BOMBER WRECKED

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22996, 25 March 1938, Page 10

BOMBER WRECKED

DEFENCE MACHINE 4 ESCAPE OF PILOT ACCIDENT IN DARK CRASH NEAR ASHBURTON 4 [by TELEGRAPH —OWN CORRESPONDENT] ASHBURTON, Thursday A I!oval New Zealand Air Force pilot stationed at Wigram Aerodrome, PilotOfficer E. S. Reynolds, had a remarkable escape from death when, a Vickerts Vildebeeste bomber crashed during night flying exercises on the property of Mr. A. C. Cameron, seven miles east of Ashburton, shortly after nine •o'clock to-night. After flying over Ashburton with another machine Reynolds made toward the coast and, although he was off his course for Wigram, it is not known why ho came down. The landing flares 011 tho wing-tips had not been set off when the landing wheels struck a high gorse fence and the machine landed a few yards inside tho paddock with tho nose well down and the propeller churning up the ground. It ran like this lor 60 yards when the engine hit the ground ami tho machine turned over, somersaulting twice and coming to rest nearly 200 yards from the fence and resting 011 its back. . ~ The engine was torn out of the machine apparently when it first hit the ground, and, rolling over a distance of 150 vards, struck tho wreckage of the aeroplane. The undercarriage was wiped off. the nose was completely smashed in, the top wing shattered and the lower wing broken beyond repair. The pilot was able to crawl out with only minor abrasions, and sought assistance at n near by farmhouse.