'PLANE AMOK

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 3, Issue 711, 11 December 1933, Page 5

'PLANE AMOK

(Press Assn.-

excit1ng accident moth gets away, crashes into motor-cap at hamilton . SENSATIONAL OCCURRENCE

-By Telegrapli— Copyriglit).

Auckland, Sunday. An unusual accident occurred at the Te Rapa aerodrome, Hamilton, this morning, when a Moth aeroplane ran amok with no one at the controls and after careering round the aerodrome, crashed into'a new motorcar staiuling at the entrance to the hangar. The machine, which belongs to the Western Federated Fly-. ing Club, of New Plymouth, was flown from New Plymouth yesterday by Mr. Kenneth Bartlett. With a view to making a flight Mr. Bartlett gave the propellor a swing, but unluckily the throttle was wide op.en and the machine started forward the pilot being struck and knocked down by one of the wings, receiving bruises to his back. Mr. Gordon Lindsay made a frantic effort to reach the controls by jumping on to the moving machine which, however, quickly gathered speed and forced him to jump clear. Several bystanders made vain _ attempt to stop the machine by grasping the wings and the tail. Somebody gg.vo the tail-a twist with the result that the machine swept round in a wide are, finally crashing into a motor car. The impaet was severe and the 'plane's propeller was snapped off, the wings broken and the under carriage shattered. The body of the car was extensively damaged.