The Loss of an Air-Liner The loss of the Empire
flying-boat ' Cavalier,' between New York and Bermuda, is attributed by the Air Ministry's Inspector of Accidents to icing in the carburettors of all four engines. When the ' Cavalier ' was lost 285 miles S.E. of New York on January 21st there were three deaths, and it is disturbing to learn from the Inspector's report, which the Stationery Office has now published, that the captain of the Cavalier' had previously drawn the attention of the com- pany to the dangers of icing in the carburettors, which had already caused engine fading and failure on the trip to Bermuda. He had been " disturbed that the gravity of the situation was not more fully realised." On the very day before the accident he wrote a long report to London on the subject, and in the meanwhile research had been begun by Imperial Airways. The Board of Inquiry which was set up in New York by the Air Ministry on January 24th recom- mended that higher oil temperatures to assist in heating the carburettors should be allowed in the Empire flying-boats, and that an additional supply of heat to raise the temperature of the incoming air should be provided. The Inspector of Accidents, in accepting these recommendations, urges that the replacement flying-boat should not be sent to Bermuda until the latter improvement has been made. The safety recommendations are, according to the New York Times, all standard routine practices on American air lines, and it is impossible to disagree with the verdict that " the report does not make pleasant reading."
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