Forced Landing
Mishap to Light Air Force Bomber
NEITHER OCCUPANT INJURED Per Press Association. CHRISTCHURCH, Last Night. A forced landing was made by a Blackburn Baffin light bomber belonging to the Royal New Zealand Air Force, at Pigeon’s Bay, Bank’s Peninsula, about noon to-day. The two occupants, Pilot-Officer W. A. Hopkins, the pilot, and Pilot-Officer R. Grant, navigator, both of Christchurch, were not injured. The machine, which landed on the edge of the beach and turned over in the surf, was badly damaged. The two officers, who are members of the Territorial Air Force, are attending a course of instruction at the Flying Training School at W’igram. They left Wigrara Aerodrome this morning on a navigation exercise, course being to Timaru and back to Wigram via Akaroa. They were due to return to the station at mid-day and as they had not put in an appearance at that time aeroplanes were sent out to look for them. When the missing machine was located the aeroplanes returned to Wigram and 10 minutes later Air. Hopkins telephoned the station informing the authorities of the accident and reporting that neither he nor his companion was injured. A relief party was dispatched to Pigeon Bay with a change of clothing for the airmen who were wet through when the machine came down on the beach. The cause of the mishap is not known.
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https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/MT19390511.2.28
Bibliographic details
Manawatu Times, Volume 64, Issue 109, 11 May 1939, Page 4
Word Count
229Forced Landing Manawatu Times, Volume 64, Issue 109, 11 May 1939, Page 4
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