AIRMAN REPORTED OVERDUE MAKES A SAFE LANDING

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 22887, 5 March 1949, Page 8

AIRMAN REPORTED OVERDUE MAKES A SAFE LANDING

(P.A.) HASTINGS, Mar. 4. Reported missing on a flight from Taupo to Hastings yesterday afternoon, Mr. Clifford East, aged 29, Taupo, was meanwhile battling his way through rapidly deteriorating weather and his machine was running out of petrol.

The country beneath was some of the roughest of its kind in New Zealand, but a fortunate break in the clouds enabled him to make a landing in a clear paddock, one of the few suitable places on this journey for a safe emergency landing. Deteriorating weather had forced MiEast to fly low, and when the petrol gauge flickered near zero he decided to land. He came down at Glen Ross station, about 20 miles from Hastings.

Mr. East, who is a former R.A.F. instructor and thus a well-qualified pilot flew to Taupo yesterday morning from Hastings. At 3-45 p.m. he left Taupo on the return journey to Bridge Pa, where he was due at 5 p.m. When there was no sign of him at his due time arrangements were made for an extensive search of the route.

Mr. East landed in the paddock at about's.ls p.m. The plane was brought down perfectly and there was no damage done.