FLYING BOAT’S CRASH

Manawatu Herald, Volume L, Issue 40039, 14 December 1929, Page 3

FLYING BOAT’S CRASH

STRENUOUS ATTEMPTS AT

'RESCUE,

STRUCTURAL DAMAGE PINS OCCUPANTS ‘IN COCKPIT.

HEAVY IMPACT IN THIRTY ’FEET OF WATER,

Auckland, Yesteirday Further particulars concerning the aviation accident of last evening, when D. E. Harkness (pilot) and G. F. Goldsbro met their death through crashing into the sea, oif Milford, show that comparatively few ; of those who saw the flyingboat as it approached the North shojre witnessed the actual tragedy, the trees and houses hiding it, except to those Avho were on or near * the beach. Among those who saw it dive into the sea was Mrs. McInnes. She was standing on the beach with another woman. It appeared to them that the engine , stopped as the machine was turning, and they formed the opinion that the pilot intended to land then. When the spin developed, they thought that the pilot was stuntipg] but -as the machine shot/perilously near the water, they realised that it was out of control. It was then j that they toeaJrd two explosions, as though the engine had back-fired, the second report coming from the engine when the flying-boat was near the water. Mrs. Mclnnes rushed to the water’s edge, and, after sending one of the children for help, launched a dinghy which was lying on the bea'Ch. Wlhile she was doing this, two men arrived and jumped into the dinghy, accompanied by a boy. They rowed rapidly to the scene of the tragedy, several hnndi*ed yards from the shore. Part of the black hull of the machine was visible to those on the shore. One .man, who immediately secured a pair of glasses, plainly saw an arm reach up as though one of the trapped men was trying to lift himself up. The effort was apparently fruitless, for although he tried for several moments to extricate ihimself, he sank ba.dk, and disappeared as the hull subsided. When the first of the rescuers reached the scene, the flying-boat was- still afloat, but the weight of the engine was gradually submerging the folrepart. 'The cockpit of the upturned craft was several feet below the surface of the water. The first attempts at rescue were made by Stanley Bacon and Harry Abbott, members of the life-saving team, who. had gene out in swimming costumes. Diving under the • .flying-boat, they attempted to release one of the men by grasping bis agm, but, although he seemed * to move a little, all their efforts were insufficient to set- him free. At this time it was not known whether anyone had been in the machine besides the pilot, and those who were attempting the rescue were able to detect the presence of only one man. A life-saving line, . which had been brought out in one of the boats, was attached vto the tail of the wrecked craft when it became apparent that the occupant or occupants could not be released, and an attempt was made to tow the fiying-boat to the shore. This was soon'seen to be impossible, as it began to sink more rapidly; and, as a final resort, those in swimming cos- • tame tried to right it by putting •their weight on one wing. In five or ten minutes from the arrival of the l’secue parties, the flyingboat bad sunlk in about thirty feet of water. Fortunately its position was definitely located by the attached rope. Properly organised efforts to release the airmen from the wrecked flying-boat became possible only with the arrival of the Harbour Board launch Orere, in the command of the Harbour-master. Considerable difficulty Avas experienced in raising the submerged flyingboat, and Avhen this had been accomplished —nearly two hours after the crash had oecurred-r-it was not possible to release the pilot and l his companion until ( the machine. had been taken on to the beach. The-flying-boat .iwas badly damaged. One propeller-blade Avas snapped off short, and Avhole of the nose had been driven back on-to the cockpit. The wing had fallen in, and (the bodies of the two men were locked beneath the heavy Aveight of the Avrecbage. The • Avork of extricating the bodies was particularly difficult, and the croAvd, Avhich ■ persisted in thronging close to the machine, made the taslk, no easier. When the wing was lifted, it was found that a heavy boulder had lodged- between it and the men beneath. The nose of the machine had also locked the men securely in place, so that they had no hope of ' freeing themselves after the crash. On being removed from the damaged machine, the bodies* were ta - ken to a near-by shed, later being taken to the mortuary at the Auckland Hospital. OBSERVATIONS OF AN EYEWITNESS. Mr. C. W. Jones, a resident of Milford, Avho has done a lot of flying, particularly during the Avar, saw the Dornier seaplane just before it fell. He says: “As far as I can make out the pilot Avas trying to make altitude. His engine Avas alj, out. I could hear that it Avas losing revolutions, and had not the -power to climb. Just before it dived he throttled doAvn and tried to open her out again. The engine back-fired and the seaplane started to nose-dive. He throttled down again; she Avent into a spin, and there was a second baclk)-fire. He Avas only 80 to 100 feet up when he headed for the beach, and although the nose of the , machine was much higher than the ■tail, obviously in an attempt to

make altitude he was travelling on a horizontal plane. From the sounds-1 heard I think it possible that the mixture /was too rich and the engine was choking. She would backfire as soon' as he cut it down. 1 should say that the pilot was blinded by the spray which, shot up when the propeller struck the water.”

CROWD’S EXTRAORDINARY ■ IRREVERENCE. An extraordinary instance of irreverence marked the recovery of the Dorner-Libelle seaplane, containing the dead bodies of Captain I). E. Harkness and the mechanic, C. F. Goldsbro, at Milford Beach last nightAfter a Harbour Board launch had towed the partly-submerged seaplane to a point near the shore, the tow-rope was passed ashore, and a large crowd proceeded to haul the wreck clear of the water.

Many people, however, seemed unable to appreciate the tragedy, and some children enjoyed it immensely.

Knee-deep in the water, they 'splashed round the wreck trying to get a glimpse of the bodies', and as each wave came in shrieked with laughter at those who jumped too late and so got a wetting. Each time the aeroplane slid forward through the shallow water, the crowd hauling on the rope and those who merely watched, raised a combined cheer, until one of the constables appealed to their sense of decency.

“People! people!” he cried. “There are two dead mien in that aeroplane. For God’s sake, no cheering.”—but the crowd cheered him.