SOMERSAULTED IN LANDING
Amphibian Plane’s Mishap (New Zealand Press Association) AUCKLAND, February 13. The Grumman Widgeon amphibian of New Zealand Tourist Air Travel, Ltd., somersaulted ori landing at Bucklands beach at 9 o’clock this morning. While the plane settled upside down in the water, the pilot, Captain C. Griffiths, was taken ashore unhurt without even getting his feet wet. There were no passengers on board.
As the plane was turned end over end later in the day, it appeared that structural damage was slight. Captain Griffiths said he believed the accident was caused by keeping the tail a little too high. With the calm water, and no weight in the passehger cabin to keep the tail down, the plane somersaulted. “It just could not happen with passengers in the plane,’’ he said. Captain Griffiths joined Tourist Air Travel last year after flying for 16 years with Tasman Empire Airways as a flying-boat and 6c?6 captain. He has logged over 1*4,000 hours.
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Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28821, 16 February 1959, Page 12
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161SOMERSAULTED IN LANDING Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28821, 16 February 1959, Page 12
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