DETAILS OF TRAGEDY

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 91, 8 December 1931, Page 5

DETAILS OF TRAGEDY

(Press Assn.—

HEAVY MAIL STOPS 'PLANE FRQM RISING FRQM SOFT GROUND WHEELS STRIKE CANAL BANK

-By Telegraph — Copyright.)

Req. Deq. 8, 1 a.m. SINGAPORE, Monday. Later details of the Dutch air mail qrash indieate that the tragedy was due to a consignmerit of Christmas mqil which had been held up by floods. The grounfl was soft owing to rain. The 'plane arrived from Alor, Star on Saturday afternpon with Col. Brinsmead as a passenger. On "Sunday morning thq 'plane made several unsuccessful attempts to rise. On its final attempt it taxied a mile across the aerodrome to the qnd of the fiqld, which was bounded by two canals b order ed by an embankment several feet high. It appears that the pilot made a final effprt to lift the machine and that the 'plane rose about th'ree feet into the air over the canal, but the wheels collided with the embankment and the 'plane nose-dived into a rice field. It struck- the ground with such force that the motors were driven back into the cabin, killing outright the French city engineer of Bangkok, a Dutch commercial traveller, the second pilot and a mechanic. The ground staff of the aerodromeimmediately rushed to the scene. . Colonel Brinsmead was extracted ! from the wreckage. He. was severely ■ injured and was unconscious, as also . was the first pilot, who subsequently died. Colonel Brinsmead's condition I is critiqal.