Gavin Grimmer
Update Sept 2012
In February 2012, I was contacted by Barbara (nee) Morrison - the sister of Edward (Ned) Morrison the pilot of ZK-EBU.
She asked if I could help by researching the disappearance of her brother and his passengers.
Up until that date, about all I knew on this case was what I have published on the previous page, what little information was in the newspapers, and what Chris Rudge had written in his excellent book “MISSING”.
I had always wanted to find out more on this one but had until that point never come across any of the family or anyone that knew more.
I visited Barbara and got copies of everything she had on the subject.
I checked out the National Archives and found that there was a “Restricted Accident File” owned by the TAIC (Transport Accident Investigation Commision) on this aircraft, so I asked Barbara if she could write to the TAIC to see if we could gain access to this file. I thought that as she was family, and as the reason the file is “restricted” (for 60 years) is to protect the families, then the best chance we had of viewing it was for her to ask (rather than me).
Permission was granted so I went with Barbara to the National Archives and was allowed to photograph everything to keep for further reference.
On going over the files, there was not a lot that I didn’t already know apart from a hand written note on a map of “KAIPO RVR SHOOTERS ACFT AT 1220 29TH” and with an obviously questioned time of “1120?”
I had heard of these hunters hearing a plane in that area, but wasn’t able to find out what time that they heard it.
Interestingly, in my book “TRACED ...yet still missing”, (117 -119) I had built a scenario of EBU flying in there, and crashing into the side of a mountain whilst trying to do a reversal turn. According to these hunter’s report, EBU did in fact fly in there, but turned and flew back out again. Evidently they heard it flying off the coast for a little while longer.
The point I’d like to make here, is that the shooters heard it at 1220 and the person that wrote the note - trying to work out the track of EBU presumed that the shooters must have heard it at 1120 - on it’s way into Milford Sound, but I will show you here a much more feasible argument....
You’ll note the time of “1120” shown at Transit Beach along with the words “TRANSIT BEACH only force ldg area”. This time was recorded obviously as to the report given by crayfisherman Milford Whaitery (as per previous page) who observed an aeroplane flying into that area that morning in murky weather. This time also links in with Edward’s (nicknamed Ned) first radio contact with Milford Flight Service time of 1125. Ned was asked by Milford, what the weather was like out on the coast, and he reported that, “The cloud was down to 500 ft from 20 miles north of the Sound up to the mouth of the Sound”.
Herein lies a problem....As he had reported to have entered and flown over Milford at a height of 3500 ft - and he was observed by Milford at this height, was Ned’s observation of the cloud meaning the tops of the cloud, or the base of the cloud? To say it was down to 500 ft normally means the base was at 500, and it extended upwards from there, which meant Ned would have been flying below minimum legal height (500 ft) and then done a rapid climb into
ZK-EBU Pg 2
