) TOKIO, August 15. The airman, Chichester, had just started at 9.50 a.in. for Tokio, when his machine touched a telephone wire and fell to the ground a wreck. There are no fears for the airman’s life SERIOUS INJURIES HOW ACCIDENT HAPPENED TOKIO, August 15. Chichester is in ' a critical condition, due to the injuries that he suffered to his eye lids and other parts of his body as he dropped down An attempt was made more than once' by him to take off from nine o’clock in the morning. He met wit 1 unusual difficulty, on account oif unfavourable winds His plane took the air- after fifty minutes, but she immediately'struck a suspended wire an dropped upon the stone fence of the Hot Springs Hotel. ' Chi Chester was pinned to the ground by the machine which was completely wrecked. Townsfolk hurried to the scene of the accident. They carried the avia tor to a neighbouring hospital, where it was found that one eye'lid was lacerated, and other parts of his -body were badly bruised and torn. Chichester was still unconscious at noon. EXPECTED RECOVERY. HOPES TO RESUME LATER. ;; TOKIO, August 15. * The New Zealand aviator, Mr Chi!Chester, crashed in his seaplane at .Katsuiira to-day, when he tcok off for the Kasumisara airport. The airman is seriously injured about the head and in the right leg but his injuries are not expected to be fatal. v , His machine was badly damaged. A later report stated that Chichester was slow in regaining ’consciousness after the crash. He was taken in a train to the hospital at Shinou, where it was found that his injuries were not so serious’as was at first thought. His lacerations are expected to heal within a! .month— '

The airman is in good spirits, and lie say's that he will continue his flight to Britain, via the Arctic, as soon as he recovers. The, Prefecture Governor has been instructed to render him all assistance. CHICHESTER’S INTENTIONS. TOKIO, August 16. ■; The' Chief of the Japanese Aeronautic Bureau states that. Mr Chichester’s machine will be useless for any further flights. The airman is now likely to return to.'Australia and.start again. FURTHER PARTICULARS. NEW YORK, August 15. The “Times’s”. Tokyo correspondent states: Ohicliester, on the last lap of his flight here from Katshura today, encountered difficulties in bis attempt to take off from the water, and after a fifty minutes’ struggle to gain altitude, he failed to clear the electric cable. The machine crashed on a stone embankment. ' He was seriously injured on the Read ,chest, and tlrghs, and will'be laid up for several weeks, but the physicians' at the hospital in the neighburing town of Shingu, where lie was taken, report he will recover.

The Government Aviation Bureau has sent officials and doctors to care if or him.

Townsfolk rushed out to extricate the flier from the plane, which was badly damaged.

The correspondent described bow valiantly Chichester struggled against the wind, which drove him low over cliffs near the water. There lie encountered the cable, which, caught the wing of the machine. The townsfolk carried liim to the local doctor, and at noon he was removed to Shingu.