PLANES COLLIDE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 20 February 1941, Page 6

PLANES COLLIDE

LEADING AIRCRAFTMAN KILLED ANOTHER INJURED. ACCIDENT AT HAREWOOD. (By Telearnoh—Press Association.) I WELLINGTON. This Dav. Ono member of the R.N.Z.A.F. lost : his life and another was injured this i morning when two aircraft, of which i they were occupants, collided while| 1 on training flights near the R.N.Z.A.F. | station at Harewood. They were:— i i Killed: Leading Aircraftman Wil-1 i liam Gordon Stephens. Next of kin. I Mrs Margaret Stephens, wife, of Nur- : sery Roed. Linwood, Christchurch. : Mother. Mrs A. E, Stephens, Mount i Hutt, Rakaia. ! j Slightly injured: Leading Aircraft-! man Waller John Willis. Next of kin. Mr Stanley Collard Willis, father. Karaka Road. Thames. Both airmen were pilots under training and they were engaged in solo flying practice. The accident ocI curred at 9.27 o’clock this morning, approximately one mile east of Hare-‘ wood. The two aircraft collided ini mid-air. both crashing. That piloted by S'ephens was wrecked. The pilot' was killed instantly and the machine! took tire on the ground. ; The other aircraft was badly dam-1 aged, Willis escaping with slight injuries. He was later admitted to the! station hospital. A court of inquiry will be held. FURTHER DETAILS FORTUNATE ESCAPE FOR SURVIVOR ! PLANE OVERTURNS ON ROUGH ! GROUND. CHRISTCHURCH, This Day. | The machine in which Leading Air-; craftman Stephens lost his life spun to I the ground after the collision and burst; into flames, It struck the surface of; the Burnside Road. The petrol tank j burst and fire quickly quickly envelop-' cd the machine. It was reduced to a charred wreck, only the metal portions outlining the framework and the engine remaining. The second machine turned away westwards after the collision. the pilot endeavouring to make a forced landing in an open paddock. In landing the machine tore its way { through a low gorse fence and touched j rough ground. The undercarriage was : broken and the machine turned com- ! pletely over on its back after travell- } ing a few yards. It was considerably j damaged and Leading Aircraftman j Willis was lucky to escape with only slight injuries,