LOUD REPORT.

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 43, 21 February 1939, Page 10

LOUD REPORT.

UNUSUAL MISHAP.

'PLANE'S TYRE BURST.

PASSENGERS DELAYED

(From Our Correspondent.)

WELLINGTON, Monday,

A punctured tyre and tube, an unusual mishap for an air liner, delayed the Union Airwaye' Lockheed Electra monoplane, which was to have left Rongotai aerodrome, Wellington, at noon to-day for Auckland. With a fuJJ load of paeeengers, the machine had just left the tarmac and was moving toward the runway before taking up position for the take-off into .a northerly wind, when the tyre on the port side of the undercarriage burst with a loud report. The machine was not damaged.

The monoplane was flown from Dunedin to Wellington, via Christchurch, this morning and had through passen-

gers and mails from the South Island. No apare tyree and tubes were available at Rongotai, and this equipment had to be. obtained from Palmerston North.

A second Lockheed was flown from Falmerston North and reached Kongotai at 2.30 p.m. with mechanics and the necessary spare parts. This machine left for Auckland at 2.55 p.m. with the passengers and mails delayed since noon.

Fitting of another tyre and tube was completed shortly-after 4 p.m. and at 4.12 p.m. the .Lockheed took off from Rongotai with the passengers who normally would have travelled to Auckland by the machine scheduled to leave Wellington at 3 p.m.

The first air liner arrived at Auckland at 5,10 p.m., 2 hours 10 minutes behind schedule, The second machine, which wag due at 6 p.m., arrived shortly 'before seven o'clock.

Owing to other difficulties encountered through bad weather in the South at the week-end, no machine, was available to run the noon trip from Auckland yesterday.