THE AIR TRAGEDY.

Taranaki Daily News, 17 November 1920, Page 5

THE AIR TRAGEDY.

PRESS OPINION (Lyttelton Times.) The tragedy at New Plymouth, by which a fine aviator and two citizens .were killed, is not easily explainable, since the onlookers were unable to do more than speculate as to the cause. The machine appears to have been in good condition, for it had made several successful flights on the day of the accident, while the skill of the late Captain Russell as an aviator is beyond question. Probably there was a failure of the engine, which, occurring when the aeroplane was at a low altitude, gave insufficient time for a glide into comparatively safe territory. The accident suggests the wisdom of using the very best class of engines that exist, and it may be that legislation governing this and other points in regard to aviation is necessary. The Government might very well take into consideration the general question of aviation and its control, for the science is developing very rapidly. While the New Plymouth tragedy shows the risks of "flying," it is nevertheless true that the ratio of accidents to flights is remarkably small in recent years, and that owing to the progress of aerial navigation and the stabilisation of machines, the danger to life and limb is a steadily decreasing quantity.