Amphibian Lost

Manawatu Times, Volume 61, Issue 128, 2 June 1936, Page 10

Amphibian Lost

EORCED SEA LANDING DRIVEN ON ROCKY SHORE ALL THE OCCUPANTS ESCAPED SYDNEY, May 21. i The treacherous Bass Strait has claimed another aircraft victim, this time without loss of life. Tho threeengined amphibian Windhover, which has been pottering about on commercial and charter services between Melbourne and King and Flinders Islands for several years, was forced down by darkness in the Strait and was wrecked by heavy seas off Cape Wickham, King Island.

The occupants of the amphibian, who were going to King Island to shoot pheasants, were Charles Gatenby (pilot), Cecil Clark, Donald de Kantzow and Thomas Meares, all well-known pilots, and Wallace Good. They obtained the Windhover from the Matthews Aviation Company and left 'Melbourne at 3 p.m. last Wednesday on a direct course to King Island. Head winds reduced the speed of the machine, and King Island -was not sighted until 5.40 p.m., after a flight which normally would not occupy more than two hours. Darkness W'as then setting in.

Gatenby held the Windhover on its course until King Island was reached and then cruised above the west coast in an unsuccessful ■ effort in tho fading light to find tho aerodrome at Currie. Gatenby turned back along the coast, and eventually alighted safely on the water 100yds off the Currio lighthouse. A heavy sea was running and the amphibian had a rocky lee shore. She immediately began drifting towards rocks, but the drift was checked temporarily by the throwing out of an anchor. Iu the meantime 25 motor-cars had gone to the Currie aerodrome, whero the headlights were trained on the landing ground in the hope of enabling the airmen to land, but the lights were not seen.

When it was realised that the amphibian had alighted on the water about 50 cars set out along the coast to find the Windhover, which was found about a mile north of Currie. It was dragging its anchor toward the rocks, iu spite of the airmen’s efforts to make the anchor hold. The Windhover drifted on tho sharp rocks about five miuutes after the lights of the cars had been directed on it. Heavy seas immediately began to pound it to pieces. The airmen jumped into the surf and were assisted from the rocks by townspeople. The Windhover was rapidly broken to pieces. It was valued at £3OOO and only the engines, much damaged by sea water, were salvaged.