FLIGHT IN SNOWSTORM

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21252, 4 August 1932, Page 8

FLIGHT IN SNOWSTORM

FORCED LANDING MADE AERODROME NOT VISIBLE . I MACHINE REACHES RACECOURSE [by TELEGRAPH —PRESS ASSOCIATION"] CHRISTCHURCH. Wednesday Unable to find the Wigram aerodrome in a snowstorm this morning, Mr. • • Clark, ground engineer and assistant pilot > to New Zealand Airways, Limited,was

compelled to malco a forced landing wi a three-seater Spartan aeroplane on the Addington trotting grounds. He made a, perfect landing. _ •» The passengeis were Miss Esther James, who recently finished a walking tour ot New Zealand advertising Dominion-made goods, and Mr. H. M. Mackay, managing director of New Zealand The party set out from Timaru at 10.30 a.m. in brilliant sunshine. The machine ran into snow at Rakaia, and arrived over J Christchurch when snow was falling heavily and the visibility was very bad. Mr. Clark was unable to see the aerodrome, although he actually passed over it flying low over the hangars. The snow fell for half an hour only. The weather then cleared. FALL THROUGHOUT CANTERBURY HEAVIER IN COUNTRY AREAS [BY TELEGRAPH —PRESS ASSOCIATION]. CHRISTCHURCH, Wednesday There was a fall of snow throughout Canterbury this morning. It lasted half an hour in the city but considerably longer in the northern parts of the province, where the fall wa s much heavier. It was feared that there might be mortality among lambs, which are faiily

numerous in some districts. The temperature at noon in the city was 33.9 degrees. Following on sleet, the fall became fairly thick and fast in the city and roofs of cars and buildings were soon covered. At 12.30 p.m., the snow eased off and light rain, which stopped at one o'clock, followed, and the snow quickly disappered. The sun was shining late this afternoon and this evening it was freezing hard. Forty miles north-west of Christchurch the fall was four inches, but to the south it was about an inch only. At Kaikoura, the depth in places was up to six inches No damage to telegraph lines was reported and traffic was not disorganised.