§ 34. Mr. Hall-Caineasked the Under-Secretary of State for Air whether his attention has been called to the Royal Air Force aeroplane crash which was discovered to have been caused by a rag in the petrol tank; and whether investigations have diclosed how such an occurrence could have arisen?
§ Sir P. SassoonI am aware of the case which my hon. Friend has in mind. It has not been found possible to establish how or when the small pieces of rag got into the petrol tank, but even if this point were cleared up the cause of the accident would remain obscure; for very careful practical tests have been carried out using the actual sump of the petrol tank of the machine in question, and they throw considerable doubt upon any probability that the presence of the rags can have been the cause of the engine failure.
§ Mr. CocksWill the right hon. Baronet consider discharging some innocent people on account of this incident?