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Aviation History
1930
UNTITLED0 - 1300.PDF
FLIGHT, NOVEMBER 7, 1930 R 101 INQUIRY The Question of Loss of Gas THE Inquiry into the loss of R 101 by Sir John Simonand the Assessors (Professor C. E. Inglis and Lieut.-Col.Moore-Brabazon) was resumed on Wednesday, Octo- ber 29. Continuing his opening speech, the Attorney- General (Sir William Jowitt) dealt with the decision to make the trial flight (after the lengthening of the airship) one of less than 24 hours. This curtailment was sanctioned by Air Vice-Marshal Dowding (Air Member of Supply and Research), at the request of Wing-Commander Colmore, provided that Major Scott was satisfied with the behaviour of the airship. Though the suggestion came from Carding- ton, it was pointed out that the Secretary of State all the time was pressing the Cardington people to push on with the de- parture for India. Sir William mentioned that Sir John Higgins, the former Air Member of Supply and Research, had told Air Vice-Marshal Dowding that Colmore could never err on the side of rashness. The new Air Member went on the trial flight himself, and had reported on it. He said that all the officers were quite serene. Next Sir William des- cribed how Colmore and Air Vice-Marshal Dowding then had an interview with Lord Thomson to arrange the date for starting for India. Lord Thomson asked if Friday evening was possible. Colmore objected to this, and also to Saturday morning, as he wished to cross France by night when he expected better weather conditions, and also he did not want to reach Ismailia before sunset. Lord Thomson then said " You must not allow your judgment to be swayed by my natural anxiety to get off quickly." The Air Member then suggested to Colmore that, as there had been no full- power test on the trial flight, such a test should be made on the actual flight to India while still near home, so that they could return if anything went wrong. A diary of Lieut.- Commdr. Atherstone, first officer, was produced, and an extract was read, in which the officer remarked of the trial flight " Ship appeared to me to be better in the air than before." Air Vice-Marshal Dowding's report of the con- versation with Lord Thomson was corroborated by some notes made by Mr. Reynolds, private secretary to the Secretary of State. A certificate of airworthiness was issued to the ship on October 2. The Court asked on what report it had been granted, as Professor Bairstow had had nothing to do with the engines. The Attorney General replied that he had not yet had time to go through all the papers. Turning to the question of weather, Sir William said that before the start there was nothing to suggest that the wind would change so that the start would have to be delayed. Dr. Simpson (Director of the Meteorological Office) had reported that at the moment of the crash the barometer was reading almost the same as at Cardington, so that the navigators would have no difficulty in determining their height. The ship reported her height and temperature when over Abbeville, from which it had been possible to calculate the height of the ship just before she crashed. Taking the normal variation, it would be 1,600, according to Dr. Simpson's report, and it could not have been less than 1,100. Sir William said that it was unlikely that the ship was in difficulties from the weight of rain, as she had reported that she had begun to recover water ballast. From first to last there had never been anything in the nature of an S.O.S. A statement made by Rigger Church before he died was then read. He said that he received an order to release an emergency forward water ballast of half a ton, but before he could get to it the crash came. After summarising the evidence which the survivors would give, the Attorney General said that the Preliminary Investi- gation Commission had concluded that no part of the main structure of the ship broke in the air. Thursday, Oct. 30 Sir Stafford Cripps, Solicitor-General, addressed the Court, A report from Flight-Lieut. Irwin on three flights previous to the R.A.F. Display at Hendon was referred to. He men- tioned flapping of the outer cover, a number of small holes in a gasbag, and a loss of gas too great to be accounted for by these holes. He suggested that the flapping of the cover might have opened the valves. A valve was produced in the Court and its action was explained. Professor Bairstow, chairman of the Airworthiness of Air- ships Panel, was then called. Sir John Simon said that there was no need for too much elaboration of his evidence. If the ship did not break in the air, there need be no issue about her structure being strong enough. The Attorney-General intervened to produce the engine log of car unit No. 4 (the port midship engine) which had been picked up in France. Engineer Cook, a survivor, had been in charge of this engine at the time of the crash. The last entry was at 2 a.m., and the log showed that the engine had been running normally throughout at cruising revolutions. Friday, October 31 Prof. Bairstow continued his evidence, and agreed to make more wind-tunnel tests to satisfy requirements of the Court. The next witness was Engineer A. J. Cook, who was in charge of No. 4 engine unit (port midship) at the time of the crash. He had just taken over from Blake. He found the engine in order. About five minutes later the ship went into a slight dive, and the engine-room telegraph rang for the engine to be reduced to slow. As he turned it to slow, the ship began a very much steeper dive. He put his head out of the car, and then the ship struck the ground. He stopped his engine at once, and then came the second crash, followed by an explosion. His car did not strike the ground on the first impact. He thought he was trapped in the car, but he pushed aside a girder that had fallen outside the car and jumped out. His hands were badly burned. Mr. H. J. Leech, foreman engineer, next gave evidence. He said there was nothing abnormal in their start. He thought they crossed the Channel at about 700 or 800 ft. They had some trouble with oil pressure in the aft engine, which was put right. At the time of the crash, he was alone in the smoking room. The first dive which he would say was about 30 to 35 degrees, caused the glasses to fall off the table, and he slid up against the forward bulkhead. He thought this dive continued for three-quarters of a minute. Then the ship flattened out. He picked up the glasses and put them on the table. Then she dived again. He thought this was at a less angle Then he heard the telegraphs ring, about two seconds before she struck. Then the lights went out, and there followed a flash of flame. There was not a violent explosion, just a " woof," with no concussion. The flame appeared to come from the control car. The colour of the flame impressed him, as it was very white ; not like a hydrogen flame. There was thick smoke in the smoking room. He tore away a settee and got down into the hull on the starboard side. Below him were the windows, which had fallen from the lounge, and they were blazing. He forced his way through those. On the voyage, he noticed that gasbags 8A and 9 were surging, but that was due to the draught from the ventilators. Mr. A. Disley, the wireless operator, said that he was in charge of the electrical gear. About 10 p.m. he went to the control car to speak to the wireless man on duty. Lieut- Commndr. Atherstone took the wheel from the flight coxswain and pulled the ship up from 900 to 1,000 ft., and then gave the wheel back, saying, " Don't let her go below 1,000." Later he went to bed, and woke when the ship went into a dip. She then straightened out, and then the chief coxswain came in and said " We are down." The coxswain then left in the direction of the crew's quarters. Then the ship took a final dive, and he heard the telegraph bell ring. He got up. The ship hit the ground and then the lights went out. There was an explosion from in front of him, but it did not throw him off his feet. He turned off one of the electric currents, but had not time to press the second switch. There was no master cut-out in the control car. Engineer V. Savory said that he was in the starboard midship car. He got no signal to slow down. He only remembered one dive. Monday, November 3 Engineers V. Bell and J. H. Binks, who were both in the rear engine car, gave evidence. Binks came to relieve Bell at 2.5 a.m., and the latter remained talking with him On the second dive, which both said was not so steep ;>-'- tn* first, they got the order to slow the engine, and Bcli dm so. When the ship hit, water came pouring over them. and they got out of the car. A contour map of the district was produced with thf crash marked on it. The nose and tail were both on TB' 100-metre contour line, but the centre was over a slight depression. The wreck was heading S.S.W, which was not on the ship's course. Major Cooper, Chief Inspector of Accidents at the A 1228
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