A FORCED LANDING

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 102, 1 May 1937, Page 10

A FORCED LANDING

MASTERTON PILOT

MACHINE AT OCEAN BAY

(By Telegraph.)

(Special to the "Evening Post.")

I •.'.' ' BLENHEIM, This Day. Soon after taking off from the Blen'■heim Aerodrome on a flight to Masterton yesterday afternoon Mr. K. Johnston,. .pilot instructor of the Wairarapa Aero Club, made a forced landing at Ocean Bay, near Port Underwood. The engine of his machine, Avro Avian ZK-ADQ, cut out owing to magneto trouble, and the pilot faced the position of making a hurried selection of a landing ground in hilly country. He succeeded' in making an excellent landing on a rough, sloping, paddock without injury to himself and only slight damage to the machine. Mr. Johnston was making a return flight to Masterton from Christchurch, where' he' attended a blind flying course.'He called, at the Blenheim Aerodrome at 3.20 p.m. and took off fifteen minutes later. He followed the usual cross-straight course of going some miles up the coast before turning to fly over the sea. and was just preparing to gain height for this stage of the journey'when the engine cut out. With the machine losing height rapidly he was forced to make the best landing he could under the conditions, and the most likely-looking ground from the air appeared to be a cleared paddock which, on closer inspection, proved to be sloping and on difficult country. Mr. Johnston succeeded in bringing the machine down to a safe landing, with only a slight crumpling of the undercarriage.

Mr. Johnston himself was unhurt and he quickly devoted his attention to securing the machine for the night. He spent the night at the homestead of a settler and came to Blenheim by launch this morning. This ' afternoon he intends flying to Wellington by the commercial service and returning to Masterton. .

What steps will be taken to remove the machine from its resting place are yet uncertain but the probability, is that sea transport will be necessary. Mr. Johnston' said that only minor repairs would be necessary to put it in flying order but unfortunately it was quite out of the question to take off from its present position. ■

The machine is the property of Mr. Johnston himself. ■