FORCED LANDING

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXIII, 11 May 1939, Page 10

FORCED LANDING

AIR FORCE PLANE BADLY DAMAGED OCCUPANTS ESCAPE INJURY

I United Press Association] CHRISTCHURCH, 10th May. A forced landing was made by a Blackburn-Baffin light bomber, belonging to the Royal New Zealand Air Force, at Pigeon Bay, Banks Peninsula, about noon to-day. The two occupants, Pilot Officer W. A. Hopkins, the pilot, and Pilot Officer R. Grant, the 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 lying training school, Wigram. They left Wigram Aerodrome this morning on navigation exercise, the course being to Timaru and back to Wigram via Akaroa. They were due to return to the station at midday, 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 Pilot Officer Hopkins telephoned the station informing the authorities of the accident and reporting that neither he nor his companion were injured. A relief party was dispatched to Pigeon Bay with a change of clothing for the airmen, who were wet through. The cause of the mishap is not known.