AIR TRAGEDY.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 2202, 13 November 1920, Page 2

AIR TRAGEDY.

SMOCKING FATALITY AT NEW PLYMOUTH. THREE OCCUPANTS INSTANTLY KILLED. Now Plymouth, Nov. 11. A terrible aviation fatality, involving throe deaths, ooonrrod near the Now Plymouth racecourse shortly after four o’clock this afternoon, when Messrs Walsh Bros.’ “Avro” aeroplane, carrying a pilot and two passengers, crashed and the machine was wrecked and the three occupants killed.

The dead are: — Captain Richard Russell, D.F.C., Croix do Guerre, the pilot.

Mr James Clarke, aged 41, Mayor of New Plymouth.

Miss Kathleen Warnock, aged2o. The Avro, which arrived here on Monday from Palmerston North, has been engaged daily this week on passenger Slights from- the racecourse, and Mr Clarke and Miss Warnock were making a short trip when the disaster occurred.

Prior to- the accident Captain Russell gave an exhibition of fancy (lying, hut when the accident occurred he was making an ordinary passenger flight, and was descending when he crashed. The' ’plane had completed its journey, and was descending towards the racecourse when it was seen to make a sudden ‘‘topple,’’ and rapidly fall, landing in a paddock not far 1 from the racecourse. When a dm'tor arrived all the occupants of the machine were dead. Hundreds of people-were watching- the flight, and they describe how the aeroplane suddenly toppled and swiftly fell straight down. ' A 'lady who was nearest to the scene of the disaster says that when it turned hehmd the school boardinghouse, the aeroplane, now only a heart two hundred feet off the ground, and a))pearing to be Iml little" a,hove the height of the hoardinghouse, seemed to-slow down, and this was more marked than usual when the engine is shut off. Then il swayed and tumbled at an uncanny angle, ft was out of coni ml; i! was falling; and down it crashed. Something had failed. The wonderful aeroplane, which a moment IreTore had conquered the air, was now lying on the ground a mass of wreckage. As (he ’plane fell to the ground out of coni ml, she says, the engine suddenly came on quite distinctly, indicating Hint control had been regained,- but it was 100 late, H came just before the crash, but (his eye-wit ness believes that if the machine had not been so low when (lie trouble occurred, I his recovery would have been made iu lime to avoid the disaster.

TilH IN^I'ICST. An impiol concerning I lie disasler wa> Ih*!<l to-night, before (he coroner (Mr T. A. 15. Hailey). The lirsl witness was Vivian C. '\Valsh,' engineer, of Auckland, who staled that Captain Hussell had been in his employ for over six months, engaged as a pilot. Jle was an expert and carefill man. The machine was in thoroughly good order, and had made sixteen successful nights with passenger's during that day, and also an exhibition llight. The lasi trip was commenced shortly after four, and the occupants were Captain Hassell, Mr Clark and Miss M’arnock. Captain Hassell did not say anything about the machine, and as far as witness knew it was in perfect order. The machine made the usual course, hut when turning in to make a lauding the “hank" (the leaning over of the machine) increased, as if it had been struck hy a gust of wind. The machine .went into' a “spin," and continued thus until it crashed. At cue period it seemed as if the machine was going to straighten, it did not do so. When Ihe machine started to spin it was about (wo hundred feet up, being (die usual height which had been observed at this point when descending. An examination of the machine immediately after the accident showed that the rudder and elevator controls were intact so far as Ihe outside parts wore concerned. A VICTIM’S DHOTHEW. .John Maxwell -Wai'nock, brother of one of the deceased, said he arrived at the ground just as the machine was leaving. lie was told his sister was a passenger. He had had some years' personal experience as a pilot. The machine “took oil:” all right, and behaved normally till turning into the wind to land, when it went inUru spin, but as he was not actually looking at the machine at the time he did not know the cause of the spin. I’orsoualiy he believed the machine was all right; lie had seen the same thing happen on numerous occasions to good machines.

CORONER’S VERDICT AND COMMENT.

The finding was that the accident appeared to have been due to a a nnJ'oreseen oc vu rrence.

The Coroner remarked that the machine had been in good order, and had been successfully used in flights during the day. He added a rider extending his sympathy to the relatives of deceased. (Such occurrences, lie said, happened occasionally, and he remarked that this was the .second lime he had held an inquest on. a crash, there having been one at Christchurch two years ago, due to a break in the wires of the machine.

THE LATE CAPTAIN RUSSELL,

Captain Russell, who was 26 years of age, was born at Winton,. and educated in Invercargill, and before the war he acquired note as

a- skilled mechanic and motorist. He received his first training as an airman at the Auckland Flying - School, pud went to England towards the end of 1017. Captain Russell received his final training with the 108th Squadron, which Hew from Andover to France in July of 10.18. . From that time Captain Russell was in the thick of the fighting until the Armistice. He wa.s shot down two .or three times while over the German lines, aiftl in October, 1918, was posted as missing. During* the German retreat he was, however, sheltered by Belgian peasants until he could return to the British lines.

For a considerable period the late pilot' was Flight Commander in charge of a D.H. it bombing squadron on the Lille-Bruges front, and it was while thus engaged that he brought down several en’emy ’pianos. He was also attached to squadrons working at Ypres, Somme, La Basse, Montdiddier, Noyon, Soissons, and Cologne, Captain Russell only returned to New Zealand at the end of last vea] - .

THE OTHER VICTIMS

MR. JAMES CLARKE

Mr James Clarke died on the anniversary of his election as Mayor of New Plymouth, ami 10-night he would have carried out his intention of resigning the Mayoralty. Born at Blenheim forty-two years ago, Mr Clarke entered into the Civil Service as a youth, and from (he head office of the Lands Department, Wellington, was transferred to New Plymouth about fifteen years ago. Resigning from (ho service, he joined Mr E. Gihnour in the linn of Gilmour and Clarke, land agents. Mr Clarke was a prominent footballer some years ago, and from his first election as councillor till his election as Mayor he has always taken a prominent part in local affairs. Mrs Clarke is now en route (o Blenheim, hut their two voung children are at home. ' MISS KATHLEEN WARNOCK. Miss Kathleen Vera Warnock was the second daughter of Mr and Mrs Warnock, of Hospital road. New Plymouth, and was twenty-six years of age. She had been employed in Rotorua for some time, and hud only been in New Plymouth for a few mouths. She had passed (he qualifying examination as it chemist, and was in the employ of a local pharmacy. Mr and Mrs Warnock had resided at Nelson for at lime, hut; returned to New Plymouth about two years ago.