AIR FATALITY.

Waikato Times, Volume 121, Issue 20276, 19 August 1937, Page 9

AIR FATALITY.

CRASH NEAR STRATFORD. BAD VISIBILITY. I PILOT GIVES EVIDENCE. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) NEW PLYMOUTH, Wednesday. The inquest into the death of Philip 1 Joseph Nathan, of Wellington, who was killed at Pembroke Road, Stratford, on June 2, when a Wellington Aero Club Miles llawk monoplane, piloted by Mr C. 11. Dunford, of Wellington, crashed during a foggy morning, was opened at Stratford this morning by Mr w. 11. Woodward, S.M. Dunford and Nathan were flying from Wellington to Auckland and had just turned back towards llawera because of bad visibility when the plane struck a hillock in a‘farm miles west of 1 Stratford. Nathan was killed instantly and Dunford has only recently recovered sufficiently from his leg ine juries to give evidence at the inquest. Dunford, a clerk employed by l ’ l Messrs. Joseph Nathan A; Company, s Wellington, said the flying weather s , was as good as far north as Waverlcy 1 after which conditions became humpy “ and a northerly wind was increasing. lie tried to follow the railway linos from Eltliam, but found it was im-

Struck a Hillock. “ I made up my mind to turn back as the flying conditions appeared to me to be no better than 1 had been passing through,” Dunford stated. “ I turned the plane lo the. right and just as I was turning I received a terrific air bump which affected my right wing. This wing had already banked with the turn of the plane and' the bump caused the right wing to drop lower. This forced the speed to increase and the nose of the plane dropped. I gently attempted to correct the turn and dive but could not do so and I felt the plane strike the ground on the side of the hill. The ■ impetus caused the plane to rise over the hill but It was then out of control and I could not get it hack under control before it crashed very shortly j afterwards." Formal Verdict. The verdict was in accordance with j the medical and other evidence, the medical evidence being that death was due to multiple severe injuries as a result of tiie crash. The coroner stated that his verdict would not go beyond his duty at the coronial in--1 quiry, which was to establish the j time and place of death.