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FOUR KILLED IN
AIR CRASH
Two Bodies Taken
from Sea
MELBOURNE, Friday.-When a small air-liner crashed into the sea
near the coast of Flinders Island this morning, the pilot and
three passengers were
killed.
The aircraft was the twin-engined de Havilland Dragon Rapide of
Australian National Airways which has for some time maintained
the island service of the company, flying between Essendon and
Launceston.
The pilot was Captain
Charles R. G. Weston, married, of Rock Brook Road. East, St.
Kilda. The passengers were Mr. H. Seise, of the staff of
Amalgamated Wireless (A'sia), Ltd., a member of the R.A.A.F.,
L.A.C. Henry
David
Leaman,
of Hobart, and a member of the Australian military
forces.
It is understood that Mr. Seise was
travelling across Bass Strait to take
up duty as a wireless operator at a
radio station.
The air-liner left Essendon at 8.15 a.m. to fly to Launceston,
and was to call a Flinders Island
Soon after 10 a.m. a radio message was received from the pilot,
in which he stated that he was proceeding to land on the
aerodrome at Pats River, a few miles north of Whitemark,
No further message was received,
and an immediate search was begun, the badly damaged machine
being located in the sea off the west coast of the Island.
Up to to-night two of the bodies had been recovered.
Captain Weston, who was aged about 27 had been a pilot with
Australian National Airways for about two years. He was
stationed for some time at Mascot. New South Wales, and had
acted as co-pilot in the Douglas aircraft of the company, flying
over the whole of the interstate network.
Sydney Morning Herald 30 May 1942
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