EMPIRE FLYING-BOAT

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXII, 29 November 1938, Page 5

EMPIRE FLYING-BOAT

FORCED LANDING ON LAKE IN MESOPOTAMIA ONE OF CREW DEAD (Received 29th November, 9a.m.) LONDON, 28th November. A message from Alexandria states that an Imperial Airways’ Empire flyingboat, Calpurnia, which had been missing since last night, has been located by R.A.F. planes at the south-west corner of Lake Habbaniyah, about 55 miles west of Baghdad, where it had made a forced landing. The plane carries no passengers < but has five members of the crew. It took off from Southampton on 25th November with Christmas mails for Australia Air Force officials report that three members of the crew, one of whom is believed to be injured, were seen moving about the Calpurnia, which is apparently damaged. Imperial Airways states that Calpurni.a at 6.32 p.m. yesterday, when darkness was prevailing. asked for her bearings while in the neighbourhood of Tiberias. The bearing was given and Calpurnia should have arrived at Habbaniyah at 3.30 a.m. The crew consist of Captain E. H. Atwood, first officer, A. N. Spottiswood, radio officer, B. B. Rees, steward, D. E. Anderson, and a flight clerk, F. G. Übee. A search-party radioed that it had found the wreck of the Imperial Airways flying-boat Calpurnia in eight feet of water on Lake Ramadi, 15 miles from the base on Lake Habbaniyah. M.r Rees is dead. EFFORTS TO RECOVER MAIL LONDON, 28th November. ! The Baghdad correspondent of “The j Times’’ says that efforts to recover the ; Caipurnia’s mails are handicapped by the . crash scattering letters over the lake, but I it. is hoped to recover the majority.