PLANE RUNS AWAY

Press, Volume XCII, Issue 27751, 31 August 1955, Page 13

PLANE RUNS AWAY

Pilotless Flight Over Sydney (N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) (Rec. 10 p.m.) SYDNEY, August 30. Leaving its pilot on the tarmac, a light plane today took off by itself from Bank st own aerodrome and circled crazily over Sydney and the coastline for nearly three hours. It drifted north and over the coastline until it was six miles off Palm Beach—about 30 miles from the city. Here it was shot down into the sea. Meanwhile, ambulances and fire brigades stood by in case it crashed. The rogue plane flew over thickly populated suburbs, circling and climbing slowly.

The plane was an Auster two-seater, which got away from its trainee pilot, Mr Anthony Thrower, aged 30, about 9 a.m.

Mr Thrower, who had flown 22 hours, was practising landings when the engine cut out about 10 feet up. He landed safely, put the brakes on, and got out to swing the propeller. When the engine started the brakes failed to hold and the plane began to move.

Mr Thrower tried to stop it by hanging on to a strut, but it swept him off his feet and got away. The plane rose slowly, circling the aerodrome several times at a height of about 15 feet. There were gasps from people watching as it narrowly missed buildings. Twice it headed for the control tower, but at the last moment swung away and passed within a few feet of the tower.

Officials evacuated the tower, leaving only the operations officer there to report the Auster’s movements. The plane circled the airport for 15 minutes, gaining height slowly, and then began to drift towards Sydney, about 10 miles away, with each circuit. Ambulances, fire brigades, and police were alerted in case it should crash. It passed over a number of thickly populated suburbs, then over the heart of the city, and eventually flew over Rose Bay and Vaucluse and over the Sydney Heads towards the sea. It was flying in half-mile circles, and still climbing slowly. When the Auster crossed the coast it drifted, still circling, to the north, passing the seaside suburbs of Manly and Narrabeen, towards Palm Beach. Meanwhile, half a dozen other planes had gone into action. One, another Auster, trailed the runaway across Sydney and out to sea. Check for Stowaway The rogue plane was flying so well in the light, variable winds that the authorities sent a Wirraway trainer alongside to check that no stowaway was aboard. It made a number of slow passes over the Auster and reported that it was definitely pilotless. When the Auster was well over the sea, the R.A.A.F. made two attempts to shoot it down, but failed each time. One attempt was made in a Wirraway with an observer armed with a Bren gun. The gunner could not get in a burst, as his hands froze at 9000 feet—the height to which the Auster had climbed.

A Meteor jet fighter also failed to shoot down the runaway when its guns jammed on the first run. A call was sent to Nowra air station, and two Navy Sea Furies joined the chase. They sent the Auster plunging into the sea with a burst of gunfire at noon. Throughout the morning, radio stations broadcast news of the Auster’s flight. Newspaper offices, radio stations, and police stations were flooded with telephone calls from alarmed people wanting to know the plane’s location. All private and commercial aircraft heading for Sydney were warned to be on the alert for the plane, and all aircraft in Sydney were grounded as news of the runaway became known. Thousands of people left their homes, offices, and shops to watch the drama in the sky. Tiie Auster, valued at £3OOO, belonged to a flying school.