DEATH OF PILOT

Waikato Times, Volume 128, Issue 21364, 7 March 1941, Page 6

DEATH OF PILOT

CRASH IN AUCKLAND PLANE LOSES WING WRECK NEAR HOUSES (Special to Times.) AUCKLAND, Friday Crashing straight down in an open space between two houses near the Otahuhu railway workshops when it lost a wing yesterday afternoon, a Tiger Moth elementary trainer aeroplane was burned out and the pilot was killed. The machine was from the Whenuapai Station. The victim was:— Leading-Aircraftsman Frank Robert Traynor, aged 19, an airman pilot under training. He was a son of Mr F. F. Traynor, of Birdwood Avenue, Papatoetoe. The machine was flying over Otahuhu at four o’clock yesterday afternoon when it lost its wing and many people saw the crash. The machine went into a spin, shedding one wing, which landed about two miles from the scene of the crash, and smaller pieces, which were later found scattered over a wide area. Witnesses considered that the pilot was unable to jump from the spinning machine, as he appeared to be trapped by the folded wing. A parachute was recovered from the wreckage. “Pieces Flying From It” “I was at home when I heard an aeroplane,” said Mr C. Hall, of Otahuhu. “By the sound of the engine it appeared to be ‘stunting.’ I tnen heard the engine roaring unevenly and ran outsiae. The machine was spinning down last, with pieces flying from it. One wing seemed to have gone altogether. Tne machine crashed and immediately caught lire.'' Missing tne homes of Mr G. Hotham and Mr S. Clark, off Kaka Street, by about 20 yards, the aeroplane struck on a grassy patch where children often play miuway between the two houses. Residents nearby ran to the pilot s assistance, but were driven back by the flames, which burned out the wreckage in a lew minutes. So intense was the heat that growing grass was burning when the Otahuhu fire brigade arrived. The flames were extinguished as soon as possible, and constables, aided by traffic officers and civilians, stood guard over the wreckage. Large Crowd Gathers A large crowd assembled, and it was necessary to run a wire across the street, temporarily fencing off the wrecked aircraft. 'Telephone messages were sent to Whenuapai and Mangere, and several instructors from the Whenuapai station who were flying with pupils in the vicinity landed in convenient fields and assisted the police. A St. John ambulance crew from Auckland and members of the Otahuhu Railway Ambulance Division attended. Born in India, Leading-Aircrafts-man Traynor was educated at Wanganui Collegiate School and Cornwall Park primary school. He enlisted in the Air Force in July last year, and was posted to Levin on December 1. A court of inquiry will be held.