KYEEMA DISASTER

Wairarapa Times-Age, 3 November 1938, Page 7

KYEEMA DISASTER

EVIDENCE AT THE OFFICIAL INQUIRY AS TO PILOT’S ERROR OF JUDGMENT ACCIDENT WOULD NOT HAVE OCCURRED. HAD RADIO BEACON BEEN IN OPERATION. By Telegraph—Press Association— Copyright. MELBOURNE, November 2. The cause of the disaster to the Australian National Airways plane Kyeema, which crashed into Mount Dandenong, 28 miles from Melbourne, with the loss of all 18 persons on board on October 25, was an error of judgment on the part of the pilot, but the accident would not have occurred had the radio beacon been in operation, Captain L. M. Diprose, flight superintendent of Australian National Airways told the Air Accidents Investigation Committee today. Captain Diprose said that he did not think that weather conditions caused any difficulty, because it was not a bad day at Essendon for landing. He said that one Australian National Airways plane had had beacon equipment, but it had been removed. The equipment could'be installed again in a few days. He was unable to say when they would get equipment for all their planes. Captain Webb, the pilot, had always been an exceptionally reliable, careful and efficient officer, said Captain Diprose. In his opinion the accident was due to an error of judgment. He thought that pilots had too many logs to make up. He added that he did not think that such a disaster was likely to recur.

Wilfred Edgar Launder Cridge, radio officer at Essendon, said that he was on duty on the day of the crash. He knew the voices of pilots. Cadet Pring, a member of the-vcrew, was sending messages from the Kyeema during’ practically the whole trip and gave a message that he was passing Daylesford at 7000 feet.

Then he heard Captain Webb in the background say: “ASk Bill for the weather.” There was some hesitation and then the pilot took the microphone and asked for the weather. Witness gave the last report available at 1 p.m., and , noticing a break in the clouds, informed Captain Webb, who acknowledged the information and said, “I may borrow a bearing from you later.. We are about to enter an overcast area which is about 4000 feet.” Witness said that he had to operate direction-finding equipment when pilots sought their bearings. It took'about minutes to give a bearing. The inquiry was adjourned till tomorrow.