FATAL CRASH

Wairarapa Times-Age, 19 April 1941, Page 4

FATAL CRASH

IN RANGITOTO CHANNEL PILOT OFFICER KILLED. COMPANION RESCUED. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) AUCKLAND, April 18. One officer lost his life and another escaped with minor injuries when a Tiger Moth aeroplane from the Royal New Zealand Air Force base at Hobsonville crashed into Rangitoto Channel, near Castor Bay, this afternoon. The survivor was brought ashore by a party of men of the Royal New Zealand Artillery who had seen the crash and who swam nearly half a mile in all to the flier’s assistance. The victims were:— Killed. Pilot Officer Bertrand William Butler, aged 25, single, son of Mr J. P. Butler, Invercargill. A brother is Brother Patrick, of the Sacred Heart College, Auckland. Injured. Pilot Officer Maurice Harry Hoy, aged 21, single, son of Mr H. Hoy, 35 Grafton Road, Roseneath, Wellington. He received shock and abrasions, and, after being attended by a doctor, he was admitted to hospital. He. has a brother serving with the Air Force at Whenuapai. Both officers had recently been transferred to Hobsonville, where they were to begin the instructors’ course on Monday. They were in one of the station aircraft fitted with dual controls, and it is not definitely known which of the two was actually flying the machine at the time of the accident.

The body of Pilot Officer Butler was found and brought to Auckland and the wrecked machine was dragged ashore on the beach by a naval party. PROMPT RESCUE EFFORT. The prompt rescue of Pilot Officer Hoy was made by Gunners O’Meara, Tipkins and Mansell, all of the Royal Artillery, assisted by a Maori, Mr W. Chelford, Castor Bay, who was working in the vicinity. From the top of the steep cliffs overlooking the channel they had seen the aeroplane crash and they also saw Pilot Officer Hoy climb from the wrecked machine and grip the tail, which was protruding from the water. The aircraft sank rapidly, however, leaving the survivor struggling in the water in his heavy flying clothes and attempting to swim about 400 yards to the shore. Hurriedly climbing down the cliff to the small beach, O’Meara and Hipkins threw off their clothes and swam out to Hoy. They supported him and were later joined by Mansell and Chelford, who had brought a rope. The five men came ashore together without great difficulty and without using the rope.

Hoy was attended by an Army doctor who had been called. There was no trace of Butler, who is believed to have been caught in the machine when the wings buckled under the impact of the crash. Naval launches were quickly on the scene and Butler’s body was later recovered with the wrecked machine.

The accident and the subsequent rescue were witnessed by many people living in the neighbourhood. They spoke highly of the promptness with which those nearest went to the assistance of the airmen. Pilot Officer Butler was born in Invercargill and educated at the Marist Brothers’ School there and at Sacred Heart College, Auckland. He joined the Air Force last year and was trained in Levin, Dunedin and Blenheim, being transferred to Hobsonville less than a fortnight ago.