PLANE DOWN IN SEA
Man Believed Drowned
(New Zealand Press Association) GREYMOUTH, Feb. 28.
A Marine Department officer is believed to have been drowned early yesterday morning when attempting to swim ashore from an Auster aircraft which had crashed into the sea at Cascade Point, South Westland.
The pilot and another passenger escaped serious injury. Attempts are being made to salvage the Auster.
The missing man is Rodger Charles Watson, aged 24, of 36 Beauchamp street, Karori, Wellington.
The other occupants of the aircraft were Geoffrey Meldrum Houston, the pilot, of Okuru, South Westland, and Richard John Seddon Eggeling, also of Okuru.
The aircraft left Mussel Point, South Westland, on a survey flight on Thursday and landed at an air strip at Cascade Point. At dawn yesterday the three men packed their gear into the machine and prepared to return to Mussel Point.
Two-thirds of the way down the strip when the aircraft would normally have left the ground, it was still not airborne. At that stage, however, Mr Houston was not unduly worried, and coaxed the Auster into the air, but it crashed into the sea about 80 yards off-shore in water which was waist deep.
The three men climbed on to a section of the aircraft which was out of the water, and Mr Houston decided to swim ashore. Before he left Mr Watson told him that he could not swim, and was told to remain with the aircraft until Mr Houston brought assistance.
Swept Away Mr Watson apparently decided to attempt to reach the shore, but got into difficulties and was swept away before he could be dragged from the water.
Mr Houston reached the shore, launched a small outboard motorboat and rescued Mr Eggeling from the plane.
A search was made for Mr Watson, and later a message was sent by radio to the Awarua marine radio station, which informed the Greymouth police.
At dawn today, Sergeant J. P. O’Kane, of Greymouth, left by aircraft for Cascade Point with Mr Malcolm Forsyth. They arrived about 9.30 a.m. after making an aerial search for Mr Watson.
Searches carried out yesterday and for several hours today were unsuccessful, but will be continued tomorrow.
Mr Eggeling was flown to Okuru today, and the owners of the aircraft, Messrs Nolan Brothers, of Okuru, were notified. A salvage party was flown in today and an attempt was to have been made at low tide to recover the aircraft. Mr Houston is still in the area, and two more men will be flown in tomorrow to assist with the search and salvage. -Press, 29/2/1960.
AIR PASSENGER'S BODY RECOVERED
Swept Away After Plane Crash
(From Our Own Reporter)
GREYMOUTH, April 6.
The Greymouth police received advice this morning that the body of Roger Charles Watson, aged 24 years, an employee of the Marine Department, Wellington, had been discovered the previous day by Mr H. Buchanan.
Mr Watson was drowned when a plane crashed into the Cascade river at Cascade point. South Westland, when it failed to take off properly from the adjacent air strip.
The mishap occurred on February 27. The aeroplane, an Auster, was piloted by Geoffrey Meldrum Houston, of Okuru, South Westland, and a second passenger, John Seddon Eggeling, was also of Okuru. These two successfully regained the shore in water which was not very deep. Watson, however, who was not a strong swimmer, was swept away by the current. Searchers for the body have been in progress since then.
Constable S. Reid, of Whataro, was flown to the area today by Mr Malcolm Forsyth, manager of Coast Aviation, Ltd., and, at the request of Mr Watson’s parents, who reside at Oxford, the body will be taken for post mortem examination and burial at Christchurch. -Press, 7/4/1960.
Pilot Found Dead Near Plane Wreck
(New Zealand Press Association) HOKITIKA, February 9.
The body of the pilot of a West Coast Airways Cessna aircraft, overdue at Hokitika on Friday afternoon on a return flight from Haast, was found among the scattered wreckage of the plane at 10 a.m. today on Green’s Beach, a rugged area 30 miles south of Hokitika.
The pilot was: Geoffrey Meldrum Houston, aged about 28, married, with two children, of Hokitika. He formerly came from Gore.
Poor flying conditions existed throughout Westland when Mr Houston took off from Haast on Friday afternoon. The Cessna was sighted flying over Karito about 3.30 p.m. and was to have landed at Hokitika at 4 p.m.
This afternoon, the manager of West Coast Airways, Mr N. W. Rumsey, said there had been no great concern when Mr Houston failed to return. It was thought he may have landed at a new strip at Douglas river.
Bad weather prevented ah air search yesterday until 4.30 p.m. when there was a slight clearance. One plane took off and flew south as far as the Nikonui river but the weather closed in again and the pilot was forced to return.
This morning four aircraft, one from Franz Josef Glacier, one from the Fox and two from Hokitika, took off at first light. A private plane flown by another West Coast Airways pilot, Mr D. Wright, sighted wreckage on the beach at 6.15 a.m. There was no sign of life.
Helicopter Used A helicopter employed by the New Zealand Forest Service for dropping equipment in the Hokitika catchment area was called in and piloted by Mr J. Palmer, of Christchurch, left Hokitika with Constable R. Gibb, Mr Wright and Mr D. Pfahlert, leader of the Search and Rescue Organisation.
Wreckage of the plane was found-scattered in a northerly direction over a distance of half a mile from Opuku bluff, about 7 1/2 miles south of the Waitaha. river.
The pilot’s body was found about 200 yards from the mam wreckage and smaller pieces of wreckage were washed up further along the beach.
The motor was located in the sea about 30 feet from the shore. It is presumed the aircraft crashed into the sea and the wreckage was washed ashore.
The helicopter took only 30 minutes to bring the rescue party back to Hoktika. To reach the scene of the crash would have taken the party four hours on. foot through rough country.
The Hokitika correspondent of “The Press” said the Chief Inspector of Air Accidents (Wing Commander O. J. O’Brien), Mr P. Harvey and Dr. J. Larkin arrived by air at Hokitika this afternoon.
They will leave by helicopter at first light in the morning to inspect the wreckage. -Press, 10/2/1964.
Plane Parts Identified
(From Our Own Reporter) GREYMOUTH, March 24.
The wreckage which was washed up on the beach at Camerons during the weekend has been definitely identified as belonging to the Cessna aircraft which crashed into the sea at Greens beach, 30 miles south of Hokitika, last month. Some of the parts handed to the Greymouth police had printed on them the words “Cessna Aircraft Company.” As a result of the crash, the pilot of the plane, and sole occupant, Mr Geoffrey Meldrum Houston, of Hokitika, lost his life. His body was recovered about 200 yards from where the plane fell into the sea and an inquest will be held soon. -Press, 25/3/1964.
Coroner’s Court
PILOT’S DEATH
Crashed Into Sea
(From Our Own Reporter) GREYMOUTH, April 17.
A verdict that Geoffrey Meldrum Houston, aged 28, a commercial pilot,: was killed when the Cessna he was flying from Haast to Hokitika crashed into the sea off the beach at Opuku cliff, South Westland, on February 7, this year, was returned by the District Coroner (Mr R. Patterson) when an inquest was concluded at Hokitika on Thursday.
Evidence was given that Houston took off alone from Haast at 3.10 p.m. and was due at Hokitika at 4.15 p.m. An aircraft engineer employed at West Coast Airways at Hokitika, Desmond Robert Wright, said that the aircraft called on the radio at 3.15 p.m. but no position or indication of the weather was given by the pilot.
“When the aircraft did not arrive at Hokitika I called it on the radio repeatedly until 5.20 p.m. without success. The weather at the time had closed in and a Dominie aircraft owned by West Coast Airways was grounded by the weather at Franz Josef glacier,” said the witness.
He said that he did not worry unduly, as he thought Houston may have landed on an airstrip at Douglas river. The next day he telephoned a Mrs Blak, at Okarito, and learned that she had seen the Cessna fly over there at 3.30 p.m. on the Friday.
At daybreak on the Sunday, witness said, he flew south and discovered the wreckage of the plane on the beach, about seven miles south of the Waitahi river. Later in the day he accompanied a police party in a helicopter to the scene of the crash, where the body of the pilot was found on the beach.
“I am unable to say why the Cessna should have crashed, but would say from the damage done it must have hit at high speed near the edge of the surf. The aircraft was fully serviceable. Houston held a current pilot’s licence and I consider that he was a first-class pilot,” concluded Wright.
Medical evidence was given by Dr. R. T. Maloney, of the Westland Hospital, who said that the appearance and condition of the remains were consistent with violent death in an air crash followed by immersion in water. -Press, 18/4/1964.
Crash Cause Finding
(N.Z. Press Association) WELLINGTON, June 15.
Exceptional weather caused the crash of a’ Cessna aircraft into the sea off Greens Beach, South Westland, killing a commercial pilot. Geoffrey Meldrum Houston, aged 28, married, the Chief Inspector of Aircraft Accidents (Mr R. J. O’Brien) has found.
Houston had no instrument rating, but almost all his experience had been on the West Coast and he had close local knowledge. Mr O'Brien found that Houston’s inadvertent entry into cloud caused him to become disoriented, which resulted in the aeroplane diving steeply. -Press, 16/6/1964.
Hokitika Cemetery.
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