BLAZING PLANE

RESCUE BY CIVILIANS

Warm commendation of the prompt and willing action of two civilians who extricated an R.N.Z.A.F. pilot from s crashed and burning aircraft recently is expressed in a letter to them from the Air Secretary (Mr. T. A. Barrow), Flying Officer, D: G. A. Ritchie (Timaru) died some days after the Corsair fighter which he was flying crashed near Ardmore; but it is pointed out by the Air Secretary that ii he had survived he would have owed his life to the help given to him by Mr. C v D. Mclnnes (Papakura) and Mr. C. T. Smith (Takanini).

Mr. Mclnnes saw the aircraft jusi before it crashed and hurried to i the scene. He was confronted with a blazing aircraft, in which the paralysed pilot was trapped. Mr. Smith arrived a few minutes later, and, act« ing •on the pilot's instructions, he helped Mr. Mclnnes to undo th« parachute release and safety harness and get the pilot clear of the wreck. The Air Secretary's letter expresses the Air Board's appreciation of "an action that was most highly commend'! able in specially difficult eireJ I*^'1*^' stances."