Caledonian

Air Crash

New Caledonia has suffered its second fatal plane crash in three months, following the December disaster when five lives were lost.

The latest occurred on February 28, when a Morane with three people aboard, plunged into the sea off Ponerihouen on the east coast.

The pilot, Mr. “Mat” Dubois, managed to extricate one passenger, Miss Gaston Morlet, but the second passenger, trapped in his seat belt, was dragged into the sea with the wreckage. Victim was Mr. Marcel Devillers, 39, well-known east coast personality, who was president of Poindimie Aero Club, to which the plane belonged.

The French naval destroyer Bayonnaise was called to the scene, with divers to help local inhabitants search for the wrecked plane. It was not until the third day of operations that the Morane was located and divers were able to extricate the body of Mr. Devillers.

Miss Morlet and pilot, Mat Dubois, after managing to swim several hundred yards to shore, were taken to hospital with burns on 70 per cent, of their bodies.