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Post by angelsonefive on Mar 17, 2017 10:05:19 GMT 12
More of the forum members' expert opinions, if I may.
NZ Archives Archway has the pilot of the above Cessna 180 named as Errol Colvin.
An Errol Warrington Colvin was killed in the fatal crash of Gypsy Moth ZK-ACI at Wylies Crossing near Mosgiel on 25/3/37.
An incredible coincidence, in my opinion, for these two pilots to have the same first and last names.
As E.W. Colvin was definitely killed in ACI (from newspaper reports of the time) it would seem that the pilot's name on the NZ Archives file for BJF is incorrect. All ideas welcome.
Thanks in advance.
a15
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Post by Dave Homewood on Mar 17, 2017 10:14:43 GMT 12
The Death Register confirms Errol Warrington Colvin died in 1937, aged 20, and Errol Colvin (no middle name) died in 1966, aged 25. Possibly a relation such as a nephew.
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Post by errolmartyn on Mar 17, 2017 10:19:36 GMT 12
Errol Colvin's date of death on the NZ BDM register is given as 5 (repeat) 5 Jan 66.
Errol
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Post by craig on Mar 17, 2017 17:51:53 GMT 12
Errol was killed in a take off accident. The aircraft became entangled in a old fence line on take off and failed to become airborne.
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Post by errolmartyn on Mar 17, 2017 18:26:21 GMT 12
Errol was killed in a take off accident. The aircraft became entangled in a old fence line on take off and failed to become airborne. AS mentioned earlier, Colvin died on the 5th, of injuries received in the crash of the 4th (so was not killed in the accident itself). Colvin, employed as a loader/driver and the holder of PPL, was acting as pilot for the return flight to base accompanied by company pilot Bill Dowden, who suffered only minor injury. Unfortunately neither man had fastened his shoulder straps nor wore a helmet at the time. Errol |
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Post by angelsonefive on Mar 17, 2017 18:36:22 GMT 12
Thank you, gentlemen, for your replies.
Now clear is the location of the accident. Tokanui. NZ Archives states Tokanui, but another source says Gore,Charlton which I took to be Gore Aerodrome. The latter location was, I believe, where Southern Aviation the operator of the plane was based.
a15.
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Post by errolmartyn on Mar 17, 2017 19:32:47 GMT 12
The accident report gives the location as 'adjacent to the airstrip on Mr Roger Turner's farm property at Tokanui, Southland.'
Errol
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Post by airtruk on Mar 17, 2017 20:26:24 GMT 12
Errol, do you have access to all the old accident reports/ briefs?
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Post by errolmartyn on Mar 17, 2017 21:29:02 GMT 12
Errol, do you have access to all the old accident reports/ briefs? I have a good number of originals or copies of them, also a long run of newspaper reports dating all the way back to 1899 (incidentally, I'd be interested in hearing from anyone who might have a good run of newspaper clippings for 1955-1956 and 1967-1973). This is part of a project resulting in the first installment of 'The Toll of the Air - New Zealand fatalities in civil aviation since 1899' (in NZ and overseas) appearing in the September issue of the AHSNZ quarterly journal The Aero Historian. The forthcoming March issue features Part Three covering 1935-1936. Errol |
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Post by craig on Mar 18, 2017 6:38:13 GMT 12
In fact both pilots had their shoulder harness on at the time on but Errol's broke on impact. Just to keep things factual.
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Post by thomarse on Mar 18, 2017 6:40:42 GMT 12
A15 I have that report if you want to borrow it
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Post by johnnyfalcon on Mar 18, 2017 8:30:50 GMT 12
So what was the eventuality of BJF? (I guess Peter will reveal that in the C180 thread)
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Post by errolmartyn on Mar 18, 2017 10:41:16 GMT 12
In fact both pilots had their shoulder harness on at the time on but Errol's broke on impact. Just to keep things factual. According to the accident report: 'Neither occupant was wearing a crash helmet and only the lap straps of the safety harness were fastened in each case.' And 'The entire cabin area was remarkably little damaged, and it is considered that had Colvin been wearing shoulder harness, rather than his lap straps only . . .' Errol |
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Post by baronbeeza on Mar 18, 2017 11:27:19 GMT 12
Unfortunately some of those accident reports have tried to rewrite history. I have seen errors in so many of them and in one classic I have seen a date that was two months out. I applied for a ferry flight concession to bring a time expired machine in for maintenance, followed by several phone calls to sort out the detail. I was a little surprised to see the report state that the machine flew in for maintenance some two months earlier, before I was even working for the facility. It would appear I needn't have bothered with the process going by the report. It was expedient just to gloss over some of the detail and have the aircraft in the hangar before the maintenance release expired. It did however show the machine being undergoing maintenance for two months more than it actually did. Possibly it showed the deceased in a better light. My version of the events is now wrong as far as history goes. I do have a copy of the ferry flight application still though  |
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Post by craig on Mar 18, 2017 11:31:29 GMT 12
Errol I would hope you of all people knows not to believe everything they read......
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merv
Flying Officer
Posts: 60
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Post by merv on Mar 18, 2017 12:29:56 GMT 12
Errol, do you have access to all the old accident reports/ briefs? We are getting of the subject of the original thread. However in "days gone by" all pilots received a copy of all Accident Reports and all Accident Briefs. I started getting all those c1961. I literally have 100's all stashed away. I never destroyed or discarded any. What should I do with them? We as pilots all learnt a lot from other peoples mistakes but sadly these days we are all deprived of any of this information. |
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Post by errolmartyn on Mar 18, 2017 13:32:21 GMT 12
Errol I would hope you of all people knows not to believe everything they read...... I do try to excercise caution in what I read but an official accident report, especially given the legal obligations that go with it, is less likely to be in error than most other accounts. I am not saying that they are necessarily 100% perfect but the rate of error is, I belive, very low. If you believe the report for BJF to be in error I would welcome any evidence that corrects it. Errol |
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Post by angelsonefive on Mar 18, 2017 14:15:24 GMT 12
A15 I have that report if you want to borrow it Thank you for the offer, but I now have the information that I needed. a15 |
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Post by baronbeeza on Mar 18, 2017 15:10:45 GMT 12
Interesting comments about the accuracy of these reports. I have been involved in accident investigations just as I have in courts in various capacities, both military and civilian.
Most court cases seem to me to get it about 80% correct, and that I suspect would seem to be the pass mark for these reports, probably for similar reasons.
The judge and the writer of these reports get paid to produce a result, they will be able to tell you how accurate they think they managed the end version.
In the report we wrote we knew that there were unanswered questions, in that the truth was being hidden. Even the typist knew it also and she made enquiries after the event and filled me in on more details months afterwards. It is strange how much more is unearthed once the actual report has been produced.
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Post by The Red Baron on Mar 18, 2017 15:49:28 GMT 12
Interesting point with the report is that it was published 1 month after the accident,not the 3-4 years it seems to take these days.
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