AEROPLANE DISASTER.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 1996, 28 June 1919, Page 1

AEROPLANE DISASTER.

GIANT MACHINE WRECKED. FIRE FOLLOWS THE CRASH. FIVE OF THE CREW PERISH. The annals of aviation, says a London paper, probably contain no more shocking accident than that which befel a Handley-Page machine at the Weyhill Aerodrome, some two and a-half miles from Andover, in the early hours of the morning, whereby five airmen were burned to death in full view of their comrades, who, owing to the intense heat of the flaming petrol in the tank, were powerless to render assistance. The ill-fated Handley-Page was one of the latest pattern machines, to take part in the contemplated circular trip round Great Britain. The Weyhill Aerodrome is most pleasantly situated, with a fine and ample taking off and landing ground, and during the past months hundreds of ascents and descents have been made there with this class of flying machine without serious mishap. It was just on half-past two this morning when the machine, already tuned up, was ready to start on her experimental lour, the crew aboard her numbering seven officers and men. Her twin Rolls-Royce engines were of 1,300 horse-power, and her tank carried 1,000 gallons of petrol. So successful had been her previous trials that she could easily accomplish a four-hours’ flight without having to descend for a fresh supply of petrol, and this was expected to be a feature of the test in the circular trip round Great Britain,

It was a moonlight morning for the start of the tour, with the grass covered with a white frost, but there was very little breeze in evidence, and this factor, of course, militated somewhat against this huge type of machine getting off so quickly. The engines appeared to be in good working order, and, all being in readiness, the signal to start was given. But what promised to be a pleasant and successful trip was turned in the space of a few minutes into a terrible disaster.

.From some as yet inadequately explained cause the machine did not make off the ground quickly enough, and veering in a southerly direction, failed to clear the roof of one of the permanent dormitories which skirt the Monxton Road side of the aerodrome. The collision carried away the under carriage of the machine, and by the force of the impact a hole was knocked in the side of the wall and the roof of the sleeping lint. Then, thus disabled, the machine came with a tremendous crash to the ground. In an instant the worst possible thing had happened —the petrol in the huge lank immediately caught lire. The whole machine was instantaneously enveloped in (lames, with five of the crew doomed to a horrible death.

The crash on the roof and the subsequent smash to the ground quickly brought out (he whole of the staff and raid;: and file of .the aero - drome, but to their horror they were powerless to render assistance to their doomed comrades. The heat from the burning petrol was ferritic, and five airmen were pinned beneath what was soon nothing but the burning debris of this leviathan of the air.

Two of the crew, however, managed to fall partially clear of the machine, and were cither dragged or crawled out of further danger. But they were badly burned, and were conveyed to Tidworth military hospital. It was some time afterwards before the charred remains of the five men were got clear of the debris.