WIFE OF DEAD PILOT SENDS HER SYMPATHY

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1032, 24 July 1930, Page 11

WIFE OF DEAD PILOT SENDS HER SYMPATHY

AIR VICTIMS INQUEST CAUSE OF CRASH A MYSTERY United P.A.—By Telegraph—Copyright Reed. Noon. LONDON, Wednesday. The flower-covered coffins of the six victims lay in a hut behind the tiny village tea room, where the inquest opened on Monday’s air crash, which occurred near Gravesend. There were affecting scenes as tile bodies were identified. A gardener described how one body fell in the orchard and rebounded nine yards to where he was standing. At the inquiry the coroner read a letter from Mrs. Henderson, widow of the pilot, expressing sorrow for the relatives of the victims and adding that no one would have been more broken-hearted than the late pilot himself. The inquest was adjourned till August 13, to enable the Air Ministry to complete its investigations. Shortly before the inquest four representatives of the Junker Company, the makers of the machine, had arrived, having flown from Germany. The remains of the machine were taken to London for further detailed examination by the officials of the Air Ministry, who are investigating the causes of the accident, which at present remains a matter of sfieculation. EXPERTS’ VIEWS Experts suggest that the engine may have slewed round through some failure in the fixing, with the result that the propeller, rotating at a terrific speed, struck a wing and caused.it to break off. One view expressed is that Colonel Henderson, coming out of the clouds in a fairly steep glide, was unable to check the glide and got into a wing flutter, the over-strain causing the wing to collapse. No signs of an explosion have been found. Viscount Ednam, husband of one of the victims, is suffering from ptomaine poisoning. He has left Le Touquet for England with'his mother, the Countess of Dudley. The disaster was the subject of a question in the House of Commons today. The Under-Secretary for Air, Mr. F. Montague, was asked to state what control the Air Ministry exercises over passenger carrying aircraft, whether such machines are subjected to periodical inspection, if so how often, and if he was satisfied that the regulations are carried out in such a manner as to reduce accidents to a minimum. SAFETY PROVISIONS In reply, Mr. Montague said it was difficult within the compass of a Par liamentary statement to summarise the very elaborate regulations prescribed by the Air Ministry in order to ensure the safety of passenger-carrv-ing aircraft. Briefly the Ministry required aircraft of the kind to be inspected within 24 hours of each flight, the inspection to be undertaken by a competent ground engineer, who was required to provide a certificate in writing. The inspection covered not only the machine but the engine or engines The person in charge of a machine had to satisfy himself that the various requirements had been met. REGULATIONS OBSERVED The Under secretary said he was not in a position to make any definite statement in regard to the machine which crashed until the investigation instituted by the Air Ministry into the accident was complete, but he was in general satisfied that the regulations were most strictly applied and everything possible was done by those responsible for the air services to reduce the risk of accident to a minimum. Mr. Montague took the opportunity on behalf of the Secretary of State for Air, Lord Thomson, and himself, of conveying to the relatives of those who had lost their lives an expression of profound sympathy in their bereavement. He was sure the House would wish to he associated with that expression of sympathy.