LUCKY ESCAPE.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 59, Issue 23, 7 November 1938, Page 3

LUCKY ESCAPE.

BOMBER STRIKES POWER LINE. CITY LIGHTING CUT OFF. (Per Press Association.) * WELLINGTON, November 6. Striking the top three wires of one of the two 110,000-volt power circuits from the Mahgahao station, near Pahautanui, on Saturday afternoon, a Blackburn Baffin bomber attached to the Wellington (Territorial) Squadron, Royal New Zealand Air Force, caused a complete interruption of the electric power supply to Wellington. The accident occurred at about 3 p.m. Brokpn wires fell on to the second circuit, causing the power failure in Wellington and the Hutt- Valley, and also in part of the Horbyvhenua district. Eighteen, minutes later the load was taken over by the Evans Bay station. The Baffin was one of two sent up to “spot” and “attack” the week-end camp of the Wellington Regiment, about three miles north of Paliautanui. Flying very low in Ahe valley, it dived at the head of a transport column whocli was moving across the paddocks to the camp. As the machine climbed out of the dive the under carriage and the tip of the right wing

struck the uppermost of four lilies about 50 feet above the ground. With a blinding flash of blue flame the line parted and a heavy insulator, torn from one of the pylons, fell to the ground, narrowly missing the leading unit of the transport column. The aeroplane was not noticeably.affected by the contact, and after gainng height it flew oil' with the other nachiiie. -

It was later stated that the pilot and observer were not aware of what they had struck, though the incident was seen by the occupants of the other Baffin. An examination at Roilgotai aerodrome revealed that the tip of'the right wing had been slightly damaged. Officers of the Wellington Regiment who saw the accident expressed amazement at the Baffin having escaped serious trouble. One said that had the machine lost flying speed noth!jig could have saved it from .crashing into the hillside opposite.