ANXIOUS HOURS

Greymouth Evening Star, 18 April 1946, Page 2

ANXIOUS HOURS

AIRLINER PUTS BACK ENGINE TROUBLE DEVELOPS OVER TASMAN •SAFE RETURN ON ONE MOTOR (P.A.) AUCKLAND, Ap. 17. With one engine of the aircraft stopped, their luggage jettisoned with movable equipment to save weight, and wearing life-jackets as part of the routine emergency procedure, 16 passengers who left Whenuapai for Sydney in a Dakota transport of the R.N.Z.A.F. • this morning spent four anxious hours while the aircraft struggled back to Auckland after an engine defect about 450 miles from land. Still wearing their lifejackets, but without their luggage, the passengers, including, a 76-year-old widow, -the only woman aboard, were delighted to see Whenuapai again. With one exception, however, they intend leaving again in the morning in a replacement aircraft.

The Dakota, which left Whenuapai at 7.20 a.m., reported by radio at 10.17 a.m., that one engine was out of action through loss of aira turned back for New Zealand. Steadily losing height, the. aeroplane struggled in on one engine, landing at Whenuapai at 2.30 p.m. Passengers who were aboard ~me Dakota included a senior officer or the P.N.Z.A.F., Air Commodore A. de T. Nevill, C.8.E., Vice-Chief of the Air Staff, Mrs A. Oxenford, or Sydney, Major J. A. Coppard, Major Is. J. Henton, Sub-Lieutenant N. JDoole, and Messrs W. W. Rae, 1. JMcDonald, J. McAlister, J. Cooney, J. M. McQuarie, J. W. Jackson, 1. Stenstrom, R. P. Langley, J. F olll ®L C. H. Hando, and W. J. Platt. All were travelling to Sydney in the Dakota, which was then to go on to Los Negros, but the passengers included a number on their way to destinations much further afield. Bomber Pilot in Command The captain of the aircraft was Flight Lieutenant N. Gardiner, D. of Rakaia, who won his decoration in August, 1943, when he brought a damaged Lancaster bomber back to base in Britain after a mass aid on Berlin. Other crew members were Flying Officer T. E. Grainger, of Auckland, navigator; Flying Officer D. W. Gray, of Auckland, wireless operator; and Flight Sergeant . W. Small, of Dunedin, flight engineer. All are members ot No. 41 Squadron. Tiri . Three hours out from Whenuapai at 10.17 this morning, when it had covered some 450 miles on the way to Sydney, the Dakota had trouble, later traced to a broken oil pipe in the port engine. The captain, flying at 11,000 ft. in cloudy weather, with a tail wind of 20 miles an hour to help the aircraft westward, noted, a drop in the oil pressure and a rise in the temperature, and from his seat could see oil running h' om ( p 0“ engine. He immediately feathered the propeller,-stopped the engine, and turned back, while the radio operatn sent out a call for help and reported the position. . , , Making the most of his height, bur seeking to' beat altitude for a smgleengined performance, Flight Lieutenant Gardiner nursed the Dakota for an hour, but by 11.30 the aircraft was down to 5000 feet, and still losing height, although the starboard engine was delivering maximum power. He therefore decided that all. luggage must be jettisoned, together with non-essential items of the aircraft’s equipment. The passengers, who had _ aieaciy been ordered to pht on their lifejackets, and who had been drilled bj the flight engineer in “ditching procedure and dinghy drill faced the loss of their luggage philosophically, and. the crew realising the importance ol saving weight had no hesitation. An inward-opening door was unlocked, and one by one suitcases and other pieces of baggage were tossed out, to fall into the Tasman far below, lhey were followed by the engineer’s toolkit, portable steps, and other items. Only the mail, a single bag of 401 b, was saved. Maintaining Height With some 700 pounds taken off the load, the Dakota responded immediately. Flight Lieutenant Gardinei found that the aircraft would maintain height on one engine, and continued slowly but steadily toward the safety of the New Zealand coast. He was within an hour’s flying of Whenuapai when the second engine showed signs of labouring undei the long spell of high-power running,, so he throttled back, deliberately losing a little more height to save the engine, which, on the reduced throttle opening, carried the aircraft safely home. . Shepherded by a Catalina flyingboat from Hobsonville, and by a Hudson carrying an airborne lifeboat from Whenuapai, the Dakota returned to the station seven hours after it had left. Flight Lieutenant Gardiner, with the runway, cleared lor him, brought his aircraft in to a smooth landing, and the passengers, who had been kept informed of the aircraft’s progress, alighted m a grateful frame of mind. They were loud in their praises of the conduct of the captain and the crew, and, with the exception of one, all indicated that they would fly to Australia in another Dakota scheduled to leave in the morning. Designed to meet such situations, the flying control and air-sea rescue organisations functioned- smoothly while Flight Lieutenant Gardiner was bringing his aircraft back. The specially-trained staff at Mechanics Bay was in constant radio communication with the Dakota, kept steady track of its progress, and recorded it on the chart and set the airsea rescue procedure in train. When the radio brought news of the aircraft’s plight, all aircraft likely to be of value were ordered to stand by. A Catalina of No. 5 Squadron and later a Hudson carrying an airborne life-boat was sent out from Whenuapai. Both made contact, with the Dakota. In addition, two other Dakotas were held at Whenuapai on a stand-by basis. A Hudson at Norfolk Island, carrying a lifeboat, was ordered to be ready for flight, and a Ventura was flown from Ohakea to Whenuapai with a Linaholme dinghy aboard in case it should be required. In addition to plotting the progress of the Dakota, the flying control staff was required to watch and record the movements of the two rescue aircraft in the air, and to ensure that the damaged plane was intercepted.;

Grateful Passengers Passengers interviewed at afternoon tea at Whenuapai immediately after the landing showed few signs

of their ordeal. They joined in expressing their gratitude to Flight Lieutenant Gardiner and his crew for their cool and capal.be handling of a difficult situation, for their consideration for those aboard less accustomed to air travel, and for their high standard of airmanship. They were concerned ovei’ the loss of their luggage in spite of some of it being insured, but were too delighted to be safely on the ground to worry about more than their immediate needs.

Each passenger was supplied with a certificate stating the circumstances in which the luggage had been lost, and several immediately telephoned people in Auckland in an effort to obtain some sort of kit. Each was also given ration coupons, and the party was later driven to Auckland to stay the night, either with friends or at hotels where bookings had been made when it was learned that the Dakota had turned back.