Prominent Frenchmen Perish When Plane Fires and Falls Far

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 449, 3 September 1928, Page 9

Prominent Frenchmen Perish When Plane Fires and Falls Far

(United P.A.—By Telegraph — Copyright) (Australian Press Association)

Reed. Noon. PARIS, Sunday. M. Bokanowski, the French Minister of Commerce, and four others, were burned to death in an airplane, in which they were taking off from the Toulouse airdrome to-day, with the intention of participating at an aviation fete at Clermont Ferrand. Two minutes from the start, the plane caught fire at a height of 1,600 ft. It crashed and overturned. The occupants were dead before assistance was possible. • The other victims were the secretary of the Aerial Navigation Company, pilot Anin, mechanic Vidal and wireless operator Vellins. The bodies were burned to ashes. The Paris correspondent of “The Times” states that the entire Ministry, including M. Bokanowski, journeyed to M. Poincare’s country house at Sampipy to celebrate the second anni-

versary of Poincare's Cabinet, also the Premier's birthday. The Ministers left after lunch. Bokanowski motored to Toul, intending to fly thence to , the Auvergne flying festival at Clermont. His calleagues advised him to use the road, but he laughed at their fears, as he had previously made many flights, and was deeply interested in the progress of civil aviation, which was a department in his Ministry of Commerce. The machine was fitted with a new engine and conducted a trial. When it started on the journey, observers fancied that it rose tardily. An escorting pilot says the machine swerved and dived and apparently engine trouble caused a loss of speed. The remains of the occupants were unrecognisable. M. Bokanowski was identified by his watch, the mechanic by a lucky charm, and the pilot by a door key.