Lae, Ng

Three Lost

Air Crash Of

WAILING sirens from Lae port brought cars and b quickly to the spot at 8.20 on June 8 when a two-eng Hudson plane of Adastra Au Surveys Ltd., Sydney, looped crashed into Huon Gulf v/ making a landing approach.

The plane broke in half and. appeared immediately but s time later two of the crew picked up and rushed to the hospital. They were navigator rick Joseph Murphy, 23, who on the way to hospital; and ph grapher Gordon Murrell, 21, died shortly after reaching

hospital.

The pilot. Captain Alan I teram, disappeared with the p and his body was not recove;; The Skymaster from Sy’ which arrived at Lae at 8.30 heard the last signal from doomed plane advising that it« going in to land. The Skyrm captain said later that condii at the Lae airstrip on appr. were very gusty.

The Hudson had gone out ♦ from Lae on a routine pH mapping trip but returned v the weather deteriorated. When preaching over the old Japs wreck, which is just off the strip, the starboard propeller feathered; the propeller on the; engine raced, the plane lifteo one side, banked, did a com* loop and crashed into the sea* Captain Motteram’s wife been living in Lae with their: young daughters for the last; months.

In the past year another Ad;i aerial survey plane was invr in a fatal crash in the T r .

Strait area.

Lae is an air town and an dent of this sort can be likene. a mine-disaster in a mining ce:e it affects the whole communit) Air accidents have been rare; last bad one at Lae was whi Qantas Drover plunged intoc sea killing all seven occupant* July, 1951.

This plane was on a roc flight from Wau and Bulolo;; weather was thick off Lae ano pilot was told to hang off ft while. He flew out over the I Gulf and when he did not ag after a few moments the mas the control tower became am and raised the alarm.

The wreckage was later fl not far off the mouth of the M ham River. Three of the td were recovered but two parti'i divers failed to find the £2: worth of gold bullion that had f shipped in the plane.