Mystery plane found in back country

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33741, 14 January 1975, Page 1

Mystery plane found in back country

A deerstalker has discovered what may be the wreckage of a light aircraft at the headwaters of the Rangitata River in South Canterbury.

The wreckage was found on Saturday and unsuccessful air searches for it were made on Sunday and yesterday.

Because of the very rugged country, the deerstalker, Mr L. N. Duncan, of Dunedin, could only get to within 400 yards of the wreckage, and a search party will go to the area, probably tomorrow.

The wreckage is about 4000 feet above sea level, near the Havelock River which flows into the Rangitata.

Inspector B. D. Read of the Timaru police said yesterday that there had been no recent reports of aircraft missing in the area. He said it was possible the wreckage was that of a light aircraft which was last seen near Wanganui on July 27 last year. In spite of extensive searches, mainly in the Nelson. Wanganui and Taranaki areas, the plane was never found.

An American Maule M-5, it was on a delivery flight from Auckland to Gore, and was piloted by Mr Roy Courtney, aged 32. married, of Gore.

Inspector Read said Mr ; Duncan had reported his [sighting to Mesopotamia Station on Sunday, and a plane [from the station made a search later in the day. An Iroquois helicopter from Christchurch made another search yesterday, but it was also unsuccessful. The search team will need a day to get to the site, and if it cannot reach the wreckagea helicopter will have

to be used to winch the men down to it.

The police in Christchurch said last evening that they thought the sighting of the wrecked aircraft was genuine. Mr Duncan had said that he and two companions had seen what appeared to be a damaged wing among the wreckage. Around it was a circle of trees and scrub burned about three or four months ago. New seedlings and scrub were growing in the circle. The aircraft could not be seen from the air because it had apparently crashed directly into a steep hillside in the midst of vegetation. It had ploughed into the hill, further hiding it. The police said the deerstalker first sighted the wreckage on a hillside opposite. He tramped over the other side to try to reach it, but lost his line of sight among the scrub. Mr M. V. Prouting, of Mesopotamia Station, said last evening that he was doubtful if the sighting was the wreckage of an aircraft. Many deerstalkers had been in the area recently, but none of them had seen it. It was possible that the sighting was of remnants of an old iron hut blown to pieces during one of the severe winter storms. Dragonfly The country in the area was rough, with a lot of shingle, rocks and scrub to hide anything mysterious, he said. “If it is a wrecked aircraft, it could either be the one missing on the way to Gore, or a Dragonfly which was seen from Mesopotamia before it disappeared about 10 years ago. “The Dragonfly left Christchurch and was seen from here heading in the direction of the supposed wreck. It was flying in thick cloud and we heard later that it should have been heading further south.” The search for the plane

which disappeared last July was the biggest for many years. Hundreds of police, soldiers and civilians searched for a week.

The plane was flying with another but contact was lost about 10 a.m. on July 271 The other plane later landed safely at Gore.