SAVED BY PARACHUTES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21396, 20 October 1934, Page 8 (Supplement)

SAVED BY PARACHUTES

FOUR MEN IN PERIL AEROPLANE ABANDONED FIRE IN ONE OF THE ENGINES The lives of three officers and a corporal of the I?oval Air I' orce were saved by parachute descents from a disabled bomber over the Hog's Back, Surrey, just before midnight on September 12. The decision to abandon the aeroplane was taken by the oflicor-in-eharge after one of the engines had caught fire. The crew went over the side at a height of about 2000 ft., and he followed them when the aeroplane had lost nearly another 1000 ft. of height. All four landed without injury and the bomber came to earth and wrecked itself some distance away. The participants in this adventure were Flight-Tjioutonant D. *l. Hairison, Flying-Officer G. P. Marvin, PilotOfficer H. de C. A. Woodhousc—who had only just been posted to the unit from No. 3 Flying Training School — and Corporal C. A. Fiddick. They all belong to No. 58 (Bomber) Squadron stationed at Worthy Down, Winchester, and on the night in question were (lying a twin-engined Virginia bomber for the purposo of giving searchlight units practice in locating aircraft. The engine failure occurred when the machine was over the hilly and wooded country between Guildford and Aldershot. Fire Prevents Return The first intention of the senior pilot was to fly on the remaining engine the 10 or 12 miles to Brooklands and land the machine there, but when the engine took firo this course became impossible. The engines are mounted on the lower wing, and there was serious risk that the fabric coverings of wings and fuselage might also be set on fire. The chance of making a safe forced landing at night in such country was obviously slight, and the alternative of parachute descents was chosen. All members of the crew were in telephonic communication, and the three junior members went over the side within a few seconds of each other. The chief pilot then put the nose of the big machine downward and dived overboard himself. Something struck his head as he went down. He thought it was part of the tail, but it was not a heavy blow All the men waited until they were clear of the machine before pulling the rip-rings of their parachutes, and all made easy descents and landed in fields. Inquisitive Cattle

One man found himself in a field of cattle whose excited inquisitiveness led him to escape hastily over a hedge into the next field. All four were also collected in succession by a motor-car which was travelling along the road which runs the length of the Hog's Back between Aldershot and Guildford, and were taken into the latter town.

The bomber crashed in a ploughed field, having passed just clear of a signal-box and some cottages beside the Guildford to Farnham railway line. The violence of the impact evidently extinguished the fire. The aeroplane rebounded from the field with its back broken and came to rest upside down some 20 yards away. It did not take fire on the ground.