SKILFUL LANDING

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 79, 30 September 1944, Page 3

SKILFUL LANDING

MOTUEKA PILOT ONLY ONE MOTOR FUNCTIONING (R.N.Z.A.F. Official News Service) Bougainville, Sept. 25. Good airmanship and a skilful forced landing after a hazardous two-hour flight on one motor carried Flight Lieutenant F. N. R. Thomas (Motueka), captain of a New Zealand Ventura, ami his crew through to safety alter the bomber had been damaged by antiaircraft fire in a raid on Keravat. near Rabaul. Others in the crew were Flying Officer G. A. Shanks (Gisborne, navigator), Warrant Officer G. A. Millar (Utiki. wireless operator), and Flight Sergeant J. A. Gillies <l!ampden) and Sergeant R. A. Budd (Wellington) air gunners. All the crew are now back at base and have resumed operations. The Ventura took off before dawn with a formation detailed to bomb a Japanese supply area. In the darkness they fought their way through extremely heavy weather to the coast of New Britain. They were over the target at first light and made two successful bombing runs. At the end of tl e second run Thomas depressed the nose of the aircraft to strafe suspicious objects among some trees. At that moment the burst of a 20millimetre shell put the starboard motor out of commission and the aircraft lost height as it turned away from the target. Taking advantage of updrafts under cumulus clouds the captain was able to gain altitude for a time, but twice w.thin a few minutes he had to give the crew the order to prepare for ditching. With only one motor functioning and the other causing some apprehension, the aircraft hacked the power to lift itself over the mountains of New Ireland, which formed a barrier between them and the Allied base on Green Island. Bad weather also lay between them and the base, putting any attempt at a homeward journey out of the question. The New Zealanders therefore turned south for Talasea, in friendly territory on the north *vest shore of New Britain, about 200 miles from Keravat. The captain nursed .he one good motor and exerted all his skill to maini tain altitude and flying speed. To lighten the ship all the ammunition and a machine-gun were jettisoned. Coming cut of a rain-squall, which entailed fly- , ing by instruments, they were down to ! 300 feet, but were able to keep that height until they were over Talasea. On their left was a grassy strip run- ! ning for about 600 yards along a ridge i which rose sharply from the beach. * Approaching it at 150 feet the captain - made a side-slip while levelling out and squashed the aircraft down to earth, touching the strip 200 feet from its I seaward end. Hard braking was applied | and the tail rose eight feet after strik--1 ing a bump on the strip. The aircraft was brought to a stop 1 without mishap and the crew were able to step out unharmed barely 100 yards from a gully at the inland edge ’ of the ridge. The strip was too short tor the aircraft to be flown eff again ' and it was abandoned after the acces- ‘ sories had been salvaged. The crew ' were flown to Emirau and thence back to their base by an American trans--1 port aircraft.