Lewis Taylor badly burned in Moth crash

[Dave Homewood]

Lewis Francis Paul Taylor, AE, LofM (US) (1907-1997) was a Union Airways pilot before the war and an RNZAF pilot during the war. Postwar he went on to become director of Civil Aviation from 1964-1972.

I have a few photos of him from before the war when he was a member of the Wellington (Territorial) Squadron and in those prewar days as well as a postwar photo of him in David Rendel's book 'Civil Aviation in New Zealand' I noticed he appeared to have had a badly burned face.

I looked into it and it turns out he was in a crash in a Gipsy Moth on the 22nd of September 1932 at Johnsonville. Does anyone know more details of the accident, such as cause, which aircraft, and how long it was for him to recover? By the look of things he must have been in hospital a fair while. Were his hands affected by the fire?

[Peter Lewis]

DH60G Moth ZK-ABH, Wellington Aero Club
Hit house & DBF in F/l Rotoiti Street, Johnsonville, Wellington, 22Sep32. Pilot Lewis Francis Paul Taylor.

I can remember reading an item about this - perhaps in a long ago AHSNZ Journal. A faint memory cell tells me he lost engine power, and was trying to avoid some children (in a school playground perhaps?) which caused him to hit the house.

[Dave Homewood]

Thanks Peter. Those pilots who crashed and were badly burned, and who after a long rehabilitation returned to flying have nothing but admiration from me. Pure determination and guts. Another in the same category is Bob Smillie whose Vincent burst into flames over Woodbourne in 1940. He rode it down to a paddock because he was too low for his passenger to jump out. He was burned badly on his legs, arms and face and lost the ends of his fingers. he was in hospital for three and a half years. When he got out at last, he went back to flying - only he never flew with a passenger again. He ended up serving two tours in the islands as an operations Officer and was awarded a medal, in the citation of which it was stated that his bravery was an inspiration to every man on the squadron. He was head of Castrol before and after the war, ironic is was petrol that burned him.

[angelsonefive]

aviation-safety.net/wikibase/65374

[ktaylor]

Sept 17, 2008 23:00:31 GMT 12 Dave Homewood said:

Lewis Francis Paul Taylor, AE, LofM (US) (1907-1997) was a Union Airways pilot before the war and an RNZAF pilot during the war. Postwar he went on to become director of Civil Aviation from 1964-1972.

I have a few photos of him from before the war when he was a member of the Wellington (Territorial) Squadron and in those prewar days as well as a postwar photo of him in David Rendel's book 'Civil Aviation in New Zealand' I noticed he appeared to have had a badly burned face.

I looked into it and it turns out he was in a crash in a Gipsy Moth on the 22nd of September 1932 at Johnsonville. Does anyone know more details of the accident, such as cause, which aircraft, and how long it was for him to recover? By the look of things he must have been in hospital a fair while. Were his hands affected by the fire?

Hi there, did you ever find out more about Lewis Taylor? And would it be possible to get copies of the photos you have of him? I've just been doing a dive into family history, and have learnt that he's a relation (he was the uncle of my biological father.)

[madmax]

A publication titled Phoenix To Control by Peter Butt printed in 1997 is a biographical sketch of Lewis Francis Paul Taylor and has images of the crashed aircraft and house it collided with

[nii8u0huhi54cqyicsmb]

Sept 17, 2008 23:00:31 GMT 12 Dave Homewood said:

Lewis Francis Paul Taylor, AE, LofM (US) (1907-1997) was a Union Airways pilot before the war and an RNZAF pilot during the war. Postwar he went on to become director of Civil Aviation from 1964-1972.

I have a few photos of him from before the war when he was a member of the Wellington (Territorial) Squadron and in those prewar days as well as a postwar photo of him in David Rendel's book 'Civil Aviation in New Zealand' I noticed he appeared to have had a badly burned face.

I looked into it and it turns out he was in a crash in a Gipsy Moth on the 22nd of September 1932 at Johnsonville. Does anyone know more details of the accident, such as cause, which aircraft, and how long it was for him to recover? By the look of things he must have been in hospital a fair while. Were his hands affected by the fire?

[nii8u0huhi54cqyicsmb]

Hi Lewis is my grandmother's brother. I spent alot of time with him in his later years helping him out with home care we had many long chats about his life every interesting his eye lids had to be sowen together for seven months to save his sight he married his nurse he told me the soles of his feet were starting to burn again like the day it happened his son took him from his wn home to AK to care for him before he passed

[Dave Homewood]

Welcome to the forum. Very sad to hear he still suffered from the burns late in life. A remarkable man.

[planewriting]

Contributors to the thread are recommended to read all the contributions that have been made in it.
In particular aviation-safety.net/wikibase/65374 recorded by angelsonefive on 14 January 2023.
Peter Lewis made reference on 17 September 2008 to an old AHSNZ article.
In the June 1972 AHSNZ issue is an article on Lew's history at the time of his retirement.
I stayed at the Mocambo Hotel in Nadi, Fiji in April 1972 with my parents. Dad, knowing him, pointed him out to me but didn't go and speak to him as he was deeply engaged in a breakfast conversation with two other men. Dad mentioned that Lew was about to retire and told me about the horrible accident, which Dad had remembered occurring.

[Peter Lewis]

DH60G Moth ZK-ABH, the aircraft involved.
Rongotai 1930 - 1932