MOTH PLANE DAMAGED;

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 21 December 1928, Page 4

MOTH PLANE DAMAGED;

MISHAP AT BELL BLOCK. POST BRUSHED ON LANDING.

-Slight -damage to one wing of the Moth plane piloted from Auckland by Mr Douglas Mill was done after it had landed at the aerodrome -at Bell Block at 4 p.m. yesterday. Neither the pilot nor mechanic, Mr J. -Smith, was injured. The machine left Auckland at ..1.30 p.m. and encountered good flying conditions on the journey.

In preparation for the landing on the ground at Bell Block, a runway some ten chains in length had been mowed under the direction of the Aero .Club officials, but in making the landing the plane after dipping to within 10 or 15 feet of the earth, flattened out and, glided some chains before its wheels struck the turf. A bump caused it to rise momentarily and then it taxied along in a rapid approach towards a gorse hedge and fence in the corner. The tail came down too late to -prevent the wing hitting the gorse. As the machine swung round the leading edge of the right lower wing tip was brushed against a post. The fabric was tom and it is understood that one of the spars was telescoped. It is understood that it will be necessary to obtain a new win,g from Melbourne and that this cannot arrive in less than a fortnight or three weeks. In the meantime the machine is being housed in a shed on the property of the Bell Block dairy factory It had been the intention of Mr Mill to flv to Hastings to-day. but as the result of the mishap he dec ded proceed to Auckland and return for the machine when the new wing arrives from Australia.