CRASH IN ITALY.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LII, Issue 73, 25 February 1932, Page 7

CRASH IN ITALY.

AIRMEN’S EXPERIENCE. . ROME, Feb. 23. Flight-Lieutenant Leslie Hamilton and Flying-Officer R. K. Coupland, who crashed in Southern Italy while attempting to break the EnglandAustralia record, are now in the Ruvo di Puglia Hospital. They have received many callers. Lieutenant Hamilton, sitting up cheerfully and smoking, said: “After leaving Rome we climbed 10,000 feet to clear the 8000 feet hills. Snow clouds obscured our view, but the forecast predicted fine weather shortly, and so we kept on, but we were still befogged after 160 minutes, so we concluded that we were over plains. AVe shared the piloting. A snowstorm at 4000 1 * t made everything invisible. We tried to descend and crashed between Aitamura and Corafco.” Flying-Officer Coupland said that he found Lieutenant Hamilton senseless, with cuts on his faoe and the machine embedded deep in a snowdrift. The undercarriage was lost and the propeller broken. He explored, and found a deserted hut two miles away. He then returned to the machine, but fainted. Lieutenant Hamilton recovered Jit djawn, and both shouted and attracted the attention of peasants. They walked miles to a farm. The snow was so deep that the journey of 20 miles to Ruvo took eight hours. “AVe are preparing for a fresh flight to reach London,”, Flying-Offioei* Coupland said. The airmen especially thank General Balbo, the Italian Air Chief, for Iris assistance. The airmen stated that they would not continue their flight, but would return to England - after a few days recuperating. Meanwhile the aeroplane lies buried in the snow. An attempt was made by a number of Italian soldiers to dismantle the machine, but the snow was so thick that it was found 'impossible. Another .attempt will bo made to-morrow.